There was a time when almost every town in America had a movie theater. In those pre-TV days of the 1930's and 1940's, movies were the most popular form of entertainment in the world. More than half of the people in the country went to the movies at least once a week. Some went more.
Southside Virginia was no exception and South Hill boasted of the Colonial Theater and the Star Theater, Clarksville had the State. Even tiny Drakes Branch had a movie theater, the Drake.
Chase City had it's share of movie houses, dating back to the 1920's when silent films made their debut in the area. There were other theaters but in 1937, the town got it's largest and most popular theater.
Located on Main Street, the Mecca was built and operated by Ridley Greene at a cost of $40,000. A little larger than many of the small town theaters, the Mecca seated 450 people. The Mecca was also one of the fancier theaters in Southside with ornate, art-deco styling and was described as “the finest movie house between Richmond and Raleigh.”
According to legend, the name “The Mecca” was selected because “everyone wants to go to Mecca” and certainly in those days, everyone wanted to go to the movies.
In those days Hollywood was a movie factory, producing upwards of 300 films a year and like most theaters of the day, the Mecca was open 7 days a week with matinees on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The program was usually changed five, six or even seven times a week to keep the customers coming back for more.
Making a good thing even better, Greene included a Soda Shop and the Mecca was a one stop entertainment stop.
At around 4:15 on the morning of February 20, 1948, Mrs. Ben Saunders who lived near the Mecca was awakened by an explosion. Looking out, she saw the Mecca on fire. She later told the Chase City Progress that she believed the popcorn oil at the theater had exploded.
The Chase City Volunteer Fire Department was quickly on the scene and attempted to enter the building to retrieve the film from the theater. The film, sitting on the lobby floor, was due to be bused to another theater that morning and the Mecca was financial responsible for the price of the print.
One firefighter who managed to make it inside told the Progress that "all the seats seemed to burst into flame at once."
The film was not retrieved and firefighters had to deal a light rain, cold temperatures and fog that morning as they fought the fire. They also had to deal with a crowd estimated at 200 who came out to watch the fire.
It was, by all accounts, a large fire with flames estimated at 15 stories high. The flames were said to be visible for several miles.
In the end, the Mecca was completely destroyed and the loss was estimated at over $100,000.
The loss of the main source of entertainment was a blow to the community and within weeks, a committee made up of Ridley Greene, A.T. Greene and Mayor P.A. Ozlin went before the School Board to investigate the possibility of leasing the Robert E. Lee Auditorium to use as a theater while the Mecca was being rebuilt. Although the board agreed, it was found that it was illegal to rent a public property for a private enterprise.
A few weeks later, it was announced that Greene would open a temporary “tent theater” while the Mecca was rebuilt the “Tent” opened on a rainy evening on April 14. Ironically, the film being shown that night was “April Showers” staring Jack Carson, Ann Southern and Robert Alda.
The public continued to line up for movies at “The Tent Theater” throughout the spring and summer and finally on September 15, the rebuilt Mecca was not only rebuilt but enlarged and featured the latest sound and projection equipment and air conditioning throughout. It was, by all accounts, a grand success. Unfortunately, the second “boom” for the Mecca was short-lived as within a few years, local movies houses were displaced by television.
Through the years one by one, local theaters in the small towns around Southside closed. The Mecca was the longest holdout.
By the late 60's, the Mecca was open only on weekends. In the early 80's the Mecca closed for the last time ending a long chapter in local history.
The final movie shown was “Close Encounters of The Third Kind.”
