Great picture from flickr member RGW55 of The Glen Theatre that was located in Decatur Ga.circa 1950's
Glenwood Rd & Candler Rd.
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As it looks today.
The Glen opened September 1952. The owner/operator was William Greene who also was owner/operator of Palmetto Theater in Palmetto, GA.
The Glen was the only theater in the Atlanta,GA area that had push back seats installed. If someone needed to get by, you only had to push the seat back and they could pass without you getting out of your seat. There were also 2 cry rooms for crying babies. The total seating was 480 with a small balcony that seated 54. The projection booth had 2 Simplex XL projectors with Peerless carbon rod lamp houses and Simplex sound heads.
I started to work at the Glen on opening night in September,1952 (I was 16 years old) as usher/doorman. Later on I also worked the Concession stand and as Projectionist. I worked there untill January 1957.
When the Glen opened in 1952 the admission was Adult-35 cents, Children-15 cents. Popcorn was 10 cents a bag.
The weekly schedule was:
Monday thru Friday open at 3:00pm
Sunday & Saturday open at 1:30pm
Sunday & Monday———– Feature, Cartoon & News Reel
Tuesday & Wednesday——Feature, Cartoon & News Reel
Thursday & Friday———Feature, Cartoon & News Reel
Saturday———————-Double Feature, Cartoon & Serial
In late 1953 Mr Greene made the decision to change the Monday thru
Friday opening time to 6:15pm due to declining afternoon attendance.
The Projectionist was a union member and the union told Mr. Greene
that he would have to pay the Projectionist starting at 3:00pm. Mr.
Greene refused and the union operator walked out.
Mr. Greene bought in a Projectionist (a WWII disable veteran from
the Palmetto,GA Theater) who was not union. The union set up a picket line and kept up this line for over a year and then quit. A strange thing was that the men who walked the picket line were not union projectionist but were hired to walk the picket line. Those of us that worked at the Glen durning this time had a good relationship with these men.
The Projectionist from the Palmetto Theater taught Me, Eugene Leftwich and Bill Anglin how to be Projectionist. Bill and I did this untill 1957 and Eugene untill late 1961.
I do not know when the Glen started showing X rated movies. When I got out of the Marine Corps in 1960, I did some relief Projectionist work showing regular movies for about 6 months.
See photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rgw55swd Photos made September,1956 durning Kiwanis Club free kids day. William Greene is standing at lower back door and I am stanting at projection booth door in balcony
Ron W
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