May Theatre
1515 N. May Avenue,
Oklahoma City,
OK
73107
1515 N. May Avenue,
Oklahoma City,
OK
73107
5 people
favorited this theater
Showing 22 comments
It’s now a vacated Spanish church. I used to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show on Saturday at midnight during the late 70’s. People used to dress up and act out the film.
This opened on May 15th, 1946. Grand opening ad in the photo section and below.
May Theatre opening Fri, Nov 15, 1946 – 6 · The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) · Newspapers.com
I saw the French Sci-Fi film Fantastic Planet here in 1973. Such a surreal movie – totally bizarre it even had a run in OKC.
Every Saturday in the mid sixties, they would have horror movies and science fiction movies. All theaters in town would run these movies and it was a challange to see who’s mom would take us and who’s mom would pick up. I remember seeing “Macabra” I think it was a Castle film, at the May and being so scared I was watching it from behind the curtains separating the lobby from the theatre. I felt better after purchasing a grape “Winner” sucker and finding the winner sticker stuck to the backside of the sucker affording me a free sucker!
saw the Graduate there
I saw THE WARRIORS there in ‘79 in its run-down heyday.
In May 2012, the theatre appeared to be in use as a church — my photo
Just for the record, the May theatre had been purchased by George Shanbour (former owner, Tower theatre, and Winchester DI).
The twinning and rehabbing of the theatre was completed by George Onyschczak, who was the projectionist at the Winchester until his death. The current projectionist as of 2012, is Jon Johns, George’s son.
The Boxoffice magazine story from December 6, 1947:
http://www.boxofficemagazine.com/the_vault/issue_page?issue_id=1947-12-6&page_no=141#page_start
This site has vintage interior/exterior photos of the May Theatre. Modern shots show a now rundown May residing in a very run down neighborhood,
http://www.roadsideoklahoma.com/node/527
Photos of the May and three other Corgan-designed theaters appeared in Boxoffice of December 6, 1947. The other houses featured in the article are the Agnew, Oklahoma City; the Boomer, Norman; and the Plains, Rosswell, New Mexico.
The May as an antique mall in 1994:
View link
In the early 50’s, popcorn and pop all over me and my brother at the May Theatre….
We were kids watching a western with a box of pop corn and pop when a loud “BANG” with a flash of light coming only 3 rows of seats in front of us startled us so much that we jumped straight up, pop corn and pop flying all over us….One of two individuals who were planning on a hold up accidently shot himself in the leg while showing the other his revolver…
The wounded fellow was carried to the lobby and laid out on a couch while his buddy ran off down May Av.
The movie was resumed shortly there after and we went back to our seats some what wet!
It was a great Saturday kids movie theatre in the 50’s and later as an adult, I saw the movie “The Graduate” in the same theatre which was upgraded from grade B movies to first run hits.
I saw so many great movies at the May, but the one I remember most vividly was THE WARRIORS in ‘79. Does anyone else remember seeing it there?
A very good photo of the May Theater taken in 1987. Showing at the time was “Can’t Buy Me Love”, “The Untouchables” and “Robocop”.
To see more period shots of the May Theatre, go to below site and type in word “theatre”, then search…
View link
Here is a 1948 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/yqa9wa
My photograph of the MAY theater sign.
www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/293156850
The MayMysteryTheatre shown on ken mc entry, 05/14/06, is an image of the former Lakeside Theater.
Several establiments around this stretch of the May Avenue business district were decorated in tropical themes; amoung them were the Palm Room Lounge, Zanzi Bar, Tropicana Cafeteria, Veezee Drug Store, and May Theatre.
While the May Theatre exterior was executed in 1940’s streamline styling, the original interior motif was tropic.
I remember attending this theatre as a small child and remember noticing that woven into lobby carpeting were green & yellow banana leaves with an orange background, spotlighted potted palms brightened corner areas, and a stuffed blue parrot perched inside a hoop above the concession stand.
Low lighting levels enhanced exotic jungle silhouettes that were painted onto standee walls, with banana leaf carpeting, and a spattering of bamboo accents that made this area mysterious, and a bit spooky too.
Auditorium walls were arranged in zigzag order, decorated with colossal stencilled banana leaves accented by indirect lighting. Color wheel lighting danced across lush stage drapes, and a green neon advertising clock reminded kids what time mom would pick them up.
This tropic theme came together nicely to create a pleasant environment in which to view a movie.
This link has photos of the May:
http://tinyurl.com/oge9r
The May Theatre, on May Avenue, was built by Griffith Amusement Company, later called Video Independent Theatres, as a suburban neighborhood theatre playing second run product. In the late 50’s and early 60’s the May was given a facelift and began playing upscale first run “adult/art” fare. “The Graduate” and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” both had long and profitable runs at the May. The May was a sister theatre to Video’s Will Rogers, also a suburban neighborhood theatre in Oklahoma City. By the time Martin Theatres (Carmike) bought Video Theatres the May and Will Rogers were history. The May should not be confused with the Mayflower Theatre,
which was located on 23rd Street. The May is still standing, but is now an antique mall.