Great Article, Don. Hats off to all the students that organized the event. Just goes to show the tremendous amount of young talent in our community. Looking forward to the Symphony rolling out their plan for restoration.
One of the best shows I've seen lately was the talent contest and musical fundraiser held Jan. 9 to benefit the Miller Theatre.
An enthusiastic audience packed the 350 seats in the activities center of West Acres Baptist Church in Evans. The evening, with radio personality Helen Blocker Adams serving as host, featured dancers, singers, musicians and actors/actresses.
It was organized by Greenbrier High School seniors Michael Ryan, Kathryn Bonner, Lizzie Derr and Zachary Lewallen for their senior projects.
Michael Deas, of Augusta Amusements Co., and I talked about the history and entertainment highlights of the once grand showplace in the 700 block of Broad Street that will mark its 70th birthday on Feb. 26.
Here are some highlights I discovered in researching my talk:
- The Miller opened with a hit musical direct from Broadway, A Night at the Moulin Rouge .
- Nov. 2, 1940: CBS radio comedians Lum (Chet Lanck) and Abner (Norris Goff) were the first celebrities to appear in the Miller.
- March 1, 1941: Tallulah Bankhead starred in a matinee and evening performance of The Little Foxes .
- Jan. 27, 1946: The movie Colonel Effingham's Raid , based on the book by Augustan Berry Fleming, had its first Georgia showing in the Miller.
- Jan. 19, 1949: Bob Hope stood out front of the Miller to promote the March of Dimes campaign. He was in Augusta with singer Doris Day and Irene Ryan (later to become Granny on The Beverly Hillbillies TV series) for a show in Bell Auditorium.
- Oct. 16, 1950: Country music superstar Eddy Arnold performed a show at 11 p.m.
- Sept. 18, 1957: The movie The Three Faces of Eve , based on a book by two Augusta psychiatrists, had its world premiere in the Miller.
- March 23-24, 1973: The Florida band Lynyrd Skynyrd performed.
- Jan. 19, 1985: Apparently the last public usage of the Miller was the Augusta Opera's production of Regina, based on Lillian Hellman's play The Little Foxes .
Don Rhodes has written about country music for 39 years. He can be reached at (706) 823-3214 or at don.rhodes@morris.com.
Comments
Great Article, Don. Hats off to all the students that organized the event. Just goes to show the tremendous amount of young talent in our community. Looking forward to the Symphony rolling out their plan for restoration.
My hats off to these teens as well, but why spend millions to restore the Miller only to see the Imperial Theatre continue to fall apart....and what about the Kroc center...is there really enough support of the arts in Augusta to have two major theatres downtown and a performing arts center??? I can tell you, there is not that kind of support right now. I would love to see the money go towards renovating the Imperial and helping to build the Kroc. Yes, the Miller is historical and it was beautiful in it's time...it is now time to let it go and move forward. Just my opinion.
momofour - With all due respect I have to disagree with your assessment. The Imperial is a functional theatre that should stand on it's own. The theatre has received millions of dollars in taxpayer money. Now they need to operate as a business. With that being said, the Miller should not be abandoned as you suggest. When constructed, this was one of the most beautiful theatres in the country. Let our tax money go toward restoring the Miller to it's original design and make it a home for all local arts groups. Once completed, you and all of the CSRA will be proud to say the Miller was saved.
Not all local arts groups will be able to use it because of the proposed design. How will the Imperial survive if other local arts organizations are going to the newly renovated Miller? What about the money going into the building of the performing arts center at the Kroc?? It will be much less expensive for local arts organizations to use the Kroc Center than to rent out ans use the Miller. The only arts organization that will benefit and use the Miller, in my opinion, will be the Symphony. Will they be able to support it staying open after the renovation? I personally think there are, not better, but different things that tax dollars should be going to with the economy the way it is.
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