Johnny Showtime: The Historic Fox Theater

 by JB

Just a short missive from on the road.

My lovely wife and I are traveling this week, and through happenstance and luck, we found ourselves visiting Atlanta, Georgia, and staying in the historic Georgian Terrace Hotel. How historic is the Georgian Terrace Hotel? One of their banquet rooms hosted the premiere party for Gone with the Wind in 1939. Across the street from the historic Georgian Terrace Hotel (drafty and full of ghosts) sits the historic Fox Theater, built in 1929 by the Shriners, but soon leased to movie mogul William Fox as a movie palace. The Fox Theater did not host the actual premiere of Gone with the Wind (that happened down the street at the Loew's Grand Theater) but it did host the premiere of Walt Disney's historic Song of the South, which apparently, we aren't allowed to talk about anymore.

BACKGROUND: The Fox was the only theater in Atlanta in the 1940s that admitted both white and black patrons, though the theater had a separate box office, main entrance, and seating for black patrons. The theater was finally integrated in 1962.

The Fox is the only movie palace left in Atlanta. The Loew's Grand, Martin Cinerama, Georgia Cinerama, Paramount Theater, and the Roxy Theater, historic Atlanta movie palaces all, have been razed. Most others that opened in the 1960s have since been converted to multiplexes. It's amazing that the Fox still stands. Southern Bell wanted to buy it in the early 1970s and turn it into a parking lot for its main administrative building. Public outcry against this was strong. Celebrities like Liberace, Jeff Foxworthy, and the band Lynyrd Skynyrd led an effort to have the theater named a National Historic Landmark. It was granted that status in 1976. "We walk through history, Dr. Jones; the Fox Theater is history."

FUNNY STORY: When we arrived at the hotel, a show was just getting out at the Fox. The street was full of hundreds of happy patrons, most of whom were looking for a place to have a drink. We looked up the marquee and concluded that these giddy Atlanta citizens had just seen Elf: The Musical. "Boy, I said, observing the Mardi-Gras-like scene outside our cab, "These people sure like Elf!" Later, two theatergoers joined us in the hotel elevator, and we asked them how they liked the show. They were a little tipsy, and they said they loved the show. My wife then said, "We've never seen the show, but Elf: The Movie is so funny!" They gave us the strangest looks and quickly exited. We later found out that Elf does not begin its run at the Fox for another week. All those happy locals had just seen David Byrne of the Talking Heads in concert. We can only imagine what those two ladies in the elevator thought of us, "Those people sure like Elf!"

The theater is beautiful. I know that I do not need to go on and on to F This Movie readers about the splendor and wonder of early movie palaces. They are so important and there are so few of them left standing. They are appropriate places to dream. If you are lucky enough to have one in your area, visit it often. In my old stomping ground, I was lucky enough to frequent the historic Music Box Theater and the historic Chicago Theater; and since I have moved, I can frequent both the historic Chinese Theater and the historic Egyptian Theater.

Again, I am lucky. Happy Holidays.