As they waited outside, the expectant crowd was so excited that police were reportedly necessary to maintain order at the box office. When everyone was safely seated inside the theater, the mayor of Charlotte and visiting luminaries from the Publix Movie Corporation took to the stage to kick off the night’s entertainment, which included a Vaudeville-style program of music and dance, followed by the silent film comedy, A Kiss in a Taxi. The crowd’s enthusiasm continued throughout the show, as men and women “clapped and shouted and even whistled in the more intense moments.” All in all, the theater’s opening was deemed a great success and “far-reaching step” forward for the city of Charlotte.
Sources:
Charlotte News, March 7, 8, 1927.
Charlotte Observer, March 6, 7, 8, 1927.
Charlotte Observer, September 29, 1998.