Comments on: THE LEE-ART THEATRE: An Introduction to Continental Adult Cinema http://moviemorlocks.com/2008/05/31/the-lee-art-theatre-an-introduction-to-continental-adult-cinema/ MovieMorlocks.com is the official blog for Turner Classic Movies (TCM). No topic is too obscure or niche to be excluded from our film discussions. And we welcome your comments on our blogs and bloggers. Tue, 22 May 2012 17:10:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: DAVID T. H. http://moviemorlocks.com/2008/05/31/the-lee-art-theatre-an-introduction-to-continental-adult-cinema/#comment-10623 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:17:12 +0000 http://tcmmoviemorlocks.wordpress.com/2008/05/31/the-lee-art-theatre-an-introduction-to-continental-adult-cinema/#comment-10623 Dear Friends of Art House genre,

Enjoy your site and would like to be apprized of
further events & comments along the lines of “art
house” cinema.

My first job as a kid was at a drive-in theatre
owned by Ryan Brothers Ithaca Theatres, Ithaca NY.
I’ve always been an aficionado of cinema esp. film
noir, foreign films e.g. Bergman, Fellini et al

Accordingly,I have a special interest in Art House,
special nich and avant garde movies. Therefore, I.
would like to be counted as one of your friends and
I thank you.

E-mail me anytime.

]]> By: chris http://moviemorlocks.com/2008/05/31/the-lee-art-theatre-an-introduction-to-continental-adult-cinema/#comment-7857 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:19:08 +0000 http://tcmmoviemorlocks.wordpress.com/2008/05/31/the-lee-art-theatre-an-introduction-to-continental-adult-cinema/#comment-7857 My former step father ran lee art in its last years.I was about 13.Mom and he were together for about 5 years. He was from Navada. We eventually concluded he at least had ties w/the mob. He let me work/help out there ,filling the coke machines.It always smelled exactly the same in there ,kinda ammonia cleaning agent like. Most every day when he came home,he would tell mom> of his day ,like how he used a 2×4 to beat the chins of back entrance intruders looking for a free show or warmth. The adult movies also had live preformers.X sex stars.
The end of this theater and thousands like it is blamed on the vhs and beta video tape ‘revolution’.Most owners/managers did not buy into it ,only to their financial demise. As depicted in “Boogie Nights”.

]]> By: Vincent http://moviemorlocks.com/2008/05/31/the-lee-art-theatre-an-introduction-to-continental-adult-cinema/#comment-3873 Sun, 22 Jun 2008 06:06:23 +0000 http://tcmmoviemorlocks.wordpress.com/2008/05/31/the-lee-art-theatre-an-introduction-to-continental-adult-cinema/#comment-3873 In the 1960s, my father used to regularly patronize the Riviera Theater in Syracuse, N.Y., a neighborhood house on the South Side, not far from Syracuse University. It regularly showed Italian and other foreign films; he was on its mailing list, and we received postcards promoting upcoming shows.

On the weekends, it occasionally showed matinees; I can recall seeing “Santa Claus Conquers The Martians” (even at age nine, I deemed it stupid) and in 1966, at the height of Batmania, the Riviera showed several 1940s Batman serials strung together, which frankly I didn’t appreciate. (As an adult, with more historical knowledge about the character, things might be different.)

By 1968, the Riviera was showing the likes of “The Killing Of Sister George” and other art-house fare. It apparently closed sometime in the 1970s, after our family had left Syracuse.

]]> By: morlockjeff http://moviemorlocks.com/2008/05/31/the-lee-art-theatre-an-introduction-to-continental-adult-cinema/#comment-3778 Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:27:55 +0000 http://tcmmoviemorlocks.wordpress.com/2008/05/31/the-lee-art-theatre-an-introduction-to-continental-adult-cinema/#comment-3778 Garry and Molo,

I also remember the Biograph from my college years and saw many a great double feature there such as “Groupies” and “Monterey Pop,” “The Fearless Vampire Killers” and “Night of the Living Dead,” “The 400 Blows” and “Jules and Jim,” etc. But the midnight movies were always a big draw. Although I didn’t see that “Deep Throat” program, I did attend a previous midnight show of “Reefer Madness” that showed a trailer for “Deep Throat.” It was actually more like a highlight reel of sex scenes from the film and I remember the manager came down front to warn everybody first about its explicit nature. Most of the audience was high as a kite and just laughed but once Linda Lovelace appeared on screen with her mouth fully engaged there were a bunch of walkouts, mostly women. Yes, you never knew what to expect at the Biograph midnight shows.

]]> By: Garry http://moviemorlocks.com/2008/05/31/the-lee-art-theatre-an-introduction-to-continental-adult-cinema/#comment-3773 Thu, 12 Jun 2008 02:34:29 +0000 http://tcmmoviemorlocks.wordpress.com/2008/05/31/the-lee-art-theatre-an-introduction-to-continental-adult-cinema/#comment-3773 Oh, man! What memories! I grew up in Petersburg, VA, about 25 miles south of Richmond(still live there). I remember the Lee-Art. I never went there as it had realy gotten a nasty reputation, in all senses of the word, by the time I was old enough. I did spend many a good time at the Biograph. Saw a lot of classic foreign films there. One of the Strangest Pairings I ever saw was Bunuel’s “Andalusian Dog” as warm up for “Deep Throat” during one of their Midnight shows. The eye-slitting scene grossed out the crowd expecting porn, while I laughed maniacally. Thanks for the memories.

]]> By: SomeNYGuy http://moviemorlocks.com/2008/05/31/the-lee-art-theatre-an-introduction-to-continental-adult-cinema/#comment-3757 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:53:55 +0000 http://tcmmoviemorlocks.wordpress.com/2008/05/31/the-lee-art-theatre-an-introduction-to-continental-adult-cinema/#comment-3757 I can just imagine some horny kid or trenchcoated perv buying a ticket for Russ Meyer’s LORNA and finding himself face to face with the sensitive, serious, arty THE L-SHAPED ROOM instead. It’s a wonder audiences didn’t rip up the seats and hurl them through the screen!

]]> By: Molo http://moviemorlocks.com/2008/05/31/the-lee-art-theatre-an-introduction-to-continental-adult-cinema/#comment-3749 Sat, 07 Jun 2008 22:36:31 +0000 http://tcmmoviemorlocks.wordpress.com/2008/05/31/the-lee-art-theatre-an-introduction-to-continental-adult-cinema/#comment-3749 I’m a native of Richmond who lived in the Fan District for many years. Your post brings back a lot of memories. I was also too young to gain admittance to the Lee Art but I did enjoy films at the Byrd and Westhampton. Another theater just down the street from the Lee was called the Biograph. It had a period when it ran some eclectic films as well. Nothing quite like those double bills from the Lee though. It mainly catered to the VCU crowd I think.

My brother has a collection of old newspaper clippings that I look through every now and then. I noticed the old adds for the Lee Art. It was a different world back then.

Thanks for your wonderful post and for bringing back to my attention the old Lee theater. I had remembered it mainly for the later years. Now I know that at one time it was a lot more than that. Oh and by the way, I finally went to the theater in it’s new incarnation as a performing arts center. I saw a friend’s dance troupe perform there.

]]> By: Helen http://moviemorlocks.com/2008/05/31/the-lee-art-theatre-an-introduction-to-continental-adult-cinema/#comment-3598 Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:21:39 +0000 http://tcmmoviemorlocks.wordpress.com/2008/05/31/the-lee-art-theatre-an-introduction-to-continental-adult-cinema/#comment-3598 It's hilarious reading about this. My family moved to Chattanooga,
TN in 1966 and we lived around the corner from the Riverview Art
Theater. I don't remember too much about what they showed because
when I went to the corner drugstore, I kind of just hurried by the place
afraid to look. I do know that before we moved there it was more of a
neigborhood theater because my brother's friend said he say It's
a Mad…World there. I do remember that they showed I Am Curious Yellow.
Then when Deep Throat came out, there was a line half way up the block.
That's probably the biggest crowd they ever had. It was basically
just porn by that time. Sometime in the 1980's most of the entire
block was torn down and turn into little boutiques and restaurants. Our
family used to call it the Dirty Movie theater. LOL.

]]> By: Earl B http://moviemorlocks.com/2008/05/31/the-lee-art-theatre-an-introduction-to-continental-adult-cinema/#comment-3595 Sun, 01 Jun 2008 21:42:32 +0000 http://tcmmoviemorlocks.wordpress.com/2008/05/31/the-lee-art-theatre-an-introduction-to-continental-adult-cinema/#comment-3595 Your post reminds me of the 'Colony Art', a schizophrenic
little theater in my hometown that started out much like the Lee
(adult/foreign features) and ended up much like the Lee-Art (hardcore
stuff) – with the added benefit (?) of running G-Rated kiddie fare on
weekend afternoons (that's where I saw 'Mad Monster Party'
as a kid).  As a youngster, I couldn't understand how
the theater did any business, since their marquee never listed what they
were showing, and the glass display windows never showed any posters -
they were covered with tinfoil.  I guess with faithful
clientele, they didn't need to advertise …

]]> By: john http://moviemorlocks.com/2008/05/31/the-lee-art-theatre-an-introduction-to-continental-adult-cinema/#comment-3599 Sat, 31 May 2008 14:56:46 +0000 http://tcmmoviemorlocks.wordpress.com/2008/05/31/the-lee-art-theatre-an-introduction-to-continental-adult-cinema/#comment-3599 Living in washington,d.c in the 40s and 50s i was lucky to have three
"art" houses available to me. the bergman films always drew a
nice crowd. the racier italian and french were hot stuff compared to
american fare! the fellows that ran the one downtown acoss fron george
washington university eventully went into movie production. i think
their name was pappas. i remember a film from iceland i believe where a
censor scratched out of each frame to eliminate nipples and pubic hair!
we have come a long way since then but i must admit to being surprised
to see pubic hair in the uncut once upon a time in america. does anyone
out there remember the nudist camp movies where you got to see bouncing
boobies while playing games? the movies, i love them but what a
distorted view they gave of the real world.

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