Tiger Theatre
2939 Franklin Avenue,
New Orleans,
LA
70122
2939 Franklin Avenue,
New Orleans,
LA
70122
1 person
favorited this theater
The Tiger Theatre was owned and operated by Pittman Theatres in New Orleans, and was a sister to the Pitt and Delta Theatres.
The Tiger had a storefront to the left of the theatre entrance, where a great pizza place, Artista Pizza was located.
The Tiger opened in November 1950, and closed June 24, 1973 as a family operation.
The Tiger had a large vertical neon sign with the theatre’s name, but it was blown down during hurricane Betsy in 1965. In 1974, the theatre was leased to become an adult theatre named the Riget.(Notice, the T and R were just reversed in the name).
A couple of years later, it was renamed the Grit Adult Theatre, which closed in 1980, when the theatre’s air conditioner went out, and the landlord refused to replace it.
It sat vacant for many many years, and became a church in the late 90’s. This theatre was severly damaged in the floods of hurricane Katrina. I do not know the current status of this building.
Contributed by
Michael Hurley
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Recent comments (view all 10 comments)
Here are some Tiger Theatre photos:
Front of the theatre after it closed, at bottom of balcony looking at screen, and at bottom of the balcony looking at projection booth:
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Here’s some Tiger Tickets:
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And a 1974 photo from the days when it was the Riget:
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Another Tiger photo, this one from before Hurricane Betsy. Not the best photo, but you can see the large vertical sign on the front of the building:
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Here’s an ad for the Tiger and Pitt (sister theatres) from 1963:
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Here’s another pic of the Tiger from 1955-the theatre is on the left.
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1980 picture of the Tiger, known at this time as the “Grit”. This was the final year of operation for this theatre.
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Here’s an ad for the Grit from 1977:
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Here is a pic of the Tiger taken 08-07-09
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Announcing a book about New Orleans Movie Theaters
THEREâ€\S ONE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
The History of the Neighborhood Theaters in New Orleans
is being written by 89-year-old Rene Brunet, the dean of the motion picture industry in Louisiana, and New Orleans historian and preservationist Jack Stewart. The 160-page,coffee table book will be released in November and is being published by Arthur Hardy Enterprises, Inc. Attention will be focused on 50 major neighborhood and downtown theaters, culled from a list of nearly 250 that have dotted the cityâ€\s landscape since the first “nickelodeon†opened in 1896 at 626 Canal Street. The book will be divided by neighborhoods and will open with a map and a narrative about each area. Each major theater will feature “then and now†photographs, historic information, and a short series of quotes from famous New Orleanians and from regular citizens who will share their recollections.
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED
We are trying to acquire memorabilia and additional photos of this theater for this publication. (deadline July 1.) You will be credited in the book and receive a free autographed copy if we publish the picture that you supply. Please contact Arthur Hardy at or call 504-913-1563 if you can help.
The November 3rd, 1950 grand opening ad has been uploaded in this theatre’s web page.
Grand opening reported in this 1950 trade journal: boxoffice