Early Silent Motion Picture Theatres in Gastonia

 

Many people in Gastonia remember the old Webb Theatre which was in recent years converted into a restaurant. But few know about the early motion picture theatres in downtown Gastonia that were showing silent, black & white films. Some sources differ over which theatre was the first, but the earliest appear to be the Odeon and AmusU. Other theatres were added, moved, bought, sold, or changed names through the years. Additional names of early motion picture theatres in Gastonia include the Theato, Cozy, Ideal, Gastonian, Lyric, Temple, Center, State, Star, Canvas, and the Carolinian.

One interesting theatre, the Gastonian, opened in 1918 and was managed by J. A. Estridge, who personally selected the movies. The theatre could seat eight hundred people and had a $10,000.00 pipe organ played by an expert musician to accompany the films. Estridge found creative ways to market the films. For one film, a bed and mannequin (dressed as a nurse) were placed in front of the theatre to market the film, “Sick Abed.”  (See http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/43889/photos/170542 ). In another marketing stunt, the theatre hired Bill Strother, the “Human Spider,” to appear in person when the Gastonian theatre showed films of him climbing skyscrapers in New York and performing other daredevil stunts (Gastonia Gazette 1/15/1919). According to IMBD trivia, Strother was born in North Carolina and Harold Lloyd discovered Strother after he did a climbing stunt in Los Angeles. Strother was the inspiration for Lloyd’s film, “Safety Last.”

The Gaston County Public Library’s Digital History Collection contains a scan of a small handout advertisement from the Gastonian Theatre for the film “To the Last Man,” a film adaptation of Zane Grey’s novel, To the Last Man. To see the complete handout, go to https://library.biblioboard.com/content/fbdf70a4-eda1-42b6-8313-2a16f085498f





The Gastonian was the first theatre in Gastonia to feature a movie with sound effects although this film was not an official “talkie.” The film, “Wings,” starred Charles Rogers, and according to the Gastonia Gazette on February 21, 1955, one sound effect was “wailing sirens.”

On Saturday, September 10th in the Main Library Auditorium at 2 pm, the library is recreating the silent film experience by showing the silent film “The Kid,” starring Charlie Chaplin. The program features ragtime piano wizard Ethan Uslan, who will play the piano during the entire film. Xina Lowe, Librarian in Adult Services, is introducing the program.  (Oh, and by the way, Chaplin’s “The Kid” was shown 101 years ago at the Gastonian Theatre in May 1921.)  Mark your calendars for this unique event!

Jane Kaylor, Local History and Genealogy




We're Booked Up


 We're back with a special episode of We're Booked Up. The First Annual Voticed Awards! In this episode, Kendal, Andrew, and Angelique discuss the books they read for the first season of We're Booked Up, and pick their favorites.

Use the player below to listen or search for Gaston Speaks on your preferred podcast app! And after listening, let us know what you think! What were your favorites?

Don't forget get to check out Summer Reading!

What If? . . .

                 Learning from history and all that jazz – Alternate-Histories Fiction

    Flight of the Nightingale and Bach to the Future by David Carrico (Science-Fiction)

    Yesterday [DVD], 2019; directed by Danny Boyle, starring Himesh Patel, Rated PG-13

Alternate history fiction presents a thought experiment: what if something did or did not happen?

What if a 20th century West Virginia town was transported through time and space to 1632 Europe? Who among the forgotten women composers might now be famous? Who would never be born?

Flight of the Nightingale and Bach to the Future by David Carrico (Science-Fiction)

Johann Sebastian Bach was born March 21, 1685.  A friend recommended a sci-fi novella based in the 1632-verse in which Grantville, West Virginia, a 20th century town, is trans-located back in time to 1632 Europe and explores the alternate history possibilities.  The Butterfly effect - hah. A sledgehammer more like. I enjoyed Flight of the Nightingale — I think there may have been scenes planned that were omitted in the final edit.  Court composer, singer, and teacher, Francesca Caccini flees the Medici court and the patronage system to find a new life in Grantville.  Reminded me about her opera, and how I have not yet managed to move my cassette recordings of her music to MP3s.  Must get around to that.  Next, in Bach to the Future, the “uptimers” (20th-century-ans,) assuming that JSB will never be born due to the timeline disruption, introduce his music to Bach’s ancestors. Toccata and Fugue in D minorI find myself ... disturbed ... by the idea of an Earth that never knows Bach’s music. And, so, apparently are his ancestors.

What if the Beatles had never existed?

Yesterday [DVD] (2019); directed by Danny Boyle, starring Himesh Patel, Rated PG-13.

From the cover blurb: "Jack Malik was just another struggling songwriter... but that was yesterday.  After a mysterious blackout, Jack discovers he is the only person on earth who remembers The Beatles!  As he rockets to fame by passing off the Fab Four's songs as his own, Jack risks losing Ellie--the one person who has loved him and believed in him from the start.  Before the door to his old life closes forever, Jack must decide if all he needs is love, after all."

A world that never knew . . . ?!!!   I find the idea of a world that never knew the Beatles every bit as distressing as a world that never hears Bach.  Won’t spoil the lovely revelations that play into the story’s resolution, but I will say, that I love this movie.

-- Xina Lowe, Librarian

#1632 Ring of Fire series, #alternate history, #music, #Beatles, #Bach, #Booktalk, #movies

Ken Linker’s Variety Showcase: Four Episodes Now on YouTube

Now on YouTube

Ken Linker’s Variety Showcase was a public access entertainment program from Charlotte, North Carolina that aired for 30 years. Hosted by musician Kenneth Allen Linker, the show which ran from 1972 until his death in 2002, featured a variety of local acts performing country and bluegrass music. The show was filmed at 613 Calvert St. Charlotte and broadcast on TV Access 21. 

The four episodes now on the Gaston County Public Library's YouTube channel display Ken's use of humor and casual banter to successfully move the show forward to each talented guest performer.

 


 

Ken Linker’s Variety Showcase described itself as “featuring…local, regional, and national talent!”

Local talent from Gastonia included The Sonshyne Boyz featuring Darrell Bumgardner, Bob Bigger, Marvin “Smoky” Coe, and Bill Rippy, Frequent live performers on the show included B. B. Jasper Davis and George Perry. Tommy Faile returned with the rebroadcasting of his previous performances in segments titled " Remembering Tommy...."

 


 

Other musical acts included Tabitha Hampton, Brian Blake, Jim Brown, The Jones Brothers, Ned Mullis and The Dixie Troubadours, and Bubba Lee Dalton.

In one episode, Gastonians Darrell Bumgardner and Bob Bigger performed with Jim Brown of Concord, the song I'll Take Any Willing Woman. The song was written by Bob Bigger and Marvin Coe and then recorded by country and gospel music singer Randy Travis for release in 1978.

 


 

Watch episodes on the 

Gaston County Public Library YouTube Channel

 Brian Brown, Librarian, Local History & Genealogy


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