I would like to start by dedicating this web site to two people; Joe G. Patten and Rick Flinn. During their tenures at the Fox, these two people have made vast contributions to the preservation, restoration, and expansion of the Atlanta Fox Theatre. Without their contributions, the Fox would be a very different place, if not be here at all.
For nearly one hundred years, the ultimate expression of cinema is not an ultra-modern theater with stadium seating and digital surround sound, but rather a relic of days long gone by. It was huge, grand, and ornate. It is known as the Movie Palace. Their designs were intended to transport its patrons away from all the woes and sorrow of the day and place you in a fantasy world of opulance, joy, and beauty. Where the modern large theaters could hold several hundred patrons, the Palaces could hold thousands. They were conceived in a time were there were very little entertainment choices available. Going to a movie was a grand experience and it was much more than just seeing a movie.
The movie palaces and their smaller counterparts became central points in their community's social hub. It was where you'd go to see the news via the weekly newsreel. It was where you went to see and be seen. Perhaps I'm a romantic at heart, but during my involvement with the Atlanta Fox Theatre and talking to others about the grand palaces, I often hear of stories that usually involve a first date or going to a movie and then afterwards, being proposed to. Unlike modern theaters that are nothing more than a box with seats and a screen inside, the palaces made a life-long connection to those who walked into their splendor.
As time and technology progressed and the choices of entertainment expanded, especially in the home, the glory days of the Movie Palaces waned. They became dinosaurs in a modern age and just like the real dinosaurs, they started to become victims of extinction. One by one the mammoths were slain and knocked down in order for the valuable property they inhabited to be used for other purposes. Sadly, by the time most people realized what treasures they were destroying, most of them were gone. Over 95% of all the palaces have now been demolished. Fortunately for us, those that remain have been recognized for what they are and people are making great efforts to save and preserve them.
In Atlanta Georgia, there is only one Movie Palace remainng; the Fox Theatre. I can remember seeing movies at the Fox when I was child. It was a fantastic place, like no other. I found myself constantly looking more at the auditorium itself rather than the film on the big screen. As I grew older, I returned to the Fox as a student to hear lecturers give presentations about their travels. The Fox became a very important part of my life in many ways. Never in my dreams as a child would I imagine myself actually helping to preserve and restore the Fox. As a young adult, I found myself actually helping to preserve and restore the Fox and for a while, it became my second home. I came to know the Fox on an intimate basis and my love for it grew to the point where I actually considered it a part of my family. I consider myself extraordinarily lucky to have been a part of the Fox's history when it was being saved and restored. From 1976 to 1993, I had a front row seat with back-stage passes to boot during a key part of the Fox's history.
This is my attempt at a tribute page for not only the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, but to all Movie Palaces. There will never be anything quite like the Movie Palaces of old and I think it is important to realize and understand what they represented, why they were built in the first place, and what role they played in our society.
Thanks and Gratitude
I would like to give my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to those who have helped me learn about the Fox that have given me a much better appreciation for it and the importance of preserving its acurate history.
My first thanks goes to Mr. Rick Flinn, the original Restoration Director of the Fox Theater. Today he sits on the Board of Directors of Atlanta Landmark as an honrary member. Atlanta Landmarks is the non-profit organization that now owns and operates the Fox. Any time I've had a question about the Fox, it has always been Rick that I contact to verify and share my information with.
I want to thank Mr. John C. McCall Jr., past president of the Atlanta Chapter of the American Theater Organ Society and long time historian of the great theaters and their organs in the Southeast. I first learned of Mr. McCall when I purchased the first book published by Atlanta Landmarks about the Fox in 1976 that he wrote. I met John in person in 2004 and that meeting helped me make this web site much better with a lot more useful information.
Special thanks goes to Carol Fisk of Georgia Public Broadcasting. She was one of the producers of "The Fabulous Fox" documentary series that celebrated the Fox's 75th anniversary which originally aired in December 2004. Two years prior, they had put out an open call for people that had experiences at the Fox and I responded. I did a 45-minute on-camera interview and shared my large collection of photographs I had taken over the years at the Fox. To my surprise, they used a large number of my photos and I even got a few moments in the completed documentary from that interview. It was my involvement wiht GPB that got me to take my original tribute site and build it up to what it was today.