Prytania Theater

The original Prytania Theatre was destroyed by a fire in late 1926. Here is a January 1, 1927 Moving Picture World item about Saenger Theatres' intention to replace the house: “NEW ORLEANS, LA.—M. H. Jacobs, of Saenger Theatres, Inc., 1401 Tulane street, plans to rebuild Prytania Theatre at Prytania and Lecontine streets, destroyed by fire.” The Billboard of December 4, 1926 said the fire had taken place on November 27.

The Prytania has 272 fixed seats, not 750.

In response to tinydr’s comment on Mr Brunet’s age, I wouldn’t worry to much about the Prytania’s future. He has his son in the business with him, and I think as long as they can make a profit there, the show will go on.

I have been comming here since I was a child…the first movie I remeber being there for was Pochantis. I was born in 1992. I believe it was the reshowing. then I remember seeing the Xfiles movie. I saw one of the Harry Potters there. Rocky Horror Picture Show 3 or 4 times. The Artist and The Dark Knight Rises Twice. Those are all the films I remember but anyway This is the best most authentic still running open movie theater from the past. that was long in new orleans. i love this place it will be in my heart forever.

Just got back from a trip to NOLA and made a point of stopping by the Prytania Theater to see it. What a wonderful place! Had to see it as it plays a big role in one of my fav novels: “A Confederacy of Dunces.” A lovely small, charming neighbourhood theater and a wonderful place to see a film. Attended the 2:30 pm matinee of “Alice in Wonderland” in 3D. This theater runs digital now and what a presenation! Sound is clear and loud and the projection is first rate. Truly a great theater to watch a film. Matinee was about 1/3 full for a weekday. Sadly, this is the only theater left open in New Orleans and the last single screen theater in the whole state of Louisiana. No open theaters remain on Canal Street and the devastaion that was caused by Katrina is very evident when you see the condition these theaters are in. The Prytania Theater is truly a gem in a great city.

Look for an updated article on the Prytania Theater and its remodeling in the October issue of Box Office Magazine.

The inside… I am pretty sure the seats are original because they can be really uncomfortable! Other than that the rest of the theater space is in good condition. There is sort of a fifties vibe to the lobby with modern inspired “floating” stairs that lead to up to the theater space covered in a worn down red carpet. Unfortunately from a design standpoint nothing else too spectacular I can recall. But it is warm and inviting, is clean and safe and is well kept. I once saw a film at the joy or lowes theater on Canal Street – and I kid you not – there was a hole in the roof where rain was dripping in. You could see outside. And a fire alarm was beeping every 30 seconds or so non-stop.

I’m curious to see what will happen with the Prytania in the next 10 years or so, the current owner appears to be getting on in his years…

LM, thanks for the photo links. Any ideas about the brick facade on the Prytania? I don’t remember it looking like that at all, but the last time I was there was in 1989. Has this little operation been so successful that they could afford a whole new (and rather nice looking) exterior? Or is my memory lost too?

Great exerpt from “A Confederacy of Dunces!” Thanks. I was in the Prytannia only once, many years ago and don’t remember the film I saw. The building was certainly – uh, how to say it, simple. I remember a smallish, low ceilinged, flat-floored room with a tiny lobby and no decor at all. It is an interesting location, the only commercial property on a residential street. Clever management and shear force of will must have kept this business going. Best wishes to the management for a job well done!

In his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel A Confederacy of Dunces, author John Kennedy Toole has an episode set in the Prytania. Ignatius, the central character, makes loud comments and is a frequent annoyance at the theatre. The film is a circus thriller with a bit of romance. Kids scream. Ignatius gets worse and worse. In these excerpts Toole writes:

He sat at attention in the darkness of the Prytania only a few rows from the screen, his body filling the seat and protruding into the two adjoining ones. On the seat to his right he had stationed his overcoat, three Milky Ways, and two auxiliary bags of popcorn, the bags neatly rolled at the top to keep the popcorn warm and crisp. Ignatius ate his current popcorn and stared raptly at the previews of coming attractions. One of the films looked bad enough, he thought, to bring him back to the Prytania in a few days. Then the screen glowed in bright, wide technicolor, the lion roared, and the title of the excess flashed on the screen before his miraculous blue and yellow eyes. His face froze and his popcorn bag began to shake. Upon entering the theater, he had carefully buttoned the two earflaps to the top of his cap, and now the strident score of the musical assaulted his naked ears from a variety of speakers. He listened to the music, detecting two popular songs which he particularly disliked, and scrutinized the credits closely to find any names of performers who normally nauseated him.
…
He put the empty popcorn bag to his full lips, inflated it and waited, his eyes gleaming with reflected technicolor…In the darkness two trembling hands met violently. The popcorn bag exploded with a bang. The children shrieked.

“What’s all that noise?” the woman at the candy counter asked the manager.

“He’s here tonight,” the manager told her, pointing across the theater to the hulking silhouette at the bottom of the screen. The manager walked down the aisle to the front rows, where the shrieking was growing wilder. Their fear having dissipated itself, the children were holding a competition of shrieking. Ignatius listened to the bloodcurdling little trebles and giggles and gloated in his dark lair. With a few mild threats, the manager quieted the front rows and then glanced down in the row in which the isolated figure of Ignatius rose like some great monster among the little heads.
…
“Oh my goodness!” Ignatius shouted, unable to contain himself any longer…“What degenerate produced this abortion?”

“Shut up,” someone shouted behind him.
…
When a love scene appeared to be developing, he bounded up out of his seat and stomped up the aisle to the candy counter for more popcorn, but as he returned to his seat, the two pink figures were just preparing to kiss.

“They probably have halitosis,” Ignatius announced over the heads of the children. “I hate to think of the obscene places that those mouths have doubtlessly been before!”

“You’ll have to do something,” the candy woman told the manager laconically. “He’s worse than ever tonight.”

The manager sighed and started dow the aisle to where Ignatius was mumbling, “Oh, my God, their tongues are all over each other’s capped and rotting teeth.”

I too would love to see pictures of this theatre. They don’t even have one on their web site. The only one I have found is under Google Images and type in Prytania. It’s not a very good picture though.