Wingo, you and I must have been in the same audience for many of the movies that I watched at the Guild. No soft drinks, just coffee, right? After all it was an “art” house. Wingo, contact me at for nostalgia related to Memphis theatres.
Some of the titles that I also remember:
Carry On Series…
Cold Wind In August
Leather Boys
Seance on ……Afternoon
Cartouche
Borsalino
Umbrellas of Cherborg
The Knack
Morgan
Knife In The Water
Girl With Green Eyes
Batman Serial Revival (40’s)
to name just a few.
The Crosstown was a classy theatre. I got kicked out of there several times!!!
Malco hired several brothers to mange their theatres. They all had small heads like the animation in Bettlejuice.
Movies I saw there:
The Innocents
Spartacus
Summer and Smoke
Tora Tora Tora
Mysterious Island
Little Big Man
I moved to SF in the early 70’s and I loved going to this little theatre on Powell right off of Market. The sound of cable cars clattering was in the air and the mammoth Woolworth flagship store popularized in so many postcards was right across the street.
The incarnation I first remember at the Powell was their playing revival and 2nd run pictures.
I saw T R Baskin and Till The Clouds Roll By there.
After the popularity of Deep Throat, it began playing straight types of porno. A title I remember from the marquee was “Hot Rods” not sanctioned by NASCAR.
Later they did a road show continuous performace of Devil N Miss Jones and Deepthroat for months (years).
Gay movies were the last format before converting into a fast food franchise.
When I was a small boy I saw the 10 Commandments there. Having only gone to either drive-ins or neighborhood theatres, I was stunned by its size and architecture.
Being a little guy, I foolishly thought the Egyptian motiff decor was done just for the movie. I also remember hearing a elderly gent saying that he had been at the Metropolitan for the original version of the 10 Commandments.
Some years later, I saw “House on Haunted Hill” there with Wm. Castle’s gimmick called “Emergo”.
I have been going to the Castro off and on for 30 years…mainly off due to distance.
Its hard to believe the Nasser family getting uptight at this late date about Gay content.
20 years ago the theatre was showing all this German crap by Fassbinder and some wierdo who kept was taking his taxi to the toilet in the middle of Berlin. Remember?
The Castro should do Gay Lite and downplay the politics. A re-release of “La Cage…” or retrospect of Gay actors and director films would have more mass appeal than that hardcore stuff. Speaking of that what happened to Beau Geste, a little porno theatre around the corner? I saw Gordon Grant there making a personal appearance.
I saw triple bills in the 70’s there alternating between its neighbor the Embassy.
During the 70’s it became a defacto flop house for the homeless who found the price of admission cheaper than a room. There was more snoring than applause.
Popcorn was trucked in in big plastic bags during the 70’s rather than being popped at the theatre.
In the 80’s it tried the revival route but video cassettes killed that market.
It was sad to see what had been an elegant theatre in its death throes during that era.
I would go to the Royal on regular basis in the 70’s when Polk Street was a rival to the Castro.
Some of the titles of the movies I saw there: “Diamonds Are Forever” and “Live and Let Die”
The manager during the 70’s/80’s was a real s**t and didn’t know anything about customer service. I remember him telling me that the saying of “The Customer Is Always Right” was a lie.
Needless to say with an attitude like that it is no wonder the place closed.
I went there almost every weekend from 1960-1961. I attended Bellevue Jr High and lived a couple of blocks away from the theatre.
If memory serves me correctly the theatre was run by the Sahpiro family. I remember the cashier’s name was Tasha Steelman and she was built better than the theatre.
There were always 3 features on weekends with “Selected” short subjects and plent of trailers.
Some of the films I remeber are “The Hypnotic Eye”, “Battle In Outter Space” and a re-release of Abbot and Costello’s “Jack and the Beanstalk”.
It was a great hangout for young teenies. If you got lucky you could put your arm around a girls shoulder or even hold hands.
It was a fun and innocent place to go and I go there in my mind all the time.
Bill Elliott
Wingo, you and I must have been in the same audience for many of the movies that I watched at the Guild. No soft drinks, just coffee, right? After all it was an “art” house. Wingo, contact me at for nostalgia related to Memphis theatres.
Some of the titles that I also remember:
Carry On Series…
Cold Wind In August
Leather Boys
Seance on ……Afternoon
Cartouche
Borsalino
Umbrellas of Cherborg
The Knack
Morgan
Knife In The Water
Girl With Green Eyes
Batman Serial Revival (40’s)
to name just a few.
The Crosstown was a classy theatre. I got kicked out of there several times!!!
Malco hired several brothers to mange their theatres. They all had small heads like the animation in Bettlejuice.
Movies I saw there:
The Innocents
Spartacus
Summer and Smoke
Tora Tora Tora
Mysterious Island
Little Big Man
Don’t forget the JAXON Drive-in on Jackson.
Bill Kendall was a great showman. I remember him at the Guild mincing in the lobby for years. A true “Old Auntie”
I moved to SF in the early 70’s and I loved going to this little theatre on Powell right off of Market. The sound of cable cars clattering was in the air and the mammoth Woolworth flagship store popularized in so many postcards was right across the street.
The incarnation I first remember at the Powell was their playing revival and 2nd run pictures.
I saw T R Baskin and Till The Clouds Roll By there.
After the popularity of Deep Throat, it began playing straight types of porno. A title I remember from the marquee was “Hot Rods” not sanctioned by NASCAR.
Later they did a road show continuous performace of Devil N Miss Jones and Deepthroat for months (years).
Gay movies were the last format before converting into a fast food franchise.
I remember in 1971 the price of a ticket was $5. No way, Jose!
They have stayed in business without my patronage.
I have heard that the place was a cover for illicit sex in the 70’s and 80’s.
I remember Gordon Grant doing a personal appearance there.
When I was a small boy I saw the 10 Commandments there. Having only gone to either drive-ins or neighborhood theatres, I was stunned by its size and architecture.
Being a little guy, I foolishly thought the Egyptian motiff decor was done just for the movie. I also remember hearing a elderly gent saying that he had been at the Metropolitan for the original version of the 10 Commandments.
Some years later, I saw “House on Haunted Hill” there with Wm. Castle’s gimmick called “Emergo”.
Its hard to believe the Bridge is still open after all these years. Its right on Geary, a miserable street to find parking.
I saw “El Topo” there 30 years ago and haven’t been back since.
I have been going to the Castro off and on for 30 years…mainly off due to distance.
Its hard to believe the Nasser family getting uptight at this late date about Gay content.
20 years ago the theatre was showing all this German crap by Fassbinder and some wierdo who kept was taking his taxi to the toilet in the middle of Berlin. Remember?
The Castro should do Gay Lite and downplay the politics. A re-release of “La Cage…” or retrospect of Gay actors and director films would have more mass appeal than that hardcore stuff. Speaking of that what happened to Beau Geste, a little porno theatre around the corner? I saw Gordon Grant there making a personal appearance.
I saw a Bettrolucci film there (Spider Stretegem), the “Last Valley” with Caine and Sharrif, and Albert Finney in “Gum Shoe in the early 70’s.
The theatre had one strange looking cashier. She looked like she had a shrunken head. I always felt sorry for her.
There was a great fish and chips place a half a block away that I would “bootleg” food into the theatre from.
The selection of movies appealed to a rather limited audience and the parking was miserable iin the area.
The theatre wasn’t very impressive and the staff indifferent and there selection of movies limited the audience
I saw triple bills in the 70’s there alternating between its neighbor the Embassy.
During the 70’s it became a defacto flop house for the homeless who found the price of admission cheaper than a room. There was more snoring than applause.
Popcorn was trucked in in big plastic bags during the 70’s rather than being popped at the theatre.
In the 80’s it tried the revival route but video cassettes killed that market.
It was sad to see what had been an elegant theatre in its death throes during that era.
I would go to the Royal on regular basis in the 70’s when Polk Street was a rival to the Castro.
Some of the titles of the movies I saw there: “Diamonds Are Forever” and “Live and Let Die”
The manager during the 70’s/80’s was a real s**t and didn’t know anything about customer service. I remember him telling me that the saying of “The Customer Is Always Right” was a lie.
Needless to say with an attitude like that it is no wonder the place closed.
I went there almost every weekend from 1960-1961. I attended Bellevue Jr High and lived a couple of blocks away from the theatre.
If memory serves me correctly the theatre was run by the Sahpiro family. I remember the cashier’s name was Tasha Steelman and she was built better than the theatre.
There were always 3 features on weekends with “Selected” short subjects and plent of trailers.
Some of the films I remeber are “The Hypnotic Eye”, “Battle In Outter Space” and a re-release of Abbot and Costello’s “Jack and the Beanstalk”.
It was a great hangout for young teenies. If you got lucky you could put your arm around a girls shoulder or even hold hands.
It was a fun and innocent place to go and I go there in my mind all the time.
Bill Elliott