The Plaza Theatre celebrated its 70th anniversary on Jan. 15, 2010. AJC photos by Jamie Gumbrecht

I was greeted at the door of the Plaza Theatre last night by Scarlett and Rhett. Dorothy and Toto showed up later, and Glinda and the Wicked Witch were hawking raffle tickets somewhere nearby.

What do they have in common? 1939, the year all of them debuted. (Check out more of its history in this week’s Access Point.)

The Plaza celebrated its 70th anniversary last night with a screening of “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” another 1939 delight, and a party/raffle/silent auction to kick off its fund-raising campaign. The Plaza recently became a non-profit, and now wants to be sure it will stay open for years to come. Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne was there, surrounded by police groups of movie geeks who wanted a photo with him.

Here are photos from last night’s celebration. There are a lot more opportunities to celebrate, with the series of 1939 films they’re showing for the next few weeks.

The night was a sell-out. No surprise: there’s not much in Atlanta that’s operating in the same space and with the same purpose it had 70 years ago.

“And people know it,” Glinda explained, waving her wand around the packed theater.

Plaza Theatre Gayle Rej in the lobby at the Plaza Theatre.

Want to go? The Plaza Theatre’s 1939 Film Festival will screen films like “The Wizard of Oz” and “Gone With the Wind” Jan. 16-17, 22-24 and 30. $10 per film, $6.50 for people ages 12 and younger. 1049 Ponce De Leon Ave., Atlanta. 404-873-1939, www.plazaatlanta.com