"It's A Wonderful Life" Packs The Princess

It was a historic evening!  The showing of "It's A Wonderful Life" marked the end of 15 years without a movie being shown at the Princess Theatre, in Downtown Harriman, TN.  

Cecil Johnson closed the movie house in 1999, and the theater fell into decay.  The leaking roof ruined everything inside, but a tragic accident made it possible for the building to be renovated and the Princess was brought back to life.  With her resurrection came new hope for a community that the spark of life would also rejuvenate Downtown Harriman.

Some of that dream came true Friday night as the community relived old memories, and made new ones, at the movie theater.  There were cars parked all up and down the street and people scurried between the Princess and the Simply Sweet Bakery.  In my mind, it was reminiscent of days gone by; when it was common place to see Roane Street lit up and people window shopping.

Inside the auditorium was nearly packed.  I would say it was the largest crowd since Marshal Tucker and The Kentucky Headhunters!

When Mayor Chris Mason and RSCC President Chris Whaley announced the start of the movie, the house erupted in applause and cheers!  The people have been hungry for a "real" movie at the Princess and they got their wish Friday night.

"It's A Wonderful Life" isn't a first run movie, but it was to those of us that have long awaited that evening!

It was also great to see the new screen down and reflecting new memories.

Above was the digital projector, an old one, given to us by Regal, but with the gift of $5,000 from the Cornstalk Heights Historical Community Organization (CHHCO), we are on our way to getting the $24K for a new one!  

Your gift to the Princess will go along way in achieving that goal.  Please give today!

GET READY TO TAKE YOUR SEAT!

No, the Princess isn't quite ready for you yet, but your seat is being stalled this week, and one will be reserved for you on opening night!  The new seats, which were donated by Regal Cinemas, are being assembled, piece-by-piece...literally (see photo), this week and are being install according to Frank Sparkman's engineering drawings.  It appears the seating will be five abreast on each side, with 10 in each of the middle rows.  This configuration promises the most seats for the floor space, but until they are all in, the exact count can't accurately be determined.

The six seats shown are in each of the back corners of the main floor auditorium and offer space for a wheel-chair bound patron and three companions at each of these four rows.

The comfy cushioned seats look brand new, and are burnt orange with black trim.  The burnt orange will probably match a pattern in the carpet yet to be installed.

I was also pleased to see that the cracks patched in the terrazzo had dried and been ground down, and it appears to be a perfect match!  Again, I can hardly wait to see it all polished and sealed, and looking like new again.

Out front, Tim Plemons and crew, have painted over the weather-proof paneling beneath the marquee, and gives us hope that soon the entire Princess will be "spic'n span" and inviting us in.

However, one of my greatest finds today was this scene in one of the upstairs rooms of the Tappan building.  The ceiling has been repaired, but the walls and everything else still awaits further work.  These upstairs rooms will not see full restoration until much later down the road, but will be important to the Princess Complex in the future.

But, I couldn't help but try and capture the lighting that streamed in from outside and played on the old wooden floor.  We should remember, that these old 1890's buildings are treasures in themselves, and we should be appreciative of the second chance we are getting to see and use them in our live time.  Roane Street is full of such treasures, and they all stand waiting for someone with vision to turn them into useful spaces for a new generation.

PROGRESS REPORT FROM THE PRINCESS

It used to be that I'd have to wait a month to see real change in the progress at the Princess.  Now, if I don't go every few days, I can miss out on lots of little changes.  Things are really, happening at a fast pace now, and it won't be long before you will see a notice posted here for a grand event!

James Ryan and Adam (forgive me I forgot his last name), of Rocky Top Sign & Neon, are busy most days putting on the metal face of the marquee.  He begins this week finishing up the neon at his shop, and I plan on dropping by to capture a few great moments in neon for history.

I was under the misconception that the marquee was going to be a giant one-piece sign that a crane would have to hoist into place.  Not so!  The frame of the marquee is all wood, some having to be molded into a curved shape that goes up first.  It is then wrapped in black and white metal, which has a plastic shield on the outside to protect it from scratches during installation.  That will be peeled off once the sign is completed covered.

The metal will protect the wood from the weather and keep the marquee sturdy and shiny for years to come.  Over this will be the neon...more on that later.

Inside, Tim Plemons and crew are still painting the vast interior, which has included the auditorium floor.  Some time next week the burgundy seats donated by Regal Cinemas will be bolted into place.  It will then look like a theatre inside as well.  I'm not going to publish any more wide shots of the interior until after the grand opening.  We want it to be a total surprise to you when you walk into the auditorium for the first time!

However, I will post a close shot or two of the seats just to tease you!

The new bathroom additions are being completed, and the ladies will happy to know that there are six new stalls in the Princess, besides the original ones.  The men too will have new extra facilities to enjoy, and there will be drinking fountains conveniently located throughout the lobby area.

The elevator lift and loading platform are in place, awaiting the actual elevator compartment.  This will make seats in the balcony more convenient to everyone, including the handicapped.

Almost unnoticed under foot in the lobby is the work being done to restore the original terrazzo flooring to its original shine.  The breaks in the beautiful old flooring are being properly filled, ground, sanded, and buffed to bring it back to life, and give it at least another 70 years of life!  I can hardly wait to see this floor returned to even better luster than I remember from my time in the sixties.  

Put it all together and you have a reborn venue; perhaps a transformation from a mere theater to a grand theatre.  She will be ready again to receive the title she was once given by newspapers and newsreels as a "temple to the arts"!