Belle Meade Theatre
4301 Harding Pike,
Nashville,
TN
37205
4301 Harding Pike,
Nashville,
TN
37205
5 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 51 comments
New Showcase Presentations in Nashville article includes mention of the numerous 70mm and roadshow presentations here and at other Nashville area cinemas.
short, albeit crappy PQ, video of back in the day at BMT. This was 1987ish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQkLx2joBzk
One of my first jobs was here. I absolutely cherish the memory. I remember seeing Return of the Jedi here in 1983 on opening day in 70mm. I actually have home video of the place when it was still open. I will tranfer it to Youtube and post a link here. If I remember correctly, I have close up video of the “wall of fame” with the autographs and pictures of each star when they visited the theatre. If its true and the slabs are in storage, they need to be put on display somewhere. The Belcourt would be a great venue to display the wall of fame again.
May 1st, 1940 grand opening ad in photo section.
Ads for the three Cinerama titles that played at the theatre when it was a Cinerama theatre – http://incinerama.com/belle.htm
Thanks for the info about the autographed marble slabs from the Belle Meade, tncamper. As long as they weren’t thrown in a dumpster, which I feared. The Belle Meade was definitely the queen of the suburban movie houses. I believe my first visit was to see “Gone With the Wind” in 1961 for the Civil War centennial. I would’ve been about 9. I then saw GWTW again in the awful 1967 “widescreen” release, where they simply cropped the image to fit a wide screen. One screening there, maybe 1989, when the film was restored, the Belle Meade featured a lobby exhibit of props etc. from the movie. I recall a window from the Tara set especially. The last movie I saw at the Belle Meade was the restored “Lawrence of Arabia,” mentioned by Imaxguy above. I sat on the very back row so I could take it all in, also knowing that the theater would soon be closing. Going to a movie there, like the downtown theaters, was an event.
The photos and autograph slabs were returned to the Tennessee State Museum when Bookstar was evicted. They were technically on loan from the museum. They are in storage.
As of 3/25/2013 the building is unoccupied. We did a drive by.
This is where Pat Boone got launched on his singing career. I recall reading in one of his books that he sang for milkshakes at the Belle Meade when he was younger!
When the restoration of Lawrence of Arabia ran in 1988, I was managing the Belleview 4. Carmike signed me out of the theater, and put me as projectionist at the BelleMeade, because I was the only person in Carmike’s organization who had experience running 70MM films. Harry Vickous was the manager at that time and it was a lot of fun working for him.
Isn’t the Belle Meade Theatre now the site of a Harris-Teeter grocery store?
Thanks for the link Tinseltoes,The Belle Meade was the sister theatre of the Melrose,A.K.A. Loews Melrose when i worked there.They were built around the same time and very simular in design.The Melrose building is still standing also.
Longtime manager Ed Jordan had a Wall of Fame in the lobby for years. There were two huge white marble slabs and visiting celebrites would sign in black ink. There were probably 100 signatures on those marble tablets … Walt Disney, Doris Day, Bob Hope, Charlton Heston, Ronald Reagan, Fess Parker, Bela Lugosi, and many more. It was thrilling to see these “in-person” autographs which were displayed behind glass in the lobby. They became property of Bookstar Bookstores when they occupied the space for several years. The wherabouts to these priceless autographed marble slabs remain unknown, as far as I know. Does anyone have any info? I worry they’re lost and would feel better if they still exist, even if privately owned.
That is wonderful news a lobby still “beautiful”.
Thanks for the info Mike97,I was wondering what was left of the lobby.
I stopped by on May 14th and looked into the lobby. It’s still beautiful in there. On the way out, the canopy Neon and lights came on as the daylight was fading.
Thanks.Great movie in a great theatre and maybe it will reopen one day.
2001 A Space Oddesey opened its exclusive Nashville showing on June,27,1968.
Thanks Mike, I just happened to drive by last night and checked it out again.I know that movies will never be seen there again but it is good to see that they are still using the face of the building and the lobby area and back of the balcony, the outside walls are still standing.Hopefully when they start renting out the apartments they will have enough money to relight the “Belle Meade"Tower neon and bulbs.
Be glad you still a theatre from your past.The Imperial is all I have left.
Drove by the whats left of this theatre again last night.The marquee lights were on again although many of the bulbs do not work. A Harris-Tetter store has been build in the footprint of the auditoruim.And it looks like most of the new development has been built.The was a sign on the marquee,which said “Marquee at Belle Meade Apartments” and a phone number which I did not write down at the time.
My wife drove by this theatre the other night and even though it has been closed since 1991 the lights were on on the marquee and tower although several of the letters where not working.They must be trying to bring attention to the new development.
Thanks Tlsloews.
The Original box office was under the marquee like its sister theatre the Melrose,latter photos show the boxoffice had been moved by the front doors and the 1st boxoffice removed and redesigned to hold 1-sheet frames.The stairs to the balcony were L shaped at the Belle Meade,and curved at the Melrose. Both theatres had mirrors on the lobby ceiling and over the entrance doors.The Belle Meade theatre and complex has had several facelifts over the years,The Melrose complex is much as it was built.
I think this is most beautiful theatre I bet one of Nashville’s finest.And some talent with a marquee.