Suburban Theater

I remember a friend told me that he went to see the notorious 1972 underground John Waters film “Pink Flamingos” at the Suburban. He said the woman in front of him leaned to her date and asked about Divine: “Is that a man?” Her date nodded, and soon the couple got up and left! I remember when I first moved to Norfolk in 1974, “American Graffiti” was playing there.

I grew up here as a kid during the mid to late 1970s. My dad Charles Everett was the projectionist and my mom Evelyn was the Concessions Lady. I used to help my dad with the Marquee lettering located on top corner of the Kaybee Toy Store. The only way to access the marquee was through the Men’s Room Window which was located upstairs next the projection booth. The reason why Suburban was closed was because from 1979 to 1980 all that was playing was porn films. This brought about prostitutes to the area. Navy men would take these ladies of the night out into the adjoining neighborhoods and the rich people back there would complain to the city. The City of Norfolk had enough and ordered the Suburban closed once and for all. My mom and dad were there that final night and thankfully mom has one picture of the Marquee stating “Sorry We’re Closed” in her scrapbooks.

The following is from THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT dated March 15, 1995.

“The Suburban theater, at Wards Corner, Norfolk – Built in the 1940s. Gutted in 1981 and converted to a small shopping mall”.