Bristol Theatre

The Bristol was a smaller neighborhood theater just West of Highland Street. According to Memphis old-timers, It got its name from the time when the area was way out in the suburbs and that section of Summer Avenue was called the “Bristol Highway.” Bristol is clear at the other end of Tennessee, about as far away from Memphis as you can get and still be in the state. In the mid-to-late 1970s it was being run by a Memphis movie buff named Mitchell Shapperkotter, probably more for a hobby than as a true commercial endeavor. I remember reading an article in the Commercial Appeal about it. My friend Bill Kendall, once manager at the Guild Theater (q.v.), worked there briefly after he left the Guild but eventually gave it up. I saw one film there—a second-run screening of John Wayne in “The Shootist,” which would have been 1977 or thereabouts. It was demolished shortly after that. I don’t remember much about the theater except that it had a very long, narrow lobby running clear through the office block to the auditorium on the back side. It wasn’t in real good shape in those days, either.

Respecting the first comment Mitchell did run this theatre as a hobby during the 70s. My Dad and Mitchell were great friends so I spent a fair amount of time in the Bristol when I was young. Sadly Mitchell passed away recently after a long illness. Mitchell’s passion, like my Dad, was the old movies particularly the B Westerns and the serials. He often exhibited these films on the weekend charging a small admission and selling concessions. I didn’t realise it at the time but he was keeping the single screen neighbourhood theatre alive using the typical screening format from the thirties through the fifties (cartoon, short, chapter play, and main feature).

The theatre was a rather standard design with the usual Art Deco appointments. When I was there the theatre was in decent but not great shape. I vividly recall one night when Sunset Kit Carson put in an appearance signing autographs and meeting with fans. After the main feature had concluded Mitchell locked the doors and a small group of us walked back into the auditorium. Mitchell had the house lights up and there was a shooting target set up on the floor in front of the screen. With a .22 rifle in his hand Sunset took up a position on the opposite end of the theatre (a fair distance away) and they set the target in motion ( a lit candle on a pendulum). Sunset shot that target handily about ten times in a row—the bullets catching in the back of the target mount. No one else ventured to try it. Looking back on it now that was a pretty dangerous thing to do right on Summer Avenue! Good times though!

I do not want to say anyone is wrong but the Bristol Theatre building is still standing. It is now a scooter shop. You can pick it out in middle of the block on Summer Avenue due to its height above the other buildings. I went there almost every saturday from 1950 to 1957. Fondest memories are seeing all 15-episodes of the serial JUNGLE RAIDERS and watching the lady/manager trying to control the kids on Saturday afternoons. It must have been like herding cats.10 cents to get in. Those were wonderful days.

Vincent, you are the expert and I defer to you. Did you ever attend the old Bristol? My childhood would not have been the same without it. Attended your presentation at MHI. I have a book published last year about old Memphis memorabilia, including references to old theatres. One whold chapter is devoted to saturday Afternoons at the Bristol.