========================== Computer Scientist Tracks Down Huntsville's Movie Memories Huntsville Times - 01/20/02 By CHRIS WELCH Times Entertainment Writer chrisw@htimes.com If you're a long-time Huntsvillian, how about reliving your youth via the silver screen? Some older residents might remember visits to the Grand Theatre on Jefferson Street in the early 1910s or 1920s or seeing Huntsville's first movie with sound - ''My Man'' - at the Lyric in 1929 at the Lyric Theatre on Washington Street. Wonder how many saw ''Cross My Heart'' at the Center Theater, located on 2313 Triana Blvd., when it opened on Oct. 6, 1947? How about the premiere of Huntsville's first drive-in? Were you there on June 16, 1949 when ''The Senator Was Indiscreet'' played at the opening of the Whitesburg Drive-In? It sat where the Publix shopping center and Ruby Tuesday's are currently located at the corner of Whitesburg Drive and Carl T. Jones and charged - get this - 40 cents for adults and 10 cents for children over 5. If you were a kid, you loved the merry-go-round and other playground equipment there. Others might remember Huntsville's first ''twin theaters'' opening on Christmas Day of 1970 on University Drive - where Papa Lovetti's restaurant is now located - and watching ''Love Story'' or ''The Owl and the Pussycat'' in the ''Blue'' and ''Gold'' theaters. Whether it was your first movie, your very first date, the days you used R.C. Cola bottlecaps for admission, or piling your buddies into the car and watching scary movies all night at Woody's Drive-In, there's something wonderfully nostalgic about trips to Huntsville's theaters. And thanks to Evans Criswell, a computer scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, you can revisit those memories via the Internet. Criswell, who moved here from Cherokee County in 1988, actually started his Web site - www.hsvmovies.com - in 1998 as a way to rate thepresentation quality of the movies he saw at Huntsville's theaters. He hadattended a local theater and thought the presentation of the movie wasless than desirable, so he decided to learn more about the technical sideof projecting movies. At the same time, he also researched the background of Huntsville's theaters, combing through years of The Huntsville Times in microfilm archives at the Huntsville Public Library. He learned much about the history of theaters, many of which have been gone from Huntsville's landscape for some time, and has put everything from old pictures to old advertisements for the theaters on his Web site. ''Out of curiosity, I just wanted to know a little about the history,'' Criswell said. ''When I investigated, it just turned out to be so easy.'' He learned: The Grand Theatre existed by the early 1920s and could have been there as early as 1910, Criswell said. The Grand and the Lyric, purchased by Charles A. Crute and Acklin Ragland in 1912, were Huntsville's only theaters for years. The Lyric burned twice, in December of 1930 and again Jan. 8, 1982. The theater had closed on Dec. 31, 1978. The Princess Theater existed by 1943 and closed in 1964. It was located at 202 W. Holmes Ave. and later the address changed to 209 Church St. and 210 Church St. The Parkway Drive-In on North Memorial Parkway opened May 5, 1955 and was advertised as ''the world's largest screen and drive-in cafeteria'' with 660 car spaces. The screen was advertised as five stories high and the drive-in had a fireworks display on opening night. The Whitesburg Drive-In closed in 1979. The screen was burned in 1980 because the owner preferred that to letting it fall apart over time. The Tony Theater opened on Washington Street across from the Lyric on May 26, 1960, advertising that it had Alabama's largest indoor screen. It changed to the Martin in 1962 and went out of business in 1982. It is currently a nightclub. The Alabama Theater at The Mall opened with ''My Fair Lady'' in 1966, giving free orchids to all the ladies attending. The theater's last day was in 1985 and in 1986 it became the ''Alabama Pitcher Show,'' where movies were shown and alcoholic beverages and food were sold. It closed for good in 1988 and was located where the Costco and Home Depot at The Fountain shopping center are now. The Madison Theater opened in 1967 in the old Parkway Shopping Center, where the new Parkway Place is being built. It featured a 70-foot screen, and when it closed in 1986 Criswell says it was the ''death of the big screen'' in Huntsville. While researching the theaters, Criswell also learned a great deal about Huntsville. ''I was glancing at the headlines and learned a lot about the history of Huntsville,'' said Criswell. ''I saw when the Russel Erskine Hotel opened, when the Parkway was built, the first use of radar detectors and when Highway 72 opened, things like that.'' His ultimate goal is to improve the quality of the presentation in local theaters, so he grades each movie he visits using a detailed formula and puts them on the Web site. Some of the screen problems would be noticeable to the average person, but he also admits ''some of the stuff bothers me more as a math and science person.'' The bottom line? He's had fun putting the Web site together and it should stir a memory or two in many Huntsvillians. Click here for: |
Jim's In the National Spotlight Again By Tommy Towery Sue (with whom I celebrated our 1st Anniversary on January 25th) was reading the Sunday Island Packet newspaper while we relaxed at Hilton Head last weekend and opened up the Parade Magazine sectioin. She was excited to share with me something she found on the inside front page's Question and Answer section. There was a picture of Tammy Cochran with the following text: Q - I know Tammy Cochran's country hit "Angels In Waiting" is based on a real family tragedy. Is the black-and-white footage in her video from real home movies? - Wally Gross, Palm Springs, Calif. A - Yes. The kids in that award winning video are Tammy and two older brothers, whose deaths from cystic fibrosis inspired her soulful hit. "I always wanted to write a musical tribute to them, but the emotions overhelmed me," says Cochran, 30. "Once I teamed up with Jim McBride and Stewart Harris, the song just wrote itself." I went back to Tammy's website for a followup on the song and also found the following item. Posted: December 26th 2001 Congratulations to Tammy Cochran for her video "Angels in Waiting" ranking in the TOP FIVE of the best videos of 2001 as chosen by GAC viewers! Looking a little deeper into the website I found out more about their song. TAMMY COCHRAN SCORES TWO AWARDS IN ONE WEEK. THE BILLBOARD VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS AND THE CHRISTIAN COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS "ANGELS IN WAITING" RECOGNIZED AT BOTH EVENTS Country singer Tammy Cochran and her hit song "Angels In Waiting" were recently honored at two awards shows in one week. The song was awarded "Video of the Year" at the eighth annual CCMA (Christian Country Music Association) Awards on Thursday (11/1). Cochran also performed the song live during the award show. The Billboard Video Music Awards also honored Cochran on Friday (11/2). "Angels In Waiting" was awarded "Best Contemporary Christian Clip of the Year." Winners of these awards are chosen by Billboard Magazine readers. Cochran's self-titled debut CD from Epic Records continues to garner critical acclaim in several different musical genres. "I Cry," has just been released to radio. According to Billboard Magazine, "With a flock of promising female vocalists trying to break through, it's tough for any to stand out, but Tammy Cochran's big, booming, stone-country delivery sets her apart." Congratulation to both Tammy and to our own classmate Jim. From Our Mailbag... Subject: Re: Our Web Site Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 15:50:35 EST From: Hang1948@aol.com Hi Tommy, I am Andrea Gray Roberson and I have enjoyed reading all the things about our good school LEE HIGH School. I just wanted you to know that I got to go to Atlanta to see the Beatles!!!! I went with Emily Hall and the ticket was only $5.00 and we had great seats!!! They were only on the stage one hr but to a teenage girl it was one of the best hours in my life!!!! Keep up the good work because you give us much laughs and we need all the laughs we can get. There is a very good story today in the Huntsville Times, Jan 20, 2002, section 1, page 1, about all of the Movie Theathers we have had in Huntsville. It was great. Andrea, Hang1948@aol.com Subject: Huntsville past Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 08:07:27 -0600 From: "Pat Stolz" <pstolz@knology.net> I am enjoying the site as always. Just wanted to let you know about a web site published in today's Huntsville Times about the past of Huntsville Movies. It's www.hsvmovies.com Have a great vacation. Pat Torzillo Stolz Subject: Interesting article Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 20:30:40 -0600 From: "Linda Johnson" <irecroot@bellsouth.net> Tommy, In response to the articles about the 'movie memories' this website might be of interest. In the Sunday, January 20, 2002 edition of the Huntsville Times, Entertainment Section, there was an article about a 'computer scientist tracks down Huntsville's movie memories and organizes them on a Web site.' Evans Criswell is his name and he works at the University of Alabama here in Huntsville. According to the Times: "Criswell, who moved here from Cherokee County in 1988, actually started his Web site-- www.hsvmovies.com in 1998 as a way to rate the presentation quality of the movies he saw at Huntsville theaters. He had attended a local theater and thought the presentation of the movie was less that desirable, so he decided to learn more about the technical side of projecting movies." Some interesting trivia on the movie theaters, but some of the info doesn't seem accurate. I remember the Center Theater, but was it not later changed to the Princess at the same location on Triana/7th? Of course Mr. Criswell is a 'newbie' to Huntsville if he has only been here since 1988 and his picture in the paper definitely shows him to be younger than our group. Thought this site might be of interest though. Some interesting ticket stubs. And Butch Cryder, thank you for your remembrance and mention. I do remember, real well, the times that my brothers and I went to the Lyric on the summer days my sister, Sondra, was working (and my future brother in law Steve Spier,was Manager). The biggest treat was when the balcony was closed and my brothers and I would sneak up the stairs during the movie to 'spy' on the ushers that would take girls up there to smooch. I am sure you can remember a trip or two up those stairs. Thank you for your continued work on the Lee site. Linda McAdams Johnson Subject: A Thought Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2002 20:05:25 -0600 From: Gail W Rogers <gailandronnierogers@juno.com> Some of you may have already read this in some form...... Our prayer for you today is: May you have the peace to trust that you are exactly where God wants you to be. And, may you trust that He will deal with you where you are today......... Not where you were last year........ Not where you will be next year....... But where you are today. Gail W. Rogers Subject: Contratulations Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2002 12:04:24 EST From: Barbdonn13@aol.com Congratulations to Joy on the birth of a new grandchild! Thanks, Joy, for all the great topics. Just listing them made me think of many times, many places, many people. I know there are a lot of you checking in each week -- how about writing something, if only a short note? We'd love to hear what EVERY former General is up to today! Thanks, Tommy, again for a wonderful job of editing. Barbara Wilkerson Donnelly Class of '64 |
Est. March 31, 2000 19,912 Previous Hits January 28, 2002 Editor:Tommy Towery http://www.leealumni.com Class of 1964 Page Hits This Issue e-mail ttowery@memphis.edu Staff Writers : Barbara Wilkerson Donnelly , Joy Rubins Morris ,Terry "Moses" Preston Staff Photographers: Fred & Lynn Sanders |
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Est. March 31, 2000 19,912 Previous Hits January 28, 2002 Editor:Tommy Towery http://www.leealumni.com Class of 1964 Page Hits This Issue e-mail ttowery@memphis.edu Staff Writers : Barbara Wilkerson Donnelly , Joy Rubins Morris ,Terry "Moses" Preston Staff Photographers: Fred & Lynn Sanders |
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E-mail us your memories about: Any Topic For Next Week's Edition |
Jim's In the National Spotlight Again By Tommy Towery Sue (with whom I celebrated our 1st Anniversary on January 25th) was reading the Sunday Island Packet newspaper while we relaxed at Hilton Head last weekend and opened up the Parade Magazine sectioin. She was excited to share with me something she found on the inside front page's Question and Answer section. There was a picture of Tammy Cochran with the following text: Q - I know Tammy Cochran's country hit "Angels In Waiting" is based on a real family tragedy. Is the black-and-white footage in her video from real home movies? - Wally Gross, Palm Springs, Calif. A - Yes. The kids in that award winning video are Tammy and two older brothers, whose deaths from cystic fibrosis inspired her soulful hit. "I always wanted to write a musical tribute to them, but the emotions overhelmed me," says Cochran, 30. "Once I teamed up with Jim McBride and Stewart Harris, the song just wrote itself." I went back to Tammy's website for a followup on the song and also found the following item. Posted: December 26th 2001 Congratulations to Tammy Cochran for her video "Angels in Waiting" ranking in the TOP FIVE of the best videos of 2001 as chosen by GAC viewers! Looking a little deeper into the website I found out more about their song. TAMMY COCHRAN SCORES TWO AWARDS IN ONE WEEK. THE BILLBOARD VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS AND THE CHRISTIAN COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS "ANGELS IN WAITING" RECOGNIZED AT BOTH EVENTS Country singer Tammy Cochran and her hit song "Angels In Waiting" were recently honored at two awards shows in one week. The song was awarded "Video of the Year" at the eighth annual CCMA (Christian Country Music Association) Awards on Thursday (11/1). Cochran also performed the song live during the award show. The Billboard Video Music Awards also honored Cochran on Friday (11/2). "Angels In Waiting" was awarded "Best Contemporary Christian Clip of the Year." Winners of these awards are chosen by Billboard Magazine readers. Cochran's self-titled debut CD from Epic Records continues to garner critical acclaim in several different musical genres. "I Cry," has just been released to radio. According to Billboard Magazine, "With a flock of promising female vocalists trying to break through, it's tough for any to stand out, but Tammy Cochran's big, booming, stone-country delivery sets her apart." Congratulation to both Tammy and to our own classmate Jim. From Our Mailbag... Subject: Re: Our Web Site Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 15:50:35 EST From: Hang1948@aol.com Hi Tommy, I am Andrea Gray Roberson and I have enjoyed reading all the things about our good school LEE HIGH School. I just wanted you to know that I got to go to Atlanta to see the Beatles!!!! I went with Emily Hall and the ticket was only $5.00 and we had great seats!!! They were only on the stage one hr but to a teenage girl it was one of the best hours in my life!!!! Keep up the good work because you give us much laughs and we need all the laughs we can get. There is a very good story today in the Huntsville Times, Jan 20, 2002, section 1, page 1, about all of the Movie Theathers we have had in Huntsville. It was great. Andrea, Hang1948@aol.com Subject: Huntsville past Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 08:07:27 -0600 From: "Pat Stolz" <pstolz@knology.net> I am enjoying the site as always. Just wanted to let you know about a web site published in today's Huntsville Times about the past of Huntsville Movies. It's www.hsvmovies.com Have a great vacation. Pat Torzillo Stolz Subject: Interesting article Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 20:30:40 -0600 From: "Linda Johnson" <irecroot@bellsouth.net> Tommy, In response to the articles about the 'movie memories' this website might be of interest. In the Sunday, January 20, 2002 edition of the Huntsville Times, Entertainment Section, there was an article about a 'computer scientist tracks down Huntsville's movie memories and organizes them on a Web site.' Evans Criswell is his name and he works at the University of Alabama here in Huntsville. According to the Times: "Criswell, who moved here from Cherokee County in 1988, actually started his Web site-- www.hsvmovies.com in 1998 as a way to rate the presentation quality of the movies he saw at Huntsville theaters. He had attended a local theater and thought the presentation of the movie was less that desirable, so he decided to learn more about the technical side of projecting movies." Some interesting trivia on the movie theaters, but some of the info doesn't seem accurate. I remember the Center Theater, but was it not later changed to the Princess at the same location on Triana/7th? Of course Mr. Criswell is a 'newbie' to Huntsville if he has only been here since 1988 and his picture in the paper definitely shows him to be younger than our group. Thought this site might be of interest though. Some interesting ticket stubs. And Butch Cryder, thank you for your remembrance and mention. I do remember, real well, the times that my brothers and I went to the Lyric on the summer days my sister, Sondra, was working (and my future brother in law Steve Spier,was Manager). The biggest treat was when the balcony was closed and my brothers and I would sneak up the stairs during the movie to 'spy' on the ushers that would take girls up there to smooch. I am sure you can remember a trip or two up those stairs. Thank you for your continued work on the Lee site. Linda McAdams Johnson Subject: A Thought Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2002 20:05:25 -0600 From: Gail W Rogers <gailandronnierogers@juno.com> Some of you may have already read this in some form...... Our prayer for you today is: May you have the peace to trust that you are exactly where God wants you to be. And, may you trust that He will deal with you where you are today......... Not where you were last year........ Not where you will be next year....... But where you are today. Gail W. Rogers Subject: Contratulations Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2002 12:04:24 EST From: Barbdonn13@aol.com Congratulations to Joy on the birth of a new grandchild! Thanks, Joy, for all the great topics. Just listing them made me think of many times, many places, many people. I know there are a lot of you checking in each week -- how about writing something, if only a short note? We'd love to hear what EVERY former General is up to today! Thanks, Tommy, again for a wonderful job of editing. Barbara Wilkerson Donnelly Class of '64 |
Jim at the last reunion. |
Jim in the 1964 Lee High School Silver Sabre |
========================== Computer Scientist Tracks Down Huntsville's Movie Memories Huntsville Times - 01/20/02 By CHRIS WELCH Times Entertainment Writer chrisw@htimes.com If you're a long-time Huntsvillian, how about reliving your youth via the silver screen? Some older residents might remember visits to the Grand Theatre on Jefferson Street in the early 1910s or 1920s or seeing Huntsville's first movie with sound - ''My Man'' - at the Lyric in 1929 at the Lyric Theatre on Washington Street. Wonder how many saw ''Cross My Heart'' at the Center Theater, located on 2313 Triana Blvd., when it opened on Oct. 6, 1947? How about the premiere of Huntsville's first drive-in? Were you there on June 16, 1949 when ''The Senator Was Indiscreet'' played at the opening of the Whitesburg Drive-In? It sat where the Publix shopping center and Ruby Tuesday's are currently located at the corner of Whitesburg Drive and Carl T. Jones and charged - get this - 40 cents for adults and 10 cents for children over 5. If you were a kid, you loved the merry-go-round and other playground equipment there. Others might remember Huntsville's first ''twin theaters'' opening on Christmas Day of 1970 on University Drive - where Papa Lovetti's restaurant is now located - and watching ''Love Story'' or ''The Owl and the Pussycat'' in the ''Blue'' and ''Gold'' theaters. Whether it was your first movie, your very first date, the days you used R.C. Cola bottlecaps for admission, or piling your buddies into the car and watching scary movies all night at Woody's Drive-In, there's something wonderfully nostalgic about trips to Huntsville's theaters. And thanks to Evans Criswell, a computer scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, you can revisit those memories via the Internet. Criswell, who moved here from Cherokee County in 1988, actually started his Web site - www.hsvmovies.com - in 1998 as a way to rate thepresentation quality of the movies he saw at Huntsville's theaters. He hadattended a local theater and thought the presentation of the movie wasless than desirable, so he decided to learn more about the technical sideof projecting movies. At the same time, he also researched the background of Huntsville's theaters, combing through years of The Huntsville Times in microfilm archives at the Huntsville Public Library. He learned much about the history of theaters, many of which have been gone from Huntsville's landscape for some time, and has put everything from old pictures to old advertisements for the theaters on his Web site. ''Out of curiosity, I just wanted to know a little about the history,'' Criswell said. ''When I investigated, it just turned out to be so easy.'' He learned: The Grand Theatre existed by the early 1920s and could have been there as early as 1910, Criswell said. The Grand and the Lyric, purchased by Charles A. Crute and Acklin Ragland in 1912, were Huntsville's only theaters for years. The Lyric burned twice, in December of 1930 and again Jan. 8, 1982. The theater had closed on Dec. 31, 1978. The Princess Theater existed by 1943 and closed in 1964. It was located at 202 W. Holmes Ave. and later the address changed to 209 Church St. and 210 Church St. The Parkway Drive-In on North Memorial Parkway opened May 5, 1955 and was advertised as ''the world's largest screen and drive-in cafeteria'' with 660 car spaces. The screen was advertised as five stories high and the drive-in had a fireworks display on opening night. The Whitesburg Drive-In closed in 1979. The screen was burned in 1980 because the owner preferred that to letting it fall apart over time. The Tony Theater opened on Washington Street across from the Lyric on May 26, 1960, advertising that it had Alabama's largest indoor screen. It changed to the Martin in 1962 and went out of business in 1982. It is currently a nightclub. The Alabama Theater at The Mall opened with ''My Fair Lady'' in 1966, giving free orchids to all the ladies attending. The theater's last day was in 1985 and in 1986 it became the ''Alabama Pitcher Show,'' where movies were shown and alcoholic beverages and food were sold. It closed for good in 1988 and was located where the Costco and Home Depot at The Fountain shopping center are now. The Madison Theater opened in 1967 in the old Parkway Shopping Center, where the new Parkway Place is being built. It featured a 70-foot screen, and when it closed in 1986 Criswell says it was the ''death of the big screen'' in Huntsville. While researching the theaters, Criswell also learned a great deal about Huntsville. ''I was glancing at the headlines and learned a lot about the history of Huntsville,'' said Criswell. ''I saw when the Russel Erskine Hotel opened, when the Parkway was built, the first use of radar detectors and when Highway 72 opened, things like that.'' His ultimate goal is to improve the quality of the presentation in local theaters, so he grades each movie he visits using a detailed formula and puts them on the Web site. Some of the screen problems would be noticeable to the average person, but he also admits ''some of the stuff bothers me more as a math and science person.'' The bottom line? He's had fun putting the Web site together and it should stir a memory or two in many Huntsvillians. Click here for: |
