One of the most beautifully renovated movie palaces in South Georgia, the Grand is an anchor for Fitzgerald’s downtown historic district.  I remember seeing movies here as a boy, and the seats were ragged, the paint was terrible, and the place had a horrible ambiance. The restoration is one of the best things Fitzgerald has done.

Ernie Fordham writes: I worked at the Grand three afternoons a week and Saturdays and Sundays as a relief ticket taker and usher in 1957-58. I worked an hour each weekday, six hours on Saturday and six hours on Sunday for the grand total of $4.00 a week. Back then the pay was pretty good for a 14 – 15 year old plus I got to watch all the movies free and eat all the popcorn and fountain drinks I wanted (as long as I brought my own popcorn bag and drink cup!) Bagging groceries at the Jitney Jungle had only paid 5 cents and hour for a 12 hour day on Saturdays, so this was quite a raise! And not nearly as hot as taking grocery bags out to cars for people who did not know about tipping!

The Grand recently acquired a 1926 Barton Theatre Organ, one of only a few still in use; the Barton was often used for the “soundtrack” to silent films  in early American movie houses, and it is a great honor for a town the size of Fitzgerald to have such an instrument.

Fitzgerald Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places