The Luez Theater - 1948

Unwritten Rules

Miss Louise never married; she was only about five feet tall and weighed less than 100 pounds but she was a strict disciplinarian.

• The worse thing that could happen to you is that you would be "banned from the theater" as that was the ONLY entertainment in town!

• Bolivar did not need a movie rating system... we had "Miss Louise" -- she went to Memphis weekly and previewed every movie... questionable movies never made it to the Bolivar screen.

• In the 1950's and early 1960's, movies were 35 cents for adults and 15 cents for children. Popcorn was 5 cents; no drinks allowed / sold.

• Patrons were allowed ONE trip to the bathroom or to get a drink of water. No littering was allowed. Couples could not "hold hands"; no talking during the movie as she walked the aisles with a flashlight to make sure everyone was acting appropriately.

• Parents often dropped their kids off for the Saturday matinee as they knew they would be in Miss Louise's care...but you better not be late when picking them up as she would NOT leave the building until every child and parent were accounted for.

This is the second generation Luez Theater building, having moved from its original 1936 site on Market Street to its current location in 1948. The Luez Theater is Bolivar's most notable example of the Art Deco style; the building was designed with a facade of tan colored brick and with inlaid vertical fluting. Pictured is the original metal and neon marquee. The name LUEZ was derived from a shortened version of the owner's first name "Louise".

Miss Louise Mask retired from the movie business in 1968 and died in 1982 at the age of 88. The theater continued to be operated by the new owner Charles Wheeler until September 2012.

Less than a year after it closed, the historic Art Deco theater was purchased by the Bolivar Downtown Development Corporation. DevCo and its partners beautifully restored and renovated the theater. It is now equipped to serve as a venue for meetings, live music, movies and more.

The beloved Luez Theater is now open again for all to enjoy. Movies are shown Thursday through Sunday. Shows begin at 7:00 pm Thursday through Saturday and at 2:00 pm on Sunday. Doors open one hour prior to showtime.