Downtown Memphis in Shelby County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Modern Movie~Making In Memphis
Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 8, 2018
1. Modern Movie Making In Memphis Marker (front)
Front
On this South Main Street corner in 1988 the modern wave of Memphis movie making was born, in great measure through the efforts of the Memphis & Shelby County Film Commissioner Linn Sitler and Shelby County Government official Alonzo Woods. Until Mystery Train, Memphis had not hosted a nationally-distributed feature film since King Vidor's Hallelujah!, which had been based in the city in 1928 to shoot much of its principal photography here. An independent feature, Mystery Train later won producer/director Jim Jarmusch a major award at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival.
Rear
The Mystery Train film was immediately followed in Memphis by Orion Pictures Great Balls of Fire!, which told the life story of Sun Studio legend, Jerry Lee Lewis. Later Memphis-based filmmaking included such notable and diverse features as The Firm, 21 Grams, Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner Forty Shades of Blue (directed by Memphian Ira Sachs), Academy Award winners Hustle & Flow (directed By Memphian Craig Brewer), and Walk the Line, the life story of yet another Sun Studio legend,
this page online
Erected by the Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission and the Shelby County Historical Commission.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1988.
Location. 35° 7.965′ N, 90° 3.528′ W. Marker is in Memphis, Tennessee, in Shelby County. It is in Downtown Memphis. It is at the intersection of G.E. Patterson Avenue and South Main Street, on the right when traveling east on G.E. Patterson Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 540 South Main Street, Memphis TN 38103, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in West Tennessee. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in the Upper South, in the Mississippi Delta, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in
Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 8, 2018
2. Modern Movie~Making In Memphis Marker (rear)
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Arcade Restaurant (here, next to this marker); Welcome To The National Civil Rights Museum (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Site of First Memphis Telephone (about 600 feet away); 1866 Memphis Massacre (about 600 feet away); The Lorraine Motel (about 700 feet away); Founders Park Banners (about 700 feet away); Founders Park (about 700 feet away); Martin Luther King, Jr. (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Memphis.
Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 8, 2018
3. Modern Movie~Making In Memphis Marker at the Arcade Restaurant.
Corner where movie-making in Memphis started.
Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 8, 2018
4. View from marker towards Main Street.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 14, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 733 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 14, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
