THE PAST MEETS THE FUTURE OF THE PRINCESS

What a wonderful historical event I was privileged to witness Wednesday - James "Dub" Harmon, manager of the Princess from 1951 until 1964, met Megan Anderson, the fifth and newest Princess manager, for the first time!

I think they hit it off immediately, and the first meeting ended with a warm "welcome/thank you" hug!  This can only mean there will be more such meetings.  Meetings where Megan will soak up all the Princess and Harriman history she can.

Dub began by telling us what the Princess meant to Harriman and the surrounding area.  People used to fill the fifteen-foot-wide sidewalk (before the four-lane), all the way back to where Chase Drug is now, waiting to get into the Princess.  This is evident is clearly shown in the 1939 grand opening film clip!

One 4th of July years ago, Dub related, they ran 3900 people through the Princess between 10AM and 11:30PM!  At that time there was a city park where the American Legion is today, and people came there to celebrate, and then would come to the Princess.

There was always something going on at one of the theaters in town.  The Princess used to have a special "Academy Award" promotion, where patrons attempted to match up the actors to the awards, and the closest won a living room suite!

Dub began working at the Princess in '41 or '42, time gets away from him a lot today, so he couldn't be exact, and Crescent thought he did such a great job they wanted to make him manager.  However, it wasn't until 1951 that he became old enough to be "bonded", which was a requirement of the manager position.

As Dub remembers it, when the Webbo closed, O. L. Pritchett came to the Princess to replace outgoing manager L. W. Bevel.  That was about the same time Mr. Harmon began working there, at about the age of 15 or 16.

About the only thing that did not burn when the Princess was destroyed in 1938, was the marquee.  He remembers they cut the "SS" off the end of the Princess, and moved it down to where the Roxy was located, which was where Hall's 5 & 10 used to be located.  It was not in a separate building, as some have speculated on Facebook.  So, the Roxy/Prince building still stands in Harriman today.

The Roxy/Prince had only about 200 seats, and if you are old enough, you remember how narrow Hall's was!

One Halloween, the Roxy sold so many tickets to the scary movie, that they had to run a second movie up the street at the Webbo.

I asked Dub if he remembers a theater standing where the Princess is today and he said no.  I asked what about the "Gay"?  He thought a long time and then said that the Gay Theater was located on Clinton Street, somewhere on the block that H. G. Furniture is on, but on the opposite side of the block facing Clinton.  I followed up by asking if the Gay was ever located where the Princess was built.  He says the Gay may have moved to Roane Street, but isn't sure about where, or if that happened at all. Way before his time!

I plan on asking Lewis Spivey about this history next week.  Megan also wants to meet this great Harriman historian, so I'll tag along!

So, when Cecil Johnson, the last Princess manager, got back from Korea in the early 50's, his brother-in-law, Dub Harmon, gave him a job as projectionist at the Princess.  Cecil had experience at this job from his younger days at the Roxy.  However, it wasn't long before Dub brought Cecil downstairs and began teaching him the managerial job.

Sometime in '64, Mr. Harmon and Junior Ballard began managing H. G. Furniture Company, which they later bought.  Dub still works there today!

Cecil became the fourth Princess manager.  Dub kept working in the theater business, except it was at night, after his day job, at the Midtown Drive-In.  By then Martin Theaters had bought Crescent, and all sixty some theaters.  So, Dub and Cecil had new bosses!

Cecil remained the manager until 1999, when he finally closed the theater, after having leased the business from Martin Theaters for a couple of years.

Folks, again I see in Megan Anderson someone that can and will carry the flame forward.  She hung on Dub's every word, as he answered her tough questions.  You can see the pride building in her for our Princess and Harriman.  She has already made many contacts for support, for historical answers, and for thoughts on what the Princess should bring back to Harriman.

We gave her a t-shirt, after she admired the one I was wearing the first time we met.  It was kind of a "we believe in you" gift, and she beamed when it was given to her.

Please get behind her and support her in her highs and lows folks, and let's keep the interest in this project and revitalization going.  She will really mean it when she wears her "turning the lights on" t-shirt around campus and town.  She wants to succeed in her new job and she wants the Princess to succeed!

THE PRINCESS IN 1978!

My friend Jim Young just forwarded me a photo that his friend, James Finch of Oak Ridge, took back in 1978 of the Princess.  It was taken a night, so the lighting isn't the best, but you can see the Acme (where Channel 15 is today) and Margrave Drug (where the extended lobby stretches today) stores on either side, and a couple walking in front.  It is possible they are waiting to by a ticket, but there just isn't enough detail, and the perspective is not that advantageous.

However, it still brings back memories of a time gone by when people walked Roane Street at night, and when seeing someone standing buying a ticket was not uncommon.

There is a time coming when seeing people standing in the same position will again be taken for granted.  However, I hope we never again take the Princess for granted.  I hope we remember the recent past and know that good things can be taken away from us.  Maybe that way we will work harder at preserving and protecting the things that give our lives meaning.

Thanks Jim and James for sharing this photo with us Princess lovers!

THE PRINCESS THEATRE – A TEMPLE OF THE ARTS

Ten months after a January fire, its second and most devastating fire, causing and estimated 50,000 1939 dollars worth of damage, the Princess Theatre* reopened the third time to grand local fanfare and Hollywood well wishes.

The first movie to be shown on the new theater’s screen, after reopening was “Fifth Avenue Girl”, starring Ginger Rogers.

Ms. Rogers, Jack Benny, Clark Gable, and others prominent in the “theater and movie business” were among dignitaries that sent their congratulations.

Ticket prices, 10 cents for children and 25 cents for adults, remained the same as before the fire. The first night audience was also treated to a short dedication service that included introductions of city officials, Crescent Amusement Company officials, and visiting Crescent theater managers.

For one night, it was as though Hollywood had come to Harriman, complete with flood- and spot-lights, and a real “Newsreel” photographer!

The Princess must have been something to see on that Thursday night of November 16.

A newspaper supplement to The Harriman Record with a banner headline of “The Dawn of a New Day for Theatre Patrons”, described the “Grand Premiere Opening”, heralded the new theater as the “South’s Finest Temple of Amusement”!

It further described the “ultra-modern” theater’s marquee as having “brilliant soffit lighting…black carrara structural glass, cromium (sic) trimming and red and blue marlite.”

“Underfoot is the shining terrazzo floor which extends into the foyer which is lined with marlite and the walls and ceilings are done in light shades of varying colors…enhanced by the soft light of…modern fixtures.”

Continuing inside the reporter describes the steps leading to the mezzanine and balcony as being covered in “soft, deep padded carpet in variegated colors...”

Highly stressed was the rebuilder’s intention of making the Princess “fireproof” for the safety of its patrons.

The United States Gypsum Company, then in Atlanta and Birmingham, supplied Sabinite Acoustical Plaster that was used extensively in the reconstruction.

It said to not only condition and enhance the acoustics of the theater, it also offered the additional value of being fire-proof.

Since this was after the second fire at the theater, the first one was in 1932; additional effort was put into advertising the building as “fire-proof”.

The builder even covered the roof in gypsum, hidden under 3 layers of felt and tar!

Cheaper “cello-tex” plaster could have been used in the walls and ceiling for around $350, however, the architects, and Crescent Amusement management, believed the $5500 for 3 coats of the Sabinite plaster’s acoustical and fire-proof properties was worth the extra cost.

After the 56 tons of steel was erected, workers began laying the 17” thick brick and cinder block walls, and pouring the first red “color pigment” concrete ever poured in Harriman.
No longer would the floors have to be repainted twice each year from shoe leather wear!
Soon, the Princess began resembling a movie “temple” once again.

Soon it was time to put in place the giant 500-pound speaker that could broadcast the slightest whisper through the perforated silver screen, onto the audience seated in “floating comfort” interlocking seats, that utilized no bolts or screws to tear ladies dresses, and with welded joints that eliminated all squeaks!

The original seats themselves must have been a beautiful thing to behold.

The backs are covered with light orange leather and the bottoms are of read maroon leather with green velour skirts.

The arms are of hard maple in natural finish…”

Just try and imagine the pride theater manager L. W. Bevel must have felt as his first night’s patrons stepped through the doors of the new Princess!

Just try and imagine what it would be like to see it just like that…just once more in our life time!

What pride might we feel, with grandchildren in hand, as they step through the doors of the Princess Theatre and see it for the first time, as it was meant to be seen, “A Temple of the Arts”!

The correct form is to refer to the building as “theater” and the art form as “theatre”.
You probably have noted that Crescent Amusement Company used the “theatre” form of the word in naming the Princess.

Not to be correct, but to follow tradition, this blog will henceforth refer to our beloved theater as the Princess Theatre.

THE PRINCESS ENTERTAINED US FOR OVER 70 YEARS!

The Princess Theater has been entertaining Roane and surrounding counties for over 70 years (’32 and ’39)! The heyday of her importance to the community may have been the vital diversion she offered during the World War II years, with promotional events such as “Bank Night”, during which a whopping $75 was given away! That was big money in those days!

It wasn’t just the movies, like “Gone with the Wind”, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”, Vincent Price horror movies, or Roy Rogers and Trigger westerns that entertained us. Often it has been live entertainment on stage, or on a temporary stage out front on Roane Street.

Unfortunately, most entertainment events are outside these days, but the Princess Theater still takes center stage by offering shelter and a focal point along Roane Street. We’ve all been there! Remember the “Tennessee Polk Salad Association’s” street and park events every year, or how about the Harriman’s Car Shows, and their “Cruisin’ in Historic Downtown Harriman” the second Saturday of each month during the summer!?

It is the hope of many local leaders and interested supporters, that the Princess will again soon be the indoor stage for local live events and entertainment.

Over the years, the Princess has seen many movie and television stars, nationally known as well as home-grown musicians, and happy pageant queens come to entertain the local masses.

It has even been the sanctuary to some who just wanted a quiet peaceful place to say “I do”, like Brooks Benjamin and
Jackie Barnes back in March of 2008!

Someday real soon, she will again be the site of entertainment! The Princess Theater will become an arts, education, and conferencing center for all to enjoy.

Keep watching this site and your local news for more information on upcoming events that will celebrate local student accomplishments, regional entertainment, and showcase the bright future of the Princess Theater.

WHO CARES ABOUT THE PRINCESS THEATER?

In May of 2008, a catered fundraiser for the restoration of the Princess Theater was held at the home of Dr. Terry and Kathy Bingham, in Harriman. Invited guest were also treated to a feast for the ears by country music superstar Clint Black, who performed an acoustic set of some of his biggest hits, such as "Killin' Time" and "A Better Man."

Some of those in attendance included "The Heartland Series" host Bill Landry, University of Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl with Brandy Miller (not pictured), soul-music entertainer Archie Bell, Roane State Community College President Dr. Gary Goff (not pictured), Carla and Ted Hatfield with Regal Entertainment Group (not pictured), Roane County Executive Mike Farmer (not pictured), Harriman Mayor Chris Mason and wife Shasta, photographer Shannon Stansfield (not pictured), Harriman businessman Gary Baker and veteran actor Muse Watson, who lives in Los Angeles but has a farm near Harriman. Watson has made numerous television and movie appearances, which include recurring roles on "Prison Break" and "NCIS," and the teen-stalker in the horror film "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and its sequel.

Baker donated the Princess Theater to Harriman in 2007. The money raised at the gathering will go towards the $1.9 million renovation project. The building is then planned to become a cultural and educational center for the arts, as well as a conferencing center of the regional area. The facility will be operated and managed by the Princess Theater Foundation and the City of Harriman, in cooperation with the Tennessee Technology Center and the Roane County School system.

The active center will serve as a seven-county center for cultural, educational, conferencing events, and as studios for a new public-access television station. COMCAST has provided Channel 15 to be used locally and operated by the students of Roane State.

As you can see, there are many people who care about making this dream come true. You too can become involved and take pride in a renewed downtown Harriman.

WILL THE PRINCESS THEATER CONTINUE TO ENTERTAIN US?

The Princess Theater first opened in 1926, but the 900 seat Princess was damaged by fire six years later. In 1939, the theater was completely destroyed by a blaze, but was rebuilt within 10 months with an “Art Deco” design with 854 seats, courtesy of Paramount Studios.

During World War II, while the secret city of Oak Ridge was under construction a few miles away, there were three showings a day, each one sold out.

The theater screened its last movie in 1999, when Cecil Johnson, long time operator and lessee of the building, retired. It officially closed in that same year.

Local officials (See the cast of partnerships and directors in the sidebar.) are now joining hands with Hollywood bad guy Muse Watson, to restore and revitalize the theater. The Princess Theater Partnership and the Princess Theater Restoration Committee Board of Directors are determined to return the Princess Theater to its active place in the community, and turn it into a center of cultural excellence! The Princess will provide a stage for live music and theater, to be enjoyed by the entire region, and a facility for arts education programs , and become a regional teleconferencing center that will bring attention and business to the area.

The visionary’s plans include a $1.9 million renovation, which will allow the facility to be managed by the Princess Theater Foundation and the city of Harriman, in cooperation with the Tennessee Technology Center and the Roane County School system. Through educational funding assistance, and the public entertainment programs that will originate there, the Princess Theater can continue to serve the community for years to come.

With the assistance of the Harriman City Mayor, Chris Mason, COMCAST has provided a public access television channel (CH 15) to be used by Roane State students to broadcast local entertainment productions to the area.

Other hopes are that the Tennessee Technology Center will teach theater lighting and stage design, while public schools from around the area may use the building for programs, plays and special events.

“It would be an ideal location for weddings, concerts, dance recitals and screenings of classical movies,” Gary Baker has stated. “It's hoped a vibrant Princess Theater will lure restaurants, specialty shops and other new businesses downtown.”

You bet…with the hard work of the Princess Theater Partnerships and its many interested community volunteers, the Princess will soon entertain us again!