Alabama Theatre

(Click on image for larger version.)

The Alabama Theatre is one of two surviving grand movie palaces in downtown Birmingham. (The other is the 1914 Lyric Theatre, built as a vaudeville house and located across the street from the Alabama.) Built in 1927 by Paramount Pictures in a fantasy Spanish/Moorish/Arabesque/Baroque/Art Deco eclectic style, the Alabama is still in operation as both a performing arts theatre and a movie palace. Spouse and I have seen everything from the Moscow Ballet to Gordon Lightfoot in concert to the Alabama Symphony Orchestra to Jaws and Mickey’s Christmas Carol and The Godfather here.

It fell into disrepair in the 1970s as movies moved to the suburbs. In the mid 1980s, with the bankruptcy of its owners, the Alabama was threatened with the fate of the demolished Ritz and Empire and Melba Theaters. Two entities were entirely responsible for saving the Alabama: Cecil Whitmire and Big Bertha.

Bertha is the original Wurlitzer pipe organ, one of only 25 of this model and the only one still in existence, installed to provide music and sound effect accompaniment to silent movies. The American Theatre Organ Society, which had been lovingly maintaining Bertha, asked for permission from the foreclosing bank to remove her from the building before it was sold or demolished. The bank refused, saying that the organ was the most valuable thing left in the building.

Cecil Whitmire, who had been the house organist at the Alabama for some 15 years at that time and was a member of the Theatre Organ Society, was determined to save Bertha, even if he had to save the whole building to do it. He set up a non-profit corporation, Birmingham Landmarks, Inc., spearheaded a fundraising drive, and raised enough money to buy the dilapidated building from the creditors. The Alabama was saved from demolition.

The last twenty years has seen an ongoing restoration project which is nearly complete. As much of the original structure and decoration as possible has been maintained and restored, with replacements and upgrades only where necessary — or, in the case of projection and sound equipment, where it would enhance the usefulness of the theatre for performances.

Cecil Whitmire is still intimately involved with the theatre and its day-to-day operations. He longer plays Bertha at most functions, though he still holds Mighty Musical Mondays several times a year — a free hour-long concert at lunchtime on the first Monday of the month. At regular movie showings and most other functions, the Mighty Wurlitzer is given voice by one of several house musicians. And every few months, the Alabama chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society holds a free concert on a Sunday afternoon to which the public is invited.

On the first Sunday in December, 2008, the Alabama held an open house with behind-the-scenes tours and wonderful photo opportunities. I took these pictures — and many others — on that day. Stay tuned for more.