The Fox Theatre in Atlanta

The Fox Theatre was at the top of my “must visit” list on my recent trip to Atlanta. I had been there back in 2007, but was unable to get inside. I attempted to book a tour, but none were offered during my short stay. Believe me…I did my best to get inside, including attempting wangle my way in after a show had let out. No go, amigo! So, I had to be content with circling the outside of this beautiful building.



Rachel Maddow and Stacey Abrams were on the marquee; back in 1946, Walt Disney’s “Song of the South” premiered here on November 12th, with Walt and his wife Lillian in attendance.



Note the B’rer Rabbit sticker on the windshield:



The exterior hasn’t changed much since that night:



An almost exact duplicate angle I shot from 2007:



Edited from the Fox Theatre website:

In 1928, the Fox was originally conceived as a home for Atlanta’s Shriners organization. To create a headquarters befitting the group’s prominent social status, the Shriners looked to the ancient temples of the Far East to inspire a mosque-style structure befitting their stature. Storied architectural gems like the Alhambra in Spain and Egypt’s Temple of Kharnak heavily influenced the building’s design. Ultimately, the design was so fantastical, it became more of a financial burden than the Shriners could bear. Shortly before its completion, the Shriners leased their beautiful auditorium to movie mogul William Fox. With Fox’s financial backing (the project cost more than $3 million, the equivalent of nearly $40 million today), the 250,000 square foot Fox Theatre was completed, with the crowning addition of “Mighty Mo”, the 3,622-pipe Möller organ that remains the largest Möller theatre organ in the world even today. The Fox opened on Christmas Day in 1929 to a sold-out crowd, premiering Steamboat Willie, Disney’s first cartoon starring Mickey Mouse.



I loved this little detail at the bottom of the ticket booth, although I have no idea what it’s purpose is.



The exterior entryway:



These side entrances show the original intention of the building:









Contrary to what many think, “Gone with the Wind” did not premiere here in 1939; it was shown at the Loew’s  Grand Theater. Sadly, that theatre burned in 1978 and was replaced by a 1,567,011 square foot skyscraper. Rumors of arson swirled since the Grand couldn’t be torn down due to its historic status; the fire took care of that.

I guess I’ll have to go back to Atlanta again if I want to see the interior. I can only imagine how impressive it must be. See more Fox Theatre in Atlanta photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Shirley in Palo Alto

“Bright Eyes,” the movie that launched Shirley Temple’s signature song, “On The Goodship Lollipop,” was released just in time for Christmas on December 20, 1934. Today’s opening photo shows the Fox Stanford Theatre in Palo Alto, and they could not be any prouder that they are featuring a Shirley movie! Check out all the posters, photos, and placards! And who ended up with these?!?



Based on their website, “Bright Eyes” ran from Sunday January 13, 1935 until Tuesday January 15. Not a very long run, but that seemed typical for most of their films. Besides the feature, you got to see a Charley Chase Comedy (“Chases of Wimpole Street”) AND a Technicolor cartoon (“The Discontented Canary”) AND Fox News events. What a value!



A closeup of the photo montage:



Most of these are in my collection, including this one with James “Jimmie” Dunn:



…and this one with Dunn and Judith Allen.



This one is dead center, which is a curious choice since it’s from her previous Fox film, “Baby Take A Bow.”



The theatre (which opened in 1925) is still around, but currently closed for repairs, reopening in July/August.

How the building looks today, according to Google streetview:



The drug store is no more; where can the residents of Palo Alto get their sickroom needs met now?

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Carthay Circle Comparison

The original Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles opened in 1926 and was demolished in 1969 (the indignity!). Thanks to Disney Theme Parks, guests can now enjoy slightly smaller scaled recreations of the movie palace on both coasts. How’d the Disney team do on its versions? I’d say very well. Compare this 1953 shot of the original theater vs. the Carthay Circle Restaurant at Disney California Adventure, which opened in 2012:



They really did a great job on the marquee grillwork, too...except for that one time when they blinged it out for the Diamond Anniversary!



The WDW version was built first; sadly (but not surprisingly), they chose to make it a gift shop. The vertical neon marquee did not exist on the original, but thanks to good vintage design, it works.



See more original Carthay Circle Theatre photos at my main website.

The Showplace of Virginia

Dubbed the "Showplace of Virginia," Richmond's Byrd Theatre was built in 1928.



It is one of the few movie palaces from that grand era that has continuously operated as a movie theatre, looking very much like it did when it first opened.



The lobby:



At the time of my visit, many of the center seats had been ripped out and were in the process of being redone.



Vintage light fixtures...come home with me!







It was probably a good thing that the lights were on low; upon closer inspection of the remaining seats and the condition of the curtain, this place looked like it could use a good scrubbing.



Still, it truly is a French Empire architectural treasure.



Final one for today is a panorama of the theatre's impressive ceiling and overhead light, which is an 18-foot, two-and-a-half ton Czechoslovakian crystal chandelier containing over 5,000 crystals illuminated by 500 red, blue, green and amber lights. It's Christmas every day at the Byrd!



More Byrd Theatre at my main website.

Inside the Carthay Circle

The Carthay Circle Theatre on San Vicente Boulevard in Los Angeles was arguably one of the most famous movie palaces of Hollywood's Golden Age, known for its lavish movie premieres. In Disney history, it is known as the theatre that presented "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" to the world.

The Disneyland Resort's Buena Vista Street built a scaled replica of the Spanish Colonial Revival marvel that was demolished in 1969.



While the exterior evokes the original, Disney California Adventure's Carthay Circle functions as a restaurant, causing the interior to be completely different.



Imagineers did a fantastic job of creating a high end restaurant that evokes the golden era, but I have to admit that I was slightly disappointed when it was announced that its function would not match its namesake. In hindsight, it was a wise choice; how many guests would want to pay money to go to an amusement park to sit in a darkened theatre to watch a movie?



Thankfully, photos do exist of the interior of the 1926 Carthay Circle Theatre.



Glad you can't see me drooling over these architectural details and flourishes.



I sure hope this painting was saved.



You can see how the main room of the DCA restaurant evokes the ceiling of the original theatre:



Imagineers, I am putting in my request to add this Art Deco fountain from the original!



See more Hollywood Movie Palaces at main website.

Movie Palaces: The Pantages in Hollywood

One of the most gorgeous classic movie palaces in Los Angeles is the Pantages Theater. These photos do not do this theater justice. And if you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m an Art Deco nut.







For more Daveland Pantages photos, visit my regular website.

Movie Palaces: The Balboa

I love the old movie palaces; the ones that were even more fantasy-oriented than the movies they used to show. Unfortunately, many have gone into disrepair or faced the wrecking ball. Fortunately, The Balboa in San Diego was recently restored, and unlike the North Park Theater, this one was a first-class job. Even the curtain will take you back to yesteryear:









For more Daveland Movie Palace photos, visit my regular website.