It might look like Disneyland's Main Street Cinema, but The Lucas Theatre in Savannah is for real. This photograph shows the exterior of the building back in 1924, when D.W. Griffith's film about the American Revolutionary War, "America," was being enjoyed by patrons. The film was released in February 1924, just three years after the December 1922 grand opening of the Lucas.
A detailed shot shows the marquee, vintage car parked in front, and patrons buying tickets for the film that starred 1920's stars Neil Hamilton (who played Commissioner Gordon in the 1960's TV series "Batman), Carol Dempster, and Lionel Barrymore.
Zooming in even more, this photo takes on more of a human scale, with the three young children at right, intently watching the person who took this photograph.
A few contemporary shots that I took on previous visits to Savannah show that the theatre has changed very little over the years, thanks to herculean restoration efforts:
You can watch the movie "America" on youtube:
See more vintage & current Lucas Theatre in Savannah photos on my Reynolds Square web page.
What a beautiful old theatre. It looks like it's been left in intact very well. There's something special about watching a film in the old movie houses of yesteryear.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dave.