The Fox Theater on Peachtree Street in Atlanta opened in 1929 as a Shriner’s Temple.
Editor’s Note: At the request of his readers and in memory of Warner M. Montgomery, Ph.D, we will continue to publish his Adventure Travel stories for the time being.
The doors to the Fox Theater opened at 5:45 p.m., and we were ushered in. Wow! What a theater! When it opened in 1929 the critics said it had “grandeur beyond imagination.” The building, originally a Shriner’s Temple, is of Islamic style reminiscent of the Arabian Knights. The Egyptian Ballroom was Atlanta’s most popular dance hall during the Big Band era.
The lobby is modeled after the Ramses II temple at Karnak. My wife, Linda, confirmed that the ladies lounge contains a replica of King Tut’s throne and makeup tables adorned with tiny sphinxes. The audience, 4,678 strong, sits in a canopy– covered Bedouin courtyard under a night– blue sky of flickering stars (some say formed from Coke bottles) and moving clouds.
The organ, Mighty Mo, is the second largest organ in the country. The 3,622 pipes range in size from 32 feet to six inches. It also makes sounds like a marimba, xylophone, glockenspiel, drums, bells, gongs, and piano.
Contrary to popular belief, the Fox did not host the premiere of Gone with the Wind but did host the premiere of Walt Disney’s Song of the South in 1946. The theater was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
After an organ recital that produced a standing ovation, Garrison Keillor, dressed in his signature light–colored suit, red tie, red socks, and red tennis shoes, came out and warmed up the audience. He has been doing this since 1974 when he played to a radio audience of 12 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Now he plays to sold–out theaters every week around the country. A Prairie Home Companion is live on National Public Radio on Saturday night and replayed on Sunday morning. Four million listeners tune in on 590 public radio stations every week.
Keillor led us in the National Anthem, then at six sharp, the show began. Special guests were writer/commentator Roy Blount Jr., singer/song writer Caroline Herring, the Georgia Songbird EG Knight, and the Steep Canyon Rangers from Ashville, N.C. Backing up every act was the Guy’s All Star Shoe Band and soundeffects expert Fred Newman.
Keillor taunted and cajolled his guests and did his usual News from Lake Wobegon. BUT, he left out the Guy Noir and Dusty and Lefty skits. I would have felt cheated except that every song, every skit, every sound effect was so good that the two hours flew by before I missed detective Noir and cowboys Dusty and Lefty.
Linda and I have decided to attend Prairie Home Companion whenever it appears east of the Mississippi and south of the Mason–Dixon Line. It is too good to pass up. And life is too short to miss Keillor’s homespun humor and downhome guests.
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