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Malco/Orpheum
Theater
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The New Orpheum Theater 1928-1940
The Malco Theater 1940-1975
The Orpheum 1976-present
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The old Orpheum Theatre, circa 1923
Source: Memphis in the Twenties, Memphis-Shelby Co. Public Library
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1928 Orpheum Opening
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1975 Exterior View
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1983 Interior View
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The Malco
Years: From 1940-1975, The Theater
was named Malco and showed feature
films. |
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The Cinema Treasures website has a wonderful
history of the theater.
The Orpheum Years:
http://cinematreasures.org/theater/1679/ |
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Movies
shown at the Malco Theater: |
| Memories: |
"The Malco featured the "mighty Wurlitzer organ" between films. You would first enjoy a new film and then be entertained for about 20 minutes, by an organ performance - often accompanied by an "onscreen bouncing ball" so that you could sing along."
- Gene Gill, Tech High 1951
"Marilyn Monroe came to Memphis in 1953 to promote her film "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes". There was much excitement in town and Monroe Street was renamed for the day "Marilyn Monroe Street". - Gene Gill, Tech High 1951
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Send us
your memories of the Malco and Orpheum Theater
and the movies you saw
at the Malco. |
Submitted by: F.E. "Gene" Pratt : 06 Feb 2008, 22:53
The Malco of my day had the only theater organ in Memphis that I remember.
It would hide down on its platform, stage left of an orchestra pit, I
think, until its time in the spotlight arrived.
Then the platform would elevate and the magnificent instrument, along with
the organist, in full performance, would appear. Quite a sight for a first
time kid viewer, I'll add.
I believe we had some screen-text assisted sing-a-longs also, but I'm not
certain of that fact.
Great entertainment -- so long as it didn't delay for too long the
anticipated main feature(s?), news, short, "previews".
And cartoon, of course!
(Those were the days when we received a lagniappe of Bugs Bunny's selling
War Bonds. Who remembers, "Any Bonds today, Bonds of freedom, ..." ?)
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a photo or memory
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