Memphis Adult Cinemas

MEMPHIS ADULT CINEMAS

This list has been compiled from memory by Memphis historians Vincent Astor and Tom Graves.

LAMAR THEATRE

LAMAR AVENUE (at KYLE)
Opened in 1926 with the premiere of "Campus Flirt".
Screenings here of "Deep Throat" in the early '70's were selected as case studies by the Supreme Court to try Harry Reems on obscenity.

At this writing in December 2011, the LAMAR Theatre still stands as a shell of a building with it's remarkably preserved marquee that has been in INSIDE DEEP THROAT, MYSTERY TRAIN, and SUPERSTARLET A.D.. The LAMAR THEATER will be one hundred years old in 2026.

PARIS ADULT THEATRE
aka LUCIANN THEATER

SUMMER AVE (NEAR PARKWAY)
(named after sisters, "Luci" and "Ann" (and a third sister/cinema called Rosemary existed on N. Jackson and N. Cleveland (next door to American Sound). Their father was Lamar Theater owner, Mr. Cianciola.

AIRWAYS THEATRE

LAMAR AVENUE (near Airways)
(showed X or soft core rated films)

PUSSYCAT THEATRE

(Once upon a time, near Lamar and Airways, where the auto parts store is now and across from the seemingly ancient Burger King...)
(showed triple XXX films). This was part of a national chain.

(1) IDLEWILD THEATRE
(2) FRONT STREET LIVE THEATRE
(3) CAPRI ART THEATRE
(4) P.O.E.T.S. (Piss On Everything That Shines)
(5) G. BELLINGTON RUMPLES (gay club)

MADISON & IDLEWILD
(Ramones played POETS in 1980). By the late eighties the place had a beautiful ELVIS as a COSMONAUT mural out front and was called RED SQUARE.

THE RITZ (in the 1930's)
THE GUILD (1964. Showed "Freaks")
MOVIE HOUSE ON POPLAR
EVERGREEN MOVIE THEATRE (briefly in 70's)
CIRCUIT PLAYHOUSE

POPLAR (NEAR EVERGREEN)
The Guild hosted some soft core but mostly avant garde films every Friday in a special midnight program called "Underground Cinema 13". A haven for 'cinephiles".

(The Guild showed the first gay films. Guild Manager Bill Kendall fought the city censor Lloyd Benford. The Guild hosted the first Drag Pageant in 1969.)

PEEP SHOWS

MIDTOWN ADULT THEATRE

POPLAR & CLEVELAND
(where Kroger parking lot is now)

ELLWEST ADULT THEATRE

UNION (Near FOURTH)
(The awning read "Blue Movies")
(where Redbirds Info sign is now)

ADULT THEATER

#6, 8. 10 SOUTH SECOND
(site of the oldest adult theatre in Memphis)

Of note....

BRISTOL THEATER

SUMMER AVE (NEAR NATIONAL)
(A very low-rent theater that showed
Gruesome Two-Some and Freaks)

The PEABODY THEATER

COOPER & NELSON
(showed birth of a baby reels such as "BECAUSE OF EVE" (According to Elton Holland, co-manager at Malco Theaters. The Peabody Theater is now the Memphis Drum Shop)

Compiled by Mike McCarthy with the invaluable assistance of Tom Graves and Vincent Astor.

Send any photos or info to Michael McCarthy.