Airways Theatre
2366 Lamar Avenue,
Memphis,
TN
38114
2366 Lamar Avenue,
Memphis,
TN
38114
1 person
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According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, the Airways opened on January 22, 1942 and was designed by Claude Northern. If you have any additional information on this theatre, please update.
Contributed by
JackCoursey
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Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
The Airways was one of the larger “neighborhood” theaters. It had a spacious auditorium with a balcony. In size I would compare it to the Rosemary (q.v.) but with less ornate decoration. When I first saw it in the 60s it was already a porn house, showing mostly Euro-trash but occasionally some home-grown material such as “Surftide 77” and “The Bare Hunt.” The balcony was “reserved for couples only.” The area was a little frightening even then and I only went there a few times. When I returned to Memphis in 1973 it was still running, and I went there once to check it out. Once was enough. The neighborhood, the theater, and the show had all deteriorated even further. In later years I drove by occasionally and it was still operating for a while, but eventually closed. Sorry I can’t provide any more recent information.
The Airways is gone, torn down in a highway realignment. It had been closed for some time. The name, ironic in view of the fact that TV put neighborhood theatres out of business, is from its location on Airways Boulevard, the road to the Memphis airport.
The Airways was showing adult films in the early 1970s:
http://tinyurl.com/8dryjc
1983 photo of the Airways Theatre.
View link
yes, it was showing X-rated films.and they went 24 hours Friday til Subday. Boxoffice opened at 10:00 am and it was Couples Six dollars!1977 prices.Nice looking theatre to have to play adult films.
Yes it was Mike.
Don’t tell me you drove there to watch a skin flick!
Kemmons Wilson got his start in business selling popcorn from a machine he did not own in the lobby of the Airways. He went on to found Holiday Inns.