A substantially revised and illustrated edition of the history of the vaudeville and movie theaters of Charleston, South Carolina.
John R. Coles is a graduate of the University of South Carolina, where he earned a master's degree in Media Arts.
After four years in the United States Air Force, he worked as a film animator for South Carolina Educational Television in Columbia. In 1970, he became Director of Media for the Chester County Schools.
In 1973, he began teaching in the Media Arts Department at the University of South Carolina. During his college years, he was a member of a locally successful rockabilly band, Uncle John's Band. In 1980, he moved to Charleston, where he managed The Charleston Adventure Theatre, a multi-media theatre for tourists and taught at the College of Charleston.
He was a member of the Board of Directors of "Friends of The Riviera," a group formed to save the art deco Riviera Theatre in Charleston. His first book, "Movie Theaters of Charleston: Hollywood Meets the Holy City" was published in 1994.
