The Showman’s Empire: Roy E. Martin and the Rise of Martin Theatres

In 1912, Roy E. Martin opened a small Columbus, Georgia theater called the Bonita. From that modest beginning, he built one of the South’s most remarkable independent entertainment empires.The Showman’s Empire follows Roy Martin’s rise from furniture salesman to theater magnate, real-estate investor, amusement-park owner, and public showman. It traces the early theaters of Columbus and Phenix City, the dramatic $90,000 Canton, Ohio confidence swindle, Depression-era expansion across Georgia and Alabama, wartime building battles, Idle Hour Park, and the regional theater chain that carried the Martin name across the South.Then, in February 1948, Roy Martin’s private plane disappeared into fog over the Pearl River while returning from Mardi Gras in New Orleans.Drawing from historic newspaper accounts, public records, and family research, B. T. Wheeler tells the story of a man who understood what people would always pay to feel: anticipation, escape, spectacle, and the shared wonder of a darkened theater.The lights did not go out. They changed hands. Read more