It is quite possible that Central Cinema is Knoxville’s oldest dedicated movie theatre. No, it is not the oldest building in Knoxville to ever show a movie; that’s probably the Bijou. But when the Bijou first opened in 1909 it was primarily a live-performance venue.
Central Cinema first opened in 1916 during the silent-movie era, 12 years prior to the Tennessee Theatre and four before the original Riviera. There was a multitude of movie houses that came and went in and near downtown Knoxville a century ago, but Central was the first one built on the outer fringes of official city limits.
Located at 1205 N. Central St. (I will always call it avenue), the building is part of the Happy Holler Historic District. Originally part of Old North Knoxville (a city all its own; see story here), the area was annexed by the city in 1897. The simple little movie house was a closer trip for residents of Old North, Lincoln Park and, eventually, Oakwood.
Central Cinema back when it was the Joy Theatre in its heyday. The cars (and prices) date this photo.
The building went through several changes of ownership and names over the years. Originally opened as the Picto, it was also known as the Central, the Liberty, the Center, the Cameo and the Joy. By the mid-1950s, its time as a movie theatre had come to an end. The building was repurposed for general use/retail during the ensuing decades.
All that changed seven years ago with a fundraiser, its reconstruction and rebirth as a movie theatre once again (see Betty Bean’s story here). On Thursday, July 25, it will host a very special event in partnership with The Knoxville History Project and Smoky Mountain Radio as part of KHP’s multi-day Birth of a National Park event exploring Knoxville’s influence on the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Central will present a free screening of the 1927 Paramount Pictures silent movie “Stark Love,” the directorial debut of cinematographer Karl Brown. Filmed along the outskirts of what became the park, mostly near Robbinsville, N.C., the movie stars Knoxville natives Helen Mundy and Forrest James. As it would turn out, this is the only movie the two ever made. Mundy, a Knoxville High School student, was discovered at a downtown drugstore/soda fountain by Paramount talent scouts. James was offered a contract with Paramount after making the movie but declined, eventually relocating to Alabama. His son, Fob, became the 48th governor of that state.
James and Mundy play Rob Warwick and Barbara Allen, two mountain kids who fall in love and find a way to escape the grind of life in the hills. The event will feature introductory comments by Knoxville historian Jack Neely and media archivist Bradley Reeves, founder of Smoky Mountain Radio. The screening will also feature a live score by the Tennessee Theatre’s house organist, Freddie Brabson.
The show is free and starts at 7 p.m. For more information go here.
Beth Kinnane writes a history feature for KnoxTNToday.com. It’s published each Tuesday and is one of our best-read features.
Sources: McClung Historical Collection digital archives/Knox County Library, Paramount Pictures Archives, Central Cinema, The Knoxville History Project