Village Cinema
South Perkins Road and Knight Arnold Road,
Memphis,
TN
38118
South Perkins Road and Knight Arnold Road,
Memphis,
TN
38118
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It had 3 screens and showed every lame disney movie ever made
Actually, the Village Cinema was in the Parkway Village Shopping Center, at Perkins and Knight Arnold. It was built when they connected the two smaller strip plazas into one, along with the construction of the bigger TG&Y store. This was in the early 70’s, I’d say around 1971 or 72. This theater definitely had a market at that time, as it was packed on the weekend evenings and Saturday matinees, and usually did a pretty good business on the weeknights as well. It was still going strong when I left the area in 1976.
I would guess that when the Mall of Memphis was built, with a multi-plex theater, that would have relegated the Village Cinema to second run or discount status. The decline of the neighborhood probably made it unprofitable to run a theater, or any other business there, for several years.
This theater was located in a strip mall along with a Big Star, spaghetti depot and sakura japanese rest. Wingo says it was on S Perkins but I remember it being on Knight Arnold and S Mendenhall. The East End Grill was located across the street. Looking at the building now makes me wonder how they even stayed in business. I remember seeing Herbie Goes Bananas, Rescuers and a host of other disney flicks back in the early 80’s.
I saw “An Officer and a Gentleman” at the Village. It was a second-run showing, and I’m pretty sure it was in 1983. There was an Army surplus store nearby.
The Village Theatre was located at 4676 Knight Arnold Rd and was part of the Sky-Vue Amusements circuit. A karate school is currently listed at this address.
The Village was located in a strip mall on South Perkins in the heart of suburbia. Like the Balmoral (q.v.), it was built for a market that never materialized, and lasted only a few years. One theory is that increasing availability of Cable TV and VCR tapes did this type of theater in.
Sorry I can’t provide a descrition, but I went there only once—to see Tyne Daly, Richard Jaeckel, Lana Wood, and Joe Don Baker in “Speedtrap” (1977) where they smashed up about three years worth of surplus California (or maybe Arizona) Highway Patrol cars in a very few minutes of screen time. You can tell I haven’t wasted MY life….