Buck Theatre

151 Lameuse Street,
Biloxi, MS 39530

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Paramount-Richards Theatres Inc., Saenger Amusement Company

Previous Names: New Gaiety Theatre, Past Time Theatre

Nearby Theaters

Located on the corner of W. Jackson Street & Lameuse Street this was a small neighborhood theatre near downtown Biloxi. It opened as the New Gaiety Theatre on May 29, 1912. Its screen was located in the front of the building behind the concessions, with its projection booth in the rear of the building. It was renamed Buck Theatre on December 19, 1936. It was destroyed by a fire in 1965.

Contributed by Wayne Saucier

Recent comments (view all 9 comments)

wsaucier
wsaucier on June 24, 2009 at 7:57 pm

The following item appeared on page one of the local newspaper on December 17, 1936………The Buck Theatre, formerly the Gaiety Theatre, on the northwest corner of Lameuse and Jackson Streets opened in late December. Arsene O. Bourdon was the manager of the movie house, with over 400 seats, which approximately 100 were in the balcony.

Ads from the years of 1917 and 1919 also list the Gaiety theatre in Biloxi with the same manager Arsene O. Bourdon. There are also ads as far back as 1912 for the Gaiety Theatre with the same manager. Arsene O. Bourdon died in 1959.

wsaucier
wsaucier on June 27, 2009 at 7:46 pm

Looking through some old ads for the Gaiety Theatre and the Bijou Theatre, I find that both theatres were operating in Biloxi at the same time in the early 1900’s. The Bijou Theatre was located on west Howard Avenue and the Gaiety Theatre on the corner of Lameuse and Jackson Street. After seeing the ads I would not think the Buck Theatre was orginally the Bijou.

wsaucier
wsaucier on January 14, 2010 at 8:35 pm

In 1949, the Buck Theatre and the Saenger Theatre are listed in the Biloxi city directory as being operated by Paramount-Richard Theatres.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on July 18, 2013 at 4:16 pm

This web page has some history of Biloxi’s theaters, and it indicates that the Buck Theatre was on the northwest corner of Jackson and Lameuse Streets. It apparently began as an airdome theater called the Gaiety in 1912, and was renamed the Past Time Theatre in 1914. At some later point an indoor theater was built on the site, and it returned to the name Gaiety. It was a Saenger house when remodeled in 1927, and was still operated by Saenger when it was again remodeled and renamed the Buck Theatre in 1936.

This house was never called the Bijou. The Bijou opened in 1910, and was renamed the Crown Theatre (Biloxi’s second house of that name) in 1914. In 1920, the Gaiety and the Crown were both being operated by the Gulf Coast Amusement Company.

topgallant
topgallant on December 23, 2013 at 6:54 am

When I was at Keesler in 1962, the Buck showed nudist movies. The actors walked about holding a beach ball over their privates.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on November 8, 2021 at 6:01 pm

In 1956, the Buck Theatre was owned and operated by a Mr. E. V. Landaiche, as noted in the July 28 issue of Motion Picture Herald. Landaiche also had the Beach Drive-In at Biloxi, and was in process of selling the Bay View Theatre in that city. He also had the Carver Theatre at Prichard, Alabama.

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