Peekers Theatre

If there was an antithesis of “cinema treasure” it was Peekers Theater. While the porno chic X-rated film revolution was big in Dallas in the late 1960s and into the mid-1970s, pop-up theaters not dissimilar from that in the show-store era invaded storefronts and took over boarded up theaters showing XXX films. Peekers was one such example. The Parisian Club operated from 1967 to 1973 as a strip club which featured films later in the club’s life. But in 1973, the Parisian is raided and that ends the club. But Peekers rose from the Parisian keeping adult entertainment alive on Cedar Springs.

Peekers advertised from April 1, 1974 to July 4, 1975 which is likely close to its operational lifespan. In October of 1974, Peekers had finally earned its stripes as an adult theater when it was raided and, at trial the following March, its office manager was thrown in jail for obscenity and fined $1,000. “Orgy Machine” and “Hooked on Women” were two of the five films confiscated. Peekers is a distant memory due in part to a crackdown on adult theaters in the mid-1970s in Dallas and because the building housing Peekers has been demolished.