Showcase Cinemas Louisville
3408 Bardstown Road,
Louisville,
KY
40218
3408 Bardstown Road,
Louisville,
KY
40218
9 people
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Wow, sad to hear it closed. I grew up watching movies there, it was kind of a sanctuary for me. If I remember correctly, the first movie I saw there was “The Golden Voyage of Sinbad” in 1974; I think the last film I saw there was “Terminator 2” in 1991. In between I saw a ton movies; the “Star Wars” films, “Superman”, “Alien”, “Raiders of The Lost Ark”, etc.
This was THE place to see a movie in Louisville. It’s where I took my wife on our first date (to see That Thing You Do). I saw dozens of movies here over the years, including Star Wars back in 1977 and Titanic years later. Showcase had several huge screens with hundreds of comfortable seats. If memory serves, the theaters did not share a common entrance and were later enclosed. Theaters 3 and 4 were the best places to see a movie here, and the curved screen was a sight to behold. It was one of the few places I’ve been where sitting up front was actually enjoyable. The sound and size of the screens were almost like Imax when the right movie was being shown.
Sadly the last few movies I saw there reflected the rise of newer theaters in Louisville. The crowds were smaller, the neighborhood rougher, and the projection and attention to the details at the theater were lacking.
This place holds a lot of great memories for me. I’ll certainly miss it.
According to the Louisville Courier-Journal for Wednesday, September 08, 2004, The Showcase Cinemas opened in ‘1965 with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in “The Sandpiper” and a Cinerama feature called “Halleluja Trail.”’ (“Showcase Cinemas: The end
Venerable complex closes Sunday night”)
Theatre 1 did indeed have a massive curved screen, probably outfitted for single-film Cinerama presentations. Hallelujah Trail qualifies: according to Martin Hart at www.widescreenmuseum.com, this film was done in MGM Camera 65, a.k.a. Ultra Panavision 70, shot on 65 mm and printed to 70 mm (to allow for the sound track.)
I believe this theater is now closed. Does anyone know when it was originally built/opened?