Feeling a little Bogart

A perfect dinner at home with my wonderful wife, followed by a night on the town -- 1940s style.

C A S A B L A N C A

A showing of Casablanca on the silver screen at the newly (just finished in January) restored classic Tennessee Theatre.

BACK IN TIME

The night was absolutely amazing. From the minute we walked in to the lavish lobby, we were blown away with the granduer of the place. We were greeted with Huge ceilings, massive chandeliers and a balcony draped with velvet curtains. Gorgeously rich golds, reds and greens were everwhere. The decor was a perfect blend of Southern roots and European flair. Every detail looked just right--from the inlays on the aisle seats all the way to the patterns of fabric. It was absolutely breath-taking.

THE SHOW

We sat down to enjoy the show, and it started with a huge organ being raised out of the orchestra pit. A jovial old man played a few themes from the movie and then disappeared from whence he came. The curtain went up, and we were treated to some classic three stooges to open up. I can't believe people went to watch that stuff. Hah.

I had never seen Casablanca. I loved it. As we sat in the theatre, I looked around and had to do a double take. More than once I found myself feeling like I was there for opening night of the film . . . smack in the middle of the 1940s. The scratchy film, old-time building, and even the heads of the people all around us made me feel perfectly nostalgic. Wow. The building was that amazing. It took us back in time, and it was a phenomanal trip.

THE PLACE

The Tennessee Theatre is one of the few great movie palaces from the Roaring Twenties still in operation. Opening its doors on October 1, 1928, the Tennessee made kings and queens of all who entered its lavish interior. After all, the idea of the movie palace was to create a fantasy land, a place where people could go to forget the outside world and its troubles -- at least while they were inside the castle on Gay Street.

Chicago architects Graven & Mayger brought to the Tennessee Theatre a Spanish-Moorish style interior, although the design incorporates elements from all parts of the world: Czechoslovakian crystals in the French-style chandeliers, Italian terrazzo flooring in the Grand Lobby, and Oriental influences in the carpet and drapery patterns. The Tennessee Theatre was one of the first public places in Knoxville to have air-conditioning. When the first patrons stepped into the cooled building to see their favorite stars on the silver screen, they paid only 40 cents for matinees and 60 cents for evening shows (children paid only 10 and 15 cents)! Taken from Tennessee Theatre History