Buck Theatre
151 Lameuse Street,
Biloxi,
MS
39530
151 Lameuse Street,
Biloxi,
MS
39530
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Paramount-Richards Theatres Inc., Saenger Amusement Company
Previous Names: New Gaiety Theatre, Past Time Theatre
Nearby Theaters
Located on the corner of W. Jackson Street & Lameuse Street this was a small neighborhood theatre near downtown Biloxi. It opened as the New Gaiety Theatre on May 29, 1912. Its screen was located in the front of the building behind the concessions, with its projection booth in the rear of the building. It was renamed Buck Theatre on December 19, 1936. It was destroyed by a fire in 1965.
Contributed by
Wayne Saucier
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Recent comments (view all 9 comments)
The following item appeared on page one of the local newspaper on December 17, 1936………The Buck Theatre, formerly the Gaiety Theatre, on the northwest corner of Lameuse and Jackson Streets opened in late December. Arsene O. Bourdon was the manager of the movie house, with over 400 seats, which approximately 100 were in the balcony.
Ads from the years of 1917 and 1919 also list the Gaiety theatre in Biloxi with the same manager Arsene O. Bourdon. There are also ads as far back as 1912 for the Gaiety Theatre with the same manager. Arsene O. Bourdon died in 1959.
Looking through some old ads for the Gaiety Theatre and the Bijou Theatre, I find that both theatres were operating in Biloxi at the same time in the early 1900’s. The Bijou Theatre was located on west Howard Avenue and the Gaiety Theatre on the corner of Lameuse and Jackson Street. After seeing the ads I would not think the Buck Theatre was orginally the Bijou.
In 1949, the Buck Theatre and the Saenger Theatre are listed in the Biloxi city directory as being operated by Paramount-Richard Theatres.
This web page has some history of Biloxi’s theaters, and it indicates that the Buck Theatre was on the northwest corner of Jackson and Lameuse Streets. It apparently began as an airdome theater called the Gaiety in 1912, and was renamed the Past Time Theatre in 1914. At some later point an indoor theater was built on the site, and it returned to the name Gaiety. It was a Saenger house when remodeled in 1927, and was still operated by Saenger when it was again remodeled and renamed the Buck Theatre in 1936.
This house was never called the Bijou. The Bijou opened in 1910, and was renamed the Crown Theatre (Biloxi’s second house of that name) in 1914. In 1920, the Gaiety and the Crown were both being operated by the Gulf Coast Amusement Company.
When I was at Keesler in 1962, the Buck showed nudist movies. The actors walked about holding a beach ball over their privates.
First mentioned as the New Gaiety on May 29th, 1912 at
New Gaiety first mention 25 May 1912, Sat Sun Herald (Biloxi, Mississippi) Newspapers.com
Reopened on December 19th, 1936 as the Buck Theatre.
Buck Theatre opening 18 Dec 1936, Fri The Daily Herald (Biloxi, Mississippi) Newspapers.com
union troubles in 1961.
In 1956, the Buck Theatre was owned and operated by a Mr. E. V. Landaiche, as noted in the July 28 issue of Motion Picture Herald. Landaiche also had the Beach Drive-In at Biloxi, and was in process of selling the Bay View Theatre in that city. He also had the Carver Theatre at Prichard, Alabama.