Cinema Mayflower
1133 NW 23rd Street,
Oklahoma City,
OK
73111
1133 NW 23rd Street,
Oklahoma City,
OK
73111
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This opened on April 12th, 1938. Grand opening ad posted.
Mayflower theatre opening Tue, Apr 12, 1938 – 13 · The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) · Newspapers.com
Pic added to photo section showing original neon sign.
NeonSky, your link takes you to hotels, no photo of the former theatre. Other links are dead links.
went there in high school, that’s where I saw my first X-rated movie
Does anyone remember the Mayflower Lounge that used to be next door to the cinema? I understand it burned down in ‘62 or '63. Thanks.
The Mayflower theatre was a soft core porn theatre until the end. They had tried to convert to showing video presentations, as the 35mm soft porn supply had dried up and died. They did a scant business for about a year before going belly up.
I was the last union projectionist there for (IATSE local 380).
Their business was not very good, as on a good day, they might sell 30 tickets.
Wesley Horton AIDA
Modern day view of former Mayflower Cinema,
View link
Now a Chinese Buffet, this site has photos of a snow covered Mayflower Cinema,
http://www.roadsideoklahoma.com/node/526
I once rented a spotlight to Planet Earth club 1993-94? for a DEICIDE concert there. The entire back line (guitar amps) were running on an extension cord and plugged into the projection booth. Seventy five feet of extension cord WAY overloaded gets HOT!!! :) It kept popping the breaker when I would run the little spotlight and the lead singer of the death metal band Deicide told the crowd over the sound system he was going to sacrafice me to the devil if it went off again. Wow I loved those days… And I didn’t get paid.
View link
Click the above link for a view of the Mayflower in 1975. Photo
courtesy of Jeff Chapman Collection.
Yes Roadsideok that was the Mayflower. The structure
was completely reconfigured as the Asian restaurant and
is thus unrecognizable. I will post a photo of the old Mayflower
in my next post so you guys can see what it looked like in the 70s.
The above pic looks to be in the right locale for the old Mayflower. I do believe you may have found it.
Was this the Mayflower Theater?
http://tinyurl.com/bkvrfk
It was a live music venue just after it closed as a theater called Planet Earth. I was involved in the OKC music scene in the early ‘90’s and attended several shows there. It was quite interesting to explore the backstage area and see the old equipment there. The screen was retained at thus time, and light shows ans such were shown behind the bands. It didn’t last long in that role, though, it was my understanding that it was too expensive to operate.
I remember the restaurant as well, Hong Kong Garden – it was very nice inside and had pretty good food, It was there until at least 2002, when I moved out of the Gatewood area.
What I recall most about the Mayflower were the octagonal windows above the marquee that had etched images of ships and were framed in polished aluminum.
The Mayflower was a restaurant in 1999:
http://tinyurl.com/4ux58g
It was a porno cinema long before 1980s — I remember when it was
showing skin flicks as early as 1971, 72…
During the early 1980s the Cinema Mayflower specialized in Viet Namese language films. It was an X-rated porn grind house from 1984 through 1991.
Mayflower Cinema 1937-1991, Streamline styling, now a Budhist Temple, 600 seats, Barton Cinemas, Hill, Sorey, & Hill, architects. This was originally sister to the Bison Theatre in OKC’s northeast section. Mayflower structure has now been completely restyled into brightly colored, lavish Oriental design.
WHEN does Cinema Treasures plan on posting new photos on its web site?