My first job in high school was selling concessions at SouthPark Cinemas, 1979. The Midnight Movies were a lot of fun to work ---- we'd sell a ton of, um, munchies. I remember 'Rocky Horror' and 'Harold and Maude' were popular. Did you go to the Midnight Movies in the '70s? What'd you see? Maybe I sold you popcorn and Pepsi! Hope y'all enjoy the photos...
Fox Drive-In, 1977, Old Statesville Rd. Commenter says movies here were 'instructional.' LOL!
Will plan a Drive-Ins blog soon.
Visulite Theatre on Elizabeth Avenue. 'On its way back to showing quality films, the Visulite made some stops, one of which was showing X-rated movies. Then, early this summer, a sign on the marquee, above, announced a new look.' - September, 1977.
'Even at midnight, the theatres at the Charlottetown Mall have lines of people waiting to get in.'
Fred Wilson/Staff. December, 1980.
Regency Twin Theaters, Albemarle Road near Farm Pond Lane. 1978
'We made a mistake," says Kermit High, operator of Dilworth Theatre on South Blvd. 'The sign should say 'Two horror-ible movies.' He didn't mean to say the movies were 'horrible.' Even so, High said, he'll let the wording stand as is. 'The pictures are doing too much business for us to change it,' he said. - Don Hunter/Staff
Caption just says 'Big A: On Auction Block'
1976
December 7, 1979. 'First they had to wait 10 years after the TV program 'Star Trek' was canceled and then Friday night people lined up two abreast outside the Capri Theatre on Independence Boulevard to buy tickets for the local opening of 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture.' A handful of people even waited more than 12 hours to be first in line. - Jeep Hunter/Staff
(Thanks to reader for correcting date to Dec. 7!)
(Thanks to reader for correcting date to Dec. 7!)
1970. Carolina Theatre. BofA recently pledged $5 million to restoration efforts. Foundation for the Carolinas hopes to turn the boarded-up theatre on North Tryon Street into a civic meeting hall
Oh wow..no pictures of The Viking (I think that was on Freedom or Wilkinson) or The Thunderbird? Two Drive-In theatres in Charlotte from the past.
ReplyDeleteWon't mention the "other" drive-in theatre...
Anon - good idea! Will do a drive-ins blog soon.
ReplyDeleteThe "Big A" was near the corner of Central and Kilborne. A church stands there now.
ReplyDeleteAnon - good reporting on Big A!Tx.
ReplyDeleteI have been looking for a picture of the Big A Drive-in. My parents used to take me there. I remember they showed all of the Planet of the Apes movies one night.
ReplyDeleteJames - if I come across any other Big A pix I'll add to this blog. I saw my first Planet of the Apes movie at a drive-in in NJ. Tx!
ReplyDeleteI saw a lot of movies at The Capri. I saw my first 3D movie there, Friday the 13th 3D. I felt so stupid wearing those glasses. The Capri closed the week Hurricane Hugo hit. It was a dollar theatre the last year or so it was open.
ReplyDeleteI'll mention the "other" Drive-In, it was the Fox Drive-In. $5.00for a double feature, and if you got there early enough you could catch the first flick shown again after the second flick. Some of the greatest instructional films I ever saw - not good stuff, it was great stuff!
ReplyDeleteGood Times! Yeah, a bunch of my friends worked at Southpark Cinemas, Charlotte Towne and the Park Terrace over the early 1980's.
ReplyDeleteRode my bike to go see Alien in 6-channel surround sound at the Park Terrace. Saw Star Wars there, The Blues Brothers and many others. The regency and the Capri were the Rocky Horror favorites. I wouldn't want to admit how many times I saw that at midnight..
Anon at 3:01
ReplyDeleteThat "other" drive-in was on the way home from church. If we had a program or something, and didnt get out church until after dark...and we'd drive past that screen...and as a pre-teen...maan...I'd whip my head around to the back window so fast, trying to get a peek at that screen...lol.
I remember there was a house right beside it too. I can only imagine...
The Carolina! Former stage of the Johnson Family Singers and The Legendary Briarhoppers! 1936 Briarhopper member Billie Burton remembers the band performing with Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and other stars. She is happy the theater may be renovated. Maybe the Briarhoppers can perform there sometime in the future!
ReplyDeleteWould love to see photos of The Astor on 36th Street (now The Neighborhood Theater).
ReplyDeleteNo mention of The Plaza theater- Corner of Central & The Plaza Not the Xrated incarnation- but the 70mm 6 channel mag film with custom built JBL surround sound system that debuted "2001, A Space Odyssey" in 70MM surround sound back in... 1974...WAY ahead of it's time. This was the highest quality theater in the southeast US. Our family had issues getting the correct print of the film because the studio couldn't accept that a place like Charlotte could properly present that format. Also, the same group ran a high quality incarnation of The Visulite (which you DID mention, thanks) that also had 70MM 6 channel mag film surround back in the 70s... We debuted "Tommy" there. No History of film venues in Charlotte could be complete without these mentions. But if you weren't from here you wouldn't have known about it since the counterculture was involved. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI am actually working on a project (in the early stages) at UNCC on this very subject and would love for folks to connect with me on this topic. I created a Facebook page to connect share stories and allow people to interact. Hopefully this will turn into a larger project and i hope to have some folks involved. So head over to: https://www.facebook.com/LostTheatersOfCharlotte and check it out. Best - j. morong
ReplyDeleteJim - SouthPark Cinemas was the best place to work! - M
ReplyDeleteI am late in the game but the Regency Theatre was in the area to the right of today's Aldi's on Albemarle Road. (Aldi's is behind the Wendy's). Wendy's was there at the time I worked in the boxoffice. Thanks for the photo of it! I also worked at the Capri...and could go on and on about Charlottetown, Southpark, Eastland...but I won't.
ReplyDeleteLove this post I was a huge movie goer in Charlotte as a teen in late 70s.
ReplyDeleteCan I offer a super belated correction to the date of the Star Trek opening at the Capri? If the pic is of release day in Charlotte the date would be December 7, 1979 rather than January, 1980. I should know because I am a big ol' nerd and I was there in the front row, no joke.
:)
I enjoyed going to some of these theaters. Any photos in the archives of The Grand Theater or the Ritz Theater on Beatties Ford Road (1950' and 60's)?
ReplyDeletelet's not forget the Queen Park cinema, which was originally drive in, on South Boulevard...
ReplyDeleteDonna Gaither - I'll keep my eye out for those theaters!
ReplyDeleteRegarding the Capri, I was inside, tearing your ticket! The Big A was just down the road from us, and we went there in the late 60's in our station wagon.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Maria, for posting and being the Charlotte "Queen of Flashbacks!"
there was a theater way out Rozzelle's Ferry Road, on the right going out. My brother Frank and I used to go there when I was Soph/Junior at good old Central High (then Garinger). Can't remember name ! KarenB
ReplyDeleteDowntown I remember the Imperial on South Tryon The State on the opposite side of the street, and the Charlotte on Trade. There was also a theater on Trade East of Tryon, bt I do not recall the name. These are all circa 1951-52. The Carolina was the jewel. And later the Visualite which attempted to bring culture to the Queen City. And the Plaza, which always showed quality films. The Dilworth(?)
ReplyDeletedon't forget Dilworth on South Blvd., Manor Theatre on Providence....there was a Charlotte Theatre somewhere downtown, maybe on Trade Street? (exotic films at one time I think)...there was a theater out Rozzelles Ferry Rd. can't think of name, last I
ReplyDeleteheard I think the old building still there. Karen 1/23/18 in Florida(worked at Carolina/Cinerama in the early 60's, my brother worked Carolina and Dilworth)
I saw Star Wars in 1977 at Eastland Mall. A few years later I befriended a kid at Elizabeth Traditional Elementary whose Dad was the Eastland Mall Theatre manager...which meant I got to spend some time in the theater projection booths and watching how they ran things. Got to see a lot of cool movies for free. I can specifically remember Raiders of the Lost Ark and Goonies being the most memorable.
ReplyDelete