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| Majestic - Charleston, SC |
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Left: Majestic Theatre - Above: Interior of Majestic Theatre |
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Majestic
Theatre The Majestic Theatre was built as a Vaudeville house. George Brantley, who opened the first movie theater in Charleston, the Theatorium, in 1907, believed the moving picture business was just a fad that was fading in popularity. There was no Vaudeville circuit serving Charleston at the time so he booked acts as best he could. In an interview in the Post and Courier in 1958, Florence Brantley said, "We ran first rate vaudeville shows." There was a general attitude that actors in general, and Vaudeville actors in particular were likely to be tasteless and crude. George spent considerable effort to advertise his shows so that everyone knew they would not be tasteless or dirty. In one such advertisement he stated, "It is the intention of the management not to allow a remark that can possibly offend the most refined taste." Vaudeville acts at the Majestic ranged from jugglers and trained animal acts, and novelty acts, to some of the top Vaudeville headliners of the day. The dazzling Dolly Sisters, Rosie and Jenny, performed frequently at the Majestic and always stayed at the Brantley's home when they were in Charleston When Pastime Amusement Company was formed in late summer of 1908, George Brantly received 40% of the stock and bacame General Manager. In 1909, the Vaudeville Circuit of Wilmer and Vincent leased the Academy of Music. The Academy of Music, at the corner of King and Market Streets, had a seating capacity of twelve hundred seats. The Majestic, which had a capacity of about 350 seats could not compete successfully. Pastime Amusement Company converted the second floor of the German Artillery Hall (later Kerrison's parking lot on King Street) into an 800 seat theatre and moved Vaudeville from the Majestic. From then on, the Majestic showed motion pictures. When the Warner Brothers' film "Lucretia Lombard" was released in 1923, it did poorly. It was re-released with the title "Flaming Passion" and was a smash hit. The Majestic Theatre promoted it with a "True Talk on Sex Facts" by Dr. W.H. Belmont, and an appearance by Miss Texas with her living models. A phrase in the newspaper advertisement read, "The new picture that exposes the evils of the modern Jazz Age! Bold! Frank! True!" No one under the age of 16 was admtted. Men and women were not seated on the same evenings. Ticket sales were very brisk. By the 1930's the Majestic was following the popular schedules at other movie houses by showing Westerns on Saturdays. |
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Class B Westerns Afterwards, If I live a thousand
years,
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J.G. Braddock, Sr., worked as an usher for Pastime Amusement Company as a teenager in the mid-1940's. He ushered at all the several theaters around Charleston that were owned by Pastime. In a letter to the Editor, he described the Gloria Theatre as "splendidly decorated," and "Pastime's crown jewel. His description of the Majestic was quite a contrast. The Post and Courier June 8, 2004 Letters to the Editor "The Majestic, in the same block on King, easily was the most unattractive theater in Pastime's chain. It was narrow, had wood floors, and uncushioned seats. Rat fights in the aisles over popcorn were usually more interesting than what was happening on the screen. Nonetheless, on Saturdays, the Majestic became the center of the universe for any boy who could finagle 11 cents from his parents. That would buy his ticket to a couple of cartoons, a short subject, a chapter picture, and the main feature, almost always a cowboy movie. And he could watch them as many times as he wanted. They didn't turn on the lights and run everyone out back then. The films went on continuously." J.G. Braddock, Sr |
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The Cameo Theatre, formerly the Majestic, opened on January 30, 1950. Pastime Amusement Company promoted the opening stating, the Cameo "will bring back great American pictures of the last decade and offer the best of foreign productions." The first film shown at the Cameo was "Hamlet" with Laurence Olivier and Eileen Herlie. Even the reduced student ticket price of sixty cents didn't help fill the seats. In December, 1950, there was a fire at the Cameo that damaged the stage area and part of the roof. The fire started around 3:45 in the morning, so no one was in the theatre at the time. Four engine companies fought the blaze. After the fire, it was decided that repairing the old theatre would be too costly. By September, 1951, the Cameo had been torn down. |
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