You saw “My Fair Lady,” MP, at Green Hills. TSOM played at the Belle Meade for something like two years exclusively. The marquee was a bronze plaque that read the TSOM.
Couldn’t believe that the movie did that kind of business for so long.
“A Hard Day’s Night” played at The Paramount. Not at the Loew’s. And by Loew’s I mean the Loew’s Vendome. We called the Loew’s Vendome Loew’s. We called the Loew’s Crescent the Loew’s Crescent. We called it the Loew’s Crescent because there was a Crescent Drive-In out on Murfreesboro Road. So if someone said, “It’s playing at the Crescent, ” they meant that it was playing at the drive-in. If it was playing downtown, one would say, “It’s at the Loew’s Crescent.”
I also remember the addition of a 2nd theater. It had a smoking section of about 6 rows in the back behind a wrought iron partition. The chairs rocked. Very comfortable for its day. Much more comfortable than the smaller original theater. Saw “Easy Rider” and “Hello Dolly” there.
I remember this theater vaguely from a visit home with the folks back in the 80s. Went there to see “Mommie Dearest.” Strangest thing, though – considering Nashville’s intolerance for such things – one of the theaters had porn side by side with mainstream releases – “Talk Dirty to Me” was playing there when I went if I’m not mistaken. Odd to see a suburban movie house showing adult films along side other features. Maybe it was an attempt to drum up biz.
Almost had an usher job at the Tenessee but the manager scared me. It was a nice old house. I remember mostly Tennessee Williams movies: Sweet Bird of Youth. I think its where Valley of the Dolls played. People were sitting in the aisle that opening night. Also, I saw a live production of Hair there around 1970 or 1971. Whenever we’d go shopping downtown seems we’d always pop into one of the big three (Loew’s, Paramount, or Tennessee – the Crescent was too inconvenient). The Tennessee was across from Harvey’s.
Saw The Graduate here and Dr. Zhivago and, as a kid, The Man with X-Ray Eyes. One of Nashville’s more respectable movie venues. There was an ice cream parlor in the same complex.
Nashville’s first and only rocking chair theater. It was a big deal and pretty comfortable. Saw Funny Girl there as well as a few other things. The theatre was off and away from the 100 Oaks Mall and shared a building with Radio Shack, I believe. Giant Foods – a huge grocery store for its day, was nearby.
It was a Loews theatre before it was a Martin Theatre. This was Nashville’s only Cinerama Theater, but Cinerama didn’t last very long because of expense of production and lack of commercial appeal. Mary Poppins played there as did Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? And an off-duty cop shut the movie down and arrested the owner during the movie’s first night. The Baptists picketed outside. All because of the use of the word, “Goddamn.”
It was a Loews theatre before it was a Martin Theatre. This was Nashville’s only Cinerama Theater, but Cinerama didn’t last very long because of expense of production and lack of commercial appeal. Mary Poppins played there as did Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? And an off-duty cop shut the movie down and arrested the owner during the movie’s first night. The Baptists picketed outside. All because of the use of the word, “Goddamn.”
It was a Loews theatre before it was a Martin Theatre. This was Nashville’s only Cinerama Theater, but Cinerama didn’t last very long because of expense of production and lack of commercial appeal. Mary Poppins played there as did Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? And an off-duty cop shut the movie down and arrested the owner during the movie’s first night. The Baptists picketed outside. All because of the use of the word, “Goddamn.”
Picture is not the Loew’s Crescent. We called this theatre just the Loew’s. It was across from Harvey’s. The Loew’s Crescent was down by the L&C Tower.
The Green Hills was the nicest of Nashville’s suburban houses – nice enough that films actually opened there. Most of the suburban houses were second-run and would get films only after they’d played downtown. Green Hills was an affluent area – probably one of the reasons it was a cut above. Had a sound-proof crying room for babies or people (I suppose) with a big glass window so one could still watch the film. Saw The Great Race there.
The entrance to the Donelson was catty-cornered to the intersection. I don’t remember much of the outside walls. Anyway, the theatre was a dump. Saw Georgy Girl there in the 60s. Made a mental note to make sure to check that a movie was playing somewhere else if it was playing at the Donelson. I didn’t live in Donelson, I lived off Murfreesboro Road, but we’d hit the Donelson’s Shoney’s when I was a teenager.
It was a Loews theatre before it was a Martin Theatre. This was Nashville’s only Cinerama Theater, but Cinerama didn’t last very long because of expense of production and lack of commercial appeal. Mary Poppins played there as did Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? And an off-duty cop shut the movie down and arrested the owner during the movie’s first night. The Baptists picketed outside. All because of the use of the word, “Goddamn.”
The Crescent was a neighborhood drive-in. Lots of memories. Saw many, many films there. S-W was a new release, Th, Fri, Sat was a double or triple bill of older films, B-films, that sort of thing. Had the neatest neon crescent moon and blinking stars on the tower facing the street opposite the screen side. When I think of the Crescent’s demise, it is the only time I really get sad about the drive-in era coming to an end.
Harding Mall was always kind of a dump IMHO. The Castner’s there didn’t carry the same choice of merechandise as their other stores. Anybody remember Pasquale’s? It was across the street from the mall and we’d hit it after a show at the Capri. The Harding Mall Shoney’s didn’t have the teen hang-out vibe that Thompson Lane, Donelson, and Madison had. Just kind of always out of the way and suburbanly ugly.
The Loews Crescent was the only Cinerama theatre in Nashville. Don’t know if This is Cinerama played there or for that matter Cinerama Holiday (1955), Seven Wonders of the World (1955), Search for Paradise (1957) and South Seas Adventure (1958). But I do remember The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, How the West Was Won. Then came the single projector Panavision-type of Cinerama: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), Battle of the Bulge (1965), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), The Hallelujah Trail (1965) and Khartoum (1966), Grand Prix (1966), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and Ice Station Zebra (1968), Krakatoa, East of Java (1969).
You saw “My Fair Lady,” MP, at Green Hills. TSOM played at the Belle Meade for something like two years exclusively. The marquee was a bronze plaque that read the TSOM.
Couldn’t believe that the movie did that kind of business for so long.
“A Hard Day’s Night” played at The Paramount. Not at the Loew’s. And by Loew’s I mean the Loew’s Vendome. We called the Loew’s Vendome Loew’s. We called the Loew’s Crescent the Loew’s Crescent. We called it the Loew’s Crescent because there was a Crescent Drive-In out on Murfreesboro Road. So if someone said, “It’s playing at the Crescent, ” they meant that it was playing at the drive-in. If it was playing downtown, one would say, “It’s at the Loew’s Crescent.”
Hope that clears everything up for everybody.
I also remember the addition of a 2nd theater. It had a smoking section of about 6 rows in the back behind a wrought iron partition. The chairs rocked. Very comfortable for its day. Much more comfortable than the smaller original theater. Saw “Easy Rider” and “Hello Dolly” there.
Not sure, but I think this was a movie house for African American movies back in the day when they had their separate venues.
I remember this theater vaguely from a visit home with the folks back in the 80s. Went there to see “Mommie Dearest.” Strangest thing, though – considering Nashville’s intolerance for such things – one of the theaters had porn side by side with mainstream releases – “Talk Dirty to Me” was playing there when I went if I’m not mistaken. Odd to see a suburban movie house showing adult films along side other features. Maybe it was an attempt to drum up biz.
Almost had an usher job at the Tenessee but the manager scared me. It was a nice old house. I remember mostly Tennessee Williams movies: Sweet Bird of Youth. I think its where Valley of the Dolls played. People were sitting in the aisle that opening night. Also, I saw a live production of Hair there around 1970 or 1971. Whenever we’d go shopping downtown seems we’d always pop into one of the big three (Loew’s, Paramount, or Tennessee – the Crescent was too inconvenient). The Tennessee was across from Harvey’s.
Saw MAS*H there.
Wasn’t there a murder in the Princess?
Four words: A Hard Day’s Night – printed on special Beatle tickets and you couldn’t hear the movie because of the screaming.
Saw The Graduate here and Dr. Zhivago and, as a kid, The Man with X-Ray Eyes. One of Nashville’s more respectable movie venues. There was an ice cream parlor in the same complex.
Nashville’s first and only rocking chair theater. It was a big deal and pretty comfortable. Saw Funny Girl there as well as a few other things. The theatre was off and away from the 100 Oaks Mall and shared a building with Radio Shack, I believe. Giant Foods – a huge grocery store for its day, was nearby.
It was a Loews theatre before it was a Martin Theatre. This was Nashville’s only Cinerama Theater, but Cinerama didn’t last very long because of expense of production and lack of commercial appeal. Mary Poppins played there as did Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? And an off-duty cop shut the movie down and arrested the owner during the movie’s first night. The Baptists picketed outside. All because of the use of the word, “Goddamn.”
It was a Loews theatre before it was a Martin Theatre. This was Nashville’s only Cinerama Theater, but Cinerama didn’t last very long because of expense of production and lack of commercial appeal. Mary Poppins played there as did Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? And an off-duty cop shut the movie down and arrested the owner during the movie’s first night. The Baptists picketed outside. All because of the use of the word, “Goddamn.”
It was a Loews theatre before it was a Martin Theatre. This was Nashville’s only Cinerama Theater, but Cinerama didn’t last very long because of expense of production and lack of commercial appeal. Mary Poppins played there as did Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? And an off-duty cop shut the movie down and arrested the owner during the movie’s first night. The Baptists picketed outside. All because of the use of the word, “Goddamn.”
Picture is not the Loew’s Crescent. We called this theatre just the Loew’s. It was across from Harvey’s. The Loew’s Crescent was down by the L&C Tower.
Saw a Jerry Lewis film there as a kid with a cross-town, but was way out of my territory so I didn’t ever go back…I don’t think.
The Green Hills was the nicest of Nashville’s suburban houses – nice enough that films actually opened there. Most of the suburban houses were second-run and would get films only after they’d played downtown. Green Hills was an affluent area – probably one of the reasons it was a cut above. Had a sound-proof crying room for babies or people (I suppose) with a big glass window so one could still watch the film. Saw The Great Race there.
I remember Midnight Cowboy and Santa Claus Conquers the Martians played here as a double bill in the 60s – I swear!
The entrance to the Donelson was catty-cornered to the intersection. I don’t remember much of the outside walls. Anyway, the theatre was a dump. Saw Georgy Girl there in the 60s. Made a mental note to make sure to check that a movie was playing somewhere else if it was playing at the Donelson. I didn’t live in Donelson, I lived off Murfreesboro Road, but we’d hit the Donelson’s Shoney’s when I was a teenager.
It was on Church Street – at the end – down by the L&C Tower.
It was a Loews theatre before it was a Martin Theatre. This was Nashville’s only Cinerama Theater, but Cinerama didn’t last very long because of expense of production and lack of commercial appeal. Mary Poppins played there as did Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? And an off-duty cop shut the movie down and arrested the owner during the movie’s first night. The Baptists picketed outside. All because of the use of the word, “Goddamn.”
The Crescent was a neighborhood drive-in. Lots of memories. Saw many, many films there. S-W was a new release, Th, Fri, Sat was a double or triple bill of older films, B-films, that sort of thing. Had the neatest neon crescent moon and blinking stars on the tower facing the street opposite the screen side. When I think of the Crescent’s demise, it is the only time I really get sad about the drive-in era coming to an end.
Harding Mall was always kind of a dump IMHO. The Castner’s there didn’t carry the same choice of merechandise as their other stores. Anybody remember Pasquale’s? It was across the street from the mall and we’d hit it after a show at the Capri. The Harding Mall Shoney’s didn’t have the teen hang-out vibe that Thompson Lane, Donelson, and Madison had. Just kind of always out of the way and suburbanly ugly.
The Loews Crescent was the only Cinerama theatre in Nashville. Don’t know if This is Cinerama played there or for that matter Cinerama Holiday (1955), Seven Wonders of the World (1955), Search for Paradise (1957) and South Seas Adventure (1958). But I do remember The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, How the West Was Won. Then came the single projector Panavision-type of Cinerama: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), Battle of the Bulge (1965), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), The Hallelujah Trail (1965) and Khartoum (1966), Grand Prix (1966), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and Ice Station Zebra (1968), Krakatoa, East of Java (1969).
Closed later than 1955 – I saw “Don’t Knock the Twist” here