Goodbye Screen on the Green

May 10, 2011 8:54 PM

Screen on the Green, an Atlanta tradition, to be cancelled.

Screen on the Green has been a Saturday tradition for thousands of Atlanta residents for the Summer Saturdays for the past 10 years, showing such movies as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the original), Jurassic Park, Casablanca, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and many more for free on large screens in Piedmont Park in Downtown Atlanta.

The past two years, Screen on the Green has seen some controversy, due to violence breaking out at the showings. Likely due to this, Peachtree TV has announced this year that they will be pulling their sponsorship, cancelling the Screen on the Green 2012 season.

Let's have a moment of silence for this great festival.

posted by frwagon (27 comments total)

Well thank god its cancelled. I was just going to phone them in for violating copyright laws.
posted by hal_c_on at 8:58 PM on May 10, 2011

.
posted by Lukenlogs at 9:09 PM on May 10, 2011

It really is a shame that such violence can destroy a tradition like this. I live in Atlanta; specifically, I live very near Piedmont Park, where the festival usually took place. Last year I remember ridiculously large, rowdy crowds it attracted, consisting mostly of scrappy teenagers.

I don't know why "Screen on the Green" began to attract mobbish groups of teenagers, but that's what it did, and that's why I'm not that surprised to see it not happening this year.
posted by fignewton at 9:14 PM on May 10, 2011

I mean this totally unironically: this is why we can't have nice things. Hope it comes back soon. Atlanta needs things like Screen on the Green, and it sucks that it can be spoiled by a few rowdy folks.
posted by socratic at 9:25 PM on May 10, 2011 [1 favorite]

I've never taken part of the Screen on the Green series because I hate people but the loss of any large scale, free, ongoing event in a big city sucks. I don't really know why supposed gangbangers come out to "Back to the Future II," but even family friendly movie selections can't keep bored kids at bay.
posted by black rainbows at 10:08 PM on May 10, 2011

Very sad to hear this. I saw casablanca and butch Cassidy and the sundance kid at screen on the green. It's always been a summer staple along with the stone mountain laser show.
posted by milestogo at 10:09 PM on May 10, 2011

Is this because police refuse to show up for stuff like this without getting paid extra? I mean, I see the corporate sponsorship being dropped, but if the violence is due to a lack of security, well, there should be tax dollars for something like this.
posted by rhizome at 10:11 PM on May 10, 2011

The first time I was visiting atlanta I managed to spend the evening watching "The Postman Always Rings Twice" on the Green, drinking wine out of a plastic cup.

Took forever to figure out why there weren't any postman in the movie at all, or what the ringing twice thing was about. But it was an amazing experience all around.
posted by mrzarquon at 10:28 PM on May 10, 2011

hal_c_on writes "Well thank god its cancelled. I was just going to phone them in for violating copyright laws."

What makes you think there was a copyright violation?
posted by Mitheral at 10:29 PM on May 10, 2011

hal_c_on: The sponsor who has now pulled their support, Peachtree TV, is a subsidiary of Turner Broadcasting, one of the largest broadcasters in the southeast US. They've probably got a handle on the whole copyright thing.
posted by frwagon at 10:31 PM on May 10, 2011 [1 favorite]

There is shit to do if you are too old to play at home but too young to go to bars. Kids in that in between age really need something social to do.
posted by munchingzombie at 10:53 PM on May 10, 2011 [2 favorites]

23 cops for 10,000 people? It just sounds like they need some better security and the majority of them shouldn't be cops.
posted by psycho-alchemy at 11:43 PM on May 10, 2011

One of the ways, I think, that traditions like this have managed to remain successful in a city like NYC is that there simply so dang many of then. Sure you have one at Bryant Park that is crowded, hot and unpleasant, but you cab also find outdoor film screenings on the Intrepid, an aeronautical museum atop the decommissioned Intrepid aircraft characte; in the queens sculpture garden; at the empty McCarren Park Pool in Williamsburg; in Brooklyn Bridge Park. If you were a dedicated filmgoer, you could see 50 free movies every summer
posted by to sir with millipedes at 12:04 AM on May 11, 2011 [2 favorites]

Okay, so there may not be violent altercations at the McCarren Pool movies, but a couple years ago after we all watched Wet Hot American Summer they found a corpse in the tool shed. True story!

(But yeah, still, the multiple free things thing is what makes New York probably better than Atlanta, or any other city anywhere.)
posted by Mooseli at 12:52 AM on May 11, 2011

Okay, so there may not be violent altercations at the McCarren Pool movies, but a couple years ago after we all watched Wet Hot American Summer they found a corpse in the tool shed. True story!

Um... Holy shit!
posted by to sir with millipedes at 1:01 AM on May 11, 2011

Maybe they should get the Hells Angels to do security. What could possibly go wrong?
posted by joannemullen at 2:59 AM on May 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

I don't know why "Screen on the Green" began to attract mobbish groups of teenagers, but that's what it did, and that's why I'm not that surprised to see it not happening this year.

You've never seen Over the Edge, have you?
posted by BYiro at 5:01 AM on May 11, 2011

Aw. Sad. Good memories.

I saw The Birds there a few years back. During all of the scariest parts, the crowd tossed rubber birds in the air and accompanied the flinging with a chorus of "CAWW CAWWs."

I still <3 ATL.
posted by functionequalsform at 5:10 AM on May 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

Screen on the Green got cancelled in DC but we got it back.

Trade you for true home rule and a vote in Congress.
posted by oneironaut at 5:33 AM on May 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

Maybe they should get the Hells Angels to do security. What could possibly go wrong?

That would be even worse than you think, since Atlanta (in fact the whole state of Georgia) is claimed as territory by the Hell's Angels biggest rivals.
posted by TedW at 5:45 AM on May 11, 2011

Trade you for true home rule and a vote in Congress.

Georgia doesn't do much useful with its home-rule or its votes in Congress, so I think they might go for it...
posted by Vetinari at 6:43 AM on May 11, 2011

I think it went to hell when it transferred to Centennial Olympic Park anyway. I loved it when it was at Piedmont Park, packing a picnic dinner, bottles of wine and good friends as you watched some great films.

Still, sorry to hear it.
posted by Kitteh at 6:45 AM on May 11, 2011

I moved here just in time for the shooting and the stabbing or whatever, so I've never even gotten to go. :( The city is abuzz with people wondering if it was going to come back this summer, and as usual I come to MeFi (good morning!) and get the goods.

I saw The Birds there a few years back. During all of the scariest parts, the crowd tossed rubber birds in the air and accompanied the flinging with a chorus of "CAWW CAWWs."

That sounds KILLER!! It's such a shame when the baddies ruin events that have such potential to bring people together.
posted by polly_dactyl at 6:52 AM on May 11, 2011

Chicago already lost one tradition to this -- the July 3rd Fireworks. The idea was the City would do one huge show for everybody on the 3rd, and everyone would do their own shows on the 4th.

Alas, gone. Taste of Chicago may fall next, but Taste has been fading for other reasons.
posted by eriko at 8:31 AM on May 11, 2011

.

I mean this totally unironically: this is why we can't have nice things.

Agreed. This is just the same way we lost the Midtown Music Festival. At least there should still be similar events going outside the city (Decatur, Gwinnett, and Cobb, among others, have done free public outdoor movie series and music series that are still on for this year, as far as I know).
posted by notashroom at 9:15 AM on May 11, 2011

That sounds KILLER!! It's such a shame when the baddies ruin events that have such potential to bring people together.

People who have to turn every movie into Rocky Horror are baddies, too.
posted by rhizome at 11:31 AM on May 11, 2011

Just an FYI for any Atlanta-area MeFites out there: Sponsors come forward to save Screen on the Green, ajc.com, May 25^th, 2011.

We shall see if Mayor Reed's promise that, we will have a very thorough and strong police presence to ensure that this event remains safe and really world class, will be fulfiled. It should be noted that, according to today's article, officials deny that the cancellation had anything at all to do with the fights during last year's showing of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
posted by ob1quixote at 3:31 PM on May 25, 2011 [1 favorite]