The one movie I remember seeing here was Blazing Saddles. My father took me to see it. During the scene when Mel Brooks, as the Indian chief, was speaking to the sheriff’s parents, my father was translating it for me – he was speaking Yiddish, which my father knew from growing up in Philadelphia. He and I are laughing, and everyone else is staring at us will somebody says “What’s so funny about him speaking Indian? At which point Dad fell on the floor laughing even harder!
Such a shame. My father worked across the street, and knew the manager of the Plaza Theater. There would be times when Elvis Presley rented out the whole theater so he could bring his people in to see a movie, and he’d ask the manager if he had some folks he trusted not to make a fuss, who could join them there. Dad saw a half dozen or so movies with Elvis that way.
I remember seeing Earthquake in “Sensaround!” and wondering if the building could survive repeated showings. I heard later that they had to close down for a short time because of the vibrations. I also remember my brother and his friend taking me with them to see Serpico – first time I remember hearing that many swear words in a movie, including some I’d never heard before.
Actually, the Village Cinema was in the Parkway Village Shopping Center, at Perkins and Knight Arnold. It was built when they connected the two smaller strip plazas into one, along with the construction of the bigger TG&Y store. This was in the early 70’s, I’d say around 1971 or 72. This theater definitely had a market at that time, as it was packed on the weekend evenings and Saturday matinees, and usually did a pretty good business on the weeknights as well. It was still going strong when I left the area in 1976.
I would guess that when the Mall of Memphis was built, with a multi-plex theater, that would have relegated the Village Cinema to second run or discount status. The decline of the neighborhood probably made it unprofitable to run a theater, or any other business there, for several years.
The one movie I remember seeing here was Blazing Saddles. My father took me to see it. During the scene when Mel Brooks, as the Indian chief, was speaking to the sheriff’s parents, my father was translating it for me – he was speaking Yiddish, which my father knew from growing up in Philadelphia. He and I are laughing, and everyone else is staring at us will somebody says “What’s so funny about him speaking Indian? At which point Dad fell on the floor laughing even harder!
Such a shame. My father worked across the street, and knew the manager of the Plaza Theater. There would be times when Elvis Presley rented out the whole theater so he could bring his people in to see a movie, and he’d ask the manager if he had some folks he trusted not to make a fuss, who could join them there. Dad saw a half dozen or so movies with Elvis that way.
I remember seeing Earthquake in “Sensaround!” and wondering if the building could survive repeated showings. I heard later that they had to close down for a short time because of the vibrations. I also remember my brother and his friend taking me with them to see Serpico – first time I remember hearing that many swear words in a movie, including some I’d never heard before.
Actually, the Village Cinema was in the Parkway Village Shopping Center, at Perkins and Knight Arnold. It was built when they connected the two smaller strip plazas into one, along with the construction of the bigger TG&Y store. This was in the early 70’s, I’d say around 1971 or 72. This theater definitely had a market at that time, as it was packed on the weekend evenings and Saturday matinees, and usually did a pretty good business on the weeknights as well. It was still going strong when I left the area in 1976.
I would guess that when the Mall of Memphis was built, with a multi-plex theater, that would have relegated the Village Cinema to second run or discount status. The decline of the neighborhood probably made it unprofitable to run a theater, or any other business there, for several years.