BIG NEWS
THEATRE MORTAGE RETIRED!
On the first day of November the final payment on the 17 year-old Alabama Theatre mortgage was mailed to the bank and now we can safely say "THE ALABAMA THEATRE HAS BEEN SAVED". In 1987, when the Bankruptcy Court was trying to decide what to do with the theatre, a small group of citizens, primarily members of the local organ society, decided to try to save the theatre to save the large Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organ installed in the theatre.
The organ group knew from past experience that organs, such as the one in the Alabama Theatre, that have been removed become only another organ and nothing more. In 1961, the Wurlitzer Theatre Organ, installed in the Paramount on Times Square in New York, was removed after the decision was made to close the theatre and demolish it for additional office space. This Wurlitzer was undisputedly the best Wurlitzer ever made and was nick named "The Queen Mother of Wurlitzers", and rightly so.
When the old time Movie Palaces were built, great attention was given to the acoustics of the theatres and since movies at that time didn't have sound, the theatres were designed acoustically for the spoken word from the stage for the vaudeville shows. The orchestra in the pit was used to provide the background music for the silent films and the Theatre Organ was used for the various organ interludes to bridge the changes from film to vaudeville and back again.
With all that said the small group of Birmingham citizens actually saved the theatre to save the organ, and the rest is history.
NEW BALLROOM AND ELEVATOR
The Alabama Theatre has felt the need for an elegant ballroom to use for pre and post show events similar to the Egyptian Ballroom at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. On the fourth floor of the Alabama Theatre building, in a space once occupied by Loveman's Department Store, is a large 4,000 sq foot empty room with 15 foot ceilings that would fit the bill nicely. This room would have a street entrance so people could rent the room when someone else was renting the theatre, and it would have an entrance off the theatre so you could have an event in the ballroom in conjunction with a theatre event. The reason we have not pursued this ballroom before now is the need for an elevator. The cost of the room and the elevator is projected at $250,000, with most of that cost being $135,000 for the elevator. The room will have state of the art sound, a small stage for entertainment and a catering kitchen. We have acquired the five chandeliers from the old Tutwiler Hotel and we will use one of these in this ballroom.
HELP IS NEEDED
If you would like to help the Alabama Theatre with this project you can send a check to our address, call the office and charge a donation to your VISA, MASTER CARD or AMERICAN EXPRESS, or DONATE ONLINE ».
Alabama Theatre
1817 Third Avenue North
Birmingham 35203
HOLIDAY FILM SERIES
One of the most exciting events we have here at the Alabama is our Holiday Film Series. Each year thousands of Birmingham families come downtown to see some of the best Holiday films ever made. This year is no exception. Something new this year is our Saturday Matinee for children, and the newer film, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, the complete line up is as follows:
- DEC 17 7pm White Christmas
- DEC 18 2pm Special matinee triple-feature which includes:
- Frosty the Snowman
- Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas
- DEC 18 7pm White Christmas
- DEC 19 NO MOVIE
- DEC 20 7pm National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
- DEC. 21 7pm It's A Wonderful Life
- DEC 22 7pm A Christmas Story
- DEC 23 7pm White Christmas
Along with the films and our giant Christmas tree, you can see a classic Holiday Cartoon and the Sing-A-Longs with music from the famous Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organ. Very special this year will be an appearance in the lobby before each film by Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause.
See you at The Alabama Theatre! Happy Holidays