Palace Theatre
Hancock Street,
Milledgeville,
GA
31061
Hancock Street,
Milledgeville,
GA
31061
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The first “cinema” (theatorium) in Milledgeville was in 1904 in the Horne Building, operated by W.F. Bath. It was nicknamed “The Palace”. A second cinema catering exclusively for African-descent audiences opened around 1906. The name Palace Theater was adopted when Bath’s cinema was moved into the Opera House, becoming the second cinema in the town and retained the name during subsequent moves. It was never called the Electric Theater. The full story is here (free): http://norvell-hardy.co.uk
Sources conflict on the name of the first theater in Milledgeville, though they all agree that Oliver Hardy was the projectionist at the house around 1910. While many sources say that the house was called the Electric Theatre, the historical marker for the Milledgeville Hotel is among the sources saying that the theater was called the Palace. It also says that the Palace was across the street from the hotel. As the hotel was located on South Wayne Street, the Palace could not have been the theater on Hancock Street described above. Cinema Treasures lists the Palace Theatre at 133 S. Wayne Street.
The night club on Hancock Street that Ray’s band played in the 1970s might have been the place that for many years was called Dodo’s Pool Room or Dodo’s Opera House, which was located in the building that once housed the Colonial Theatre, which was in operation by 1912. Dodo’s was listed variously at 124 and 128 West Hancock Street. Cinema Treasures lists the Colonial Theatre at 128 W. Hancock.
It’s possible that the Palace Theatre was called the Electric Theatre at the time it opened, or it might be a misunderstanding that there was ever a house in Milledgeville called the Electric Theatre, as the phrase electric theater was sometimes used as a generic term for movie theaters in the early days of the business, rather like nickelodeon. I’ve found a couple of references to the Palace Theatre in trade journals from the 1910s, along with a Star Theatre and the Colonial Theatre, but none to a house called the Electric Theatre.