Vogue Theatre (Closed)
Louisville, KY Photo courtesy Rosalind Causey
Here is a photo of the Vogue Theater in Louisville, KY. It was a one screen theater that played classic films and also hosted events such as midnight showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The theater was closed in 1998 and later gutted, but the marquee was recently remodeled and looks great! Many thanks to Rosalind Causey for info. 12-06
That great neon marquee along Lexington Road once meant it was movie time at the Vogue Theatre in Louisville. The neighborhood theater opened in 1939 with 800 seats, and for nearly 60 years the VOGUE letters lit up this corner of St. Matthews.
By the 1970s, the Vogue had become something more than the neighborhood movie house. It developed a following for foreign, independent and art-house films, along with repertory screenings that weren't always easy to find elsewhere around town.
And then there was Rocky Horror. The Vogue became a Louisville favorite for midnight showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which ran here for an incredible 24 years. You can bet things got a little interesting around midnight. The final movie rolled in September 1998, bringing the curtain down after nearly six decades.
UPDATE: The former theater was converted into retail space, but the classic Vogue marquee was restored and remains out front along Lexington Road. 08-26
Plaza Theatre
Atlanta, GA Photo courtesy Dennis Whitefield
As the sun goes down along Ponce de Leon Avenue, the neon starts taking over at the Plaza Theatre. The tall vertical sign, glowing marquee and blue neon give this Atlanta movie house just about everything you could ask for in an old neighborhood theater. It's been attracting moviegoers since 1939, although what was showing on the screen has changed quite a bit over the years. 07-07
The Plaza opened on December 23, 1939 with The Women on the screen and admission at 25 cents. Built as part of the Briarcliff Plaza shopping center, it became a familiar neighborhood movie house along this busy stretch of Ponce de Leon.
Things took a different turn in 1970 when the Plaza became an X-rated theater and live burlesque house. That lasted until 1982, when the theater was renovated and eventually found a new life showing art-house, independent and foreign films.
Plaza Theatre front view
Atlanta, GA Photo courtesy Dennis Whitefield
The Plaza also became a favorite stop for cult movie fans. The Rocky Horror Picture Show has been a longtime Friday night tradition here, complete with midnight crowds, costumes and a live shadow cast. Definitely a different scene from opening night back in 1939.
Through all the different movies and changing times, that great marquee has kept watch over Ponce de Leon Avenue. Catch it around dusk when the neon is warming up and the sky still has a little light left, and it's hard not to stop for another look.
UPDATE: The Plaza remains open as Atlanta's longest-running independent cinema, still showing independent films, classics and cult favorites beneath its restored neon marquee. 08-26
Capitol Theatre
Bowling Green, KY Photo courtesy Alan Culley
Those bright red neon letters make the Capitol Theatre pretty hard to miss in downtown Bowling Green. Sitting near Fountain Square, this Art Deco gem has been entertaining folks here in one form or another for more than a century. 11-07
The site started out as the Columbia Theatre in the late 1890s, back when vaudeville was the attraction. It became the Capitol in 1921 and received its Art Deco makeover in 1938, complete with that great vertical neon sign.
After closing and sitting empty for several years, the theater was restored and reopened in September 1981 as the Capitol Arts Center. Movies gave way to a mix of concerts, performances and community events, but the old CAPITOL neon continued lighting up Main Avenue.
UPDATE: The Capitol remains open as a community arts and entertainment venue, and the restored neon is still glowing over downtown Bowling Green. 08-26
Trustees Theatre (formerly Weis Theatre)
Savannah, GA Photo courtesy Paul Bauke
Now here's a marquee that can light up a Savannah evening. Trustees Theatre sits along Broughton Street, although longtime Savannah moviegoers may remember it better as the Weis Theatre. With that sweeping marquee, tall vertical sign and plenty of glowing neon, this is one theater that's hard to pass without looking up. 04-09
The Weis opened on Valentine's Day 1946 with The Enchanted Forest on the screen. It was quite the modern movie house for its day, with more than 1,100 seats and something especially welcome during a hot Savannah summer, air conditioning. The original marquee reportedly used nearly three-quarters of a mile of neon tubing. Somebody definitely wanted this place to stand out after dark.
Like many downtown theaters, the Weis eventually lost audiences to newer suburban cinemas and closed in 1980. The building sat quiet until the Savannah College of Art and Design purchased it in 1989 and began bringing the old theater back to life.
UPDATETrustees Theatre (formerly Weis Theatre)
Savannah, GA Photo courtesy Paul Bauke
After an extensive restoration, the theater reopened in 1998 with Tony Bennett taking the stage. The Weis name was gone, replaced by Trustees Theater, but that great old Art Moderne marquee was once again glowing over Broughton Street.
These days the movies share the stage with concerts, special events and the SCAD Savannah Film Festival. Different name, different crowd, but plenty of neon still out front.
UPDATE: Trustees Theater remains open under SCAD, with its restored marquee continuing to light up Broughton Street. 08-26
Lucas Theatre
Savannah, GA Photo courtesy Paul Bauke
Just off Reynolds Square is another classic Savannah movie house. Lucas Theatre opened in 1921, and its old marquee still hangs over Abercorn Street more than a century later. 04-09
Built by theater operator Arthur Lucas, the Lucas opened the day after Christmas with the silent film Camille. It remained a downtown favorite for more than half a century before declining attendance finally closed the doors in 1976. The theater sat dark for years and survived several threats of demolition before a long restoration brought it back to life. The Lucas reopened in December 2000, once again showing movies and hosting concerts and performances.
Not bad for an old movie palace that almost didn't make it.
UPDATE: The Lucas Theatre remains open under SCAD, with its restored marquee still greeting visitors along Abercorn Street. 08-26
Vogue Theatre (Closed)
Plaza Theatre
Plaza Theatre front view
Capitol Theatre
