Showboats – Memphis Flyer

Memphis on the internet.

Dang

“I took it upon myself to study the faces of Memphis fans after this [Isaiah Hartenstein] dunk and it was pure gold,” tweeted OKC Thunder Gal during the Grizzlies loss to Thunder last Saturday.

Super Tigers

“[University of Memphis] is now 4th all-time with 75 points scored in Super Bowl history!” Memphis Football posted to X after Super Bowl LIX last weekend.

Three former Tigers — Kenneth Gainwell, Bryce Huff, and Jake Elliott — suited up for the Philadelphia Eagles in the game.

Showboatin’

If you’re sad to see football’s end, the Memphis Showboats got you. Their UFL season kicks off at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on March 30th against the Michigan Panthers. Go Boats!

Back in the early 1930s, Memphians could go downtown to the various theaters, which were gradually being converted from vaudeville and stage shows into “moving picture” theaters, but we also had another entertainment option that’s no longer available: showboats.

Poring over a November 1933 issue of The Commercial Appeal, I noticed this ad for a production of “St. Elmo” aboard the Hollywood showboat.

Reserved seats were 40 cents, which seems a bit steep for the time, but maybe this was a classy boat, and a good production that was well worth the price of admission.

What’s interesting is where the boat was docked — near “Second Street and the Wolf River Bridge.” I would have thought they would have just tied up at the cobblestones, about where the Memphis Queen Line is located today. But back in the 1930s, the riverfront was considerably busier than it is now, so maybe this was the only place the boat could stay for extended periods of time. I really don’t know. Do you?