PATORN + Happy Birthday to the beautiful Alabama Theater!
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Wonderful write up. Great, just like Atlanta’s Fox.
Haley Coppock Hinton
Great story and amazing theater.
When Loveman’s burned in 1934, my mother was in the Alabama Theater. She was 7 years old and member of the Mickey Mouse club. My grandparents has a restaurant a few blocks down the street and grandmother ran down the street when she heard about Loveman’s burning shouting “oh my baby.” Of course she was okay due to the tremendous efforts by Larson to make the building so it wouldn’t catch fire from an adjacent building.
I knew Lane Carter! He was a member of Magic Cities Toastmasters in the early 70’s, as was I! He was a fine gentleman!
We saw the movie “Ben Hur” in 1960 there.
I spent many years of movie watching at the beautiful Alabama Theater. Loved going there. You were transported to another world when walked inside. I went back last year to see Gone With The Wind. It brought back wonderful memories.
Great place!
Amy
Remember well going there many times
Was there the 20th of Dec. it is beautiful in there’s
Never herd of it.
In the fifties we would get dressed in our Sunday best for the mid-week matinee at the Alabama. It was the highlight of my annual week in b’ham with my cousins Judy Sumners Tatum and Deborah Sumners Johnson.
I love that place!
I love that place. I can’t count the movies I saw there growing up.
The Alabama Theater was such an important part of education that our principal of Union Grove Junior High School organized a class trip for the ninth grade to go from Union Grove, Alabama to Birmingham to see the magnificent Theater, I can’t remember if we saw a movie or not but the opulence of the building was beautiful to behold to a country child of Alabama. I’ll never forget seeing it. The story and photos you have shown brings back my youth. Thanks so very much.
Enjoyed this article very much. As the daughter of a farmer in the north part of Jefferson County, we could only afford occasional movies at Warrior. I do, however, remember passing the lovely theatre when on trips down to Birmingham. One of my Aunties worked at nearby Loveman’s.
Happy birthday
I remember going so many times. Song of the South was my favorite
My husband’s aunt Gladys Lyle played The Mighty Wurlitzer Organ at the Alabama Theater.
One of my favorite work places back in the day.
My mother, Grace King, was a regular featured singer at the Alabama, with the great organ and many swing bands that came to B’ham and played at the Alabama. She was a featured singer on WAPI radio in the late 30’s, known as The Sweetest Voice This Side of Heaven.” One evening she was singing with the organ, Stan Mallot at the organ console, and the lift/platform that raised the organ from the basement to the theatre level began to sink. The platform came to a stop at head level. . . . My mother just kept on singing, and Stan Mallot kept on playing!
Good story! Thanks for sharing.
I have so many memories
Happy 90th Birthday! My Mom was an Alabama Theater opening baby!
I remember when at 6 years old in the early 60s, my buddies and myself took the bus there on Saturdays with a handful of RC bottle caps each, which was the admission for the matinee.
There was and still is an organ like this one at the Plaza Theater in El Paso, Texas.
But this is a beautiful story, and I’ve been to this stunning theater to see my nephew play in the symphony.
Mary McGarr