How ‘Atlanta’s’ ambition changed the face of TV forever
Atlanta, home of the Atlanta Falcons football team and the “Honeymooners,” is one of the most iconic cities in the nation. As the home of Georgia Tech and Emory University, the city is known for its numerous research universities, elite universities and hospitals that are home to the first class of doctors in U.S. history.
However, if you ask Atlanta natives, they’ll tell you that the city was never as glamorous as it was portrayed by television and film. Though Atlanta is not known for its celebrities and high-profile artists — in fact, there are only a few (including a few notable athletes) from the city — the city was a hotspot for Hollywood, and it became a hub for entertainment — ranging from a radio station run by Johnny Cash to an area called “The Grove,” where actors, singers and a few musicians performed.
The “Honeymooners” were perhaps the most famous and successful sitcom of all time. In the series, actor Frank Faylen played the titular character, Philo T.aggert. The show aired from 1956 to 1958, earning an estimated $12.5 million. Though the sitcom is long forgotten, today Taggert is synonymous with the city.
Though the show’s popularity in Atlanta wasn’t high, it led to the creation of the concept of a sitcom in America, and it led to the creation of the city itself.
The concept of “The City in the Sky” or “The Sky Is the Limit” was first introduced by actor and comedy writer George Gobel during a visit to Atlanta in the early 1950s. He saw a sign for a building that was supposed to be a “movie theater.” Gobel was in need of a new studio and he thought of writing a comedy script. After seeing the signs for his new studio, Gobel took out his camera and filmed his own script for one of his movies, the very first movie that was ever filmed in the United States. It was filmed
