Before The Georgia Dome part 2: Sharky's Machine

Today's post follows a very cool unplanned detour. The previous entry about the industrial area that once occupied the site of the World Congress Center and the Georgia Dome prompted reader dingo5150 to write that the intro to the 1980 Burt Reynolds movie Sharky's Machine was filmed there. A quick search on Youtube and there it was. It begins with a spectacular aerial scene - one long shot that begins high above the Westin Peachtree Plaza at sunset and slowly works its way down to Burt Reynolds walking along the railroad tracks west of town. It's like a real-life version of a Google Earth zoom. Here are some screenshots...

High above Peachtree Street in 1980, facing northwest. The area to the left of the frame is now the site of Centennial Park, The Georgia Aquarium and the World Of Coke.

Heading west at sunset. The Omni International (now the CNN Center) is at center, the World Congress Center is at right, and the Tabernacle is at the bottom of the shot.



The intersection of Techwood and Marietta Street is at bottom left.



This is the former industrial area that is now the site of the Georgia Dome and the expanded World Congress Center. The Magnolia Street tunnel that crossed beneath the elevated rail yard is in the foreground.



Here's a shot of Burt walking along the tracks with the World Congress Center immediately behind him.

And finally... a link to the video. Beware, you might just have "Street Life" stuck in your head for the next 2 days.