For the Raincoat Crowd

January 22, 2009 5:43 PM

The History of the Pussycat Theater Chain—When Cathouses ruled CaliforniaA zany, photo-laden (mildly NSFW) story of the rise and fall of one of America's seminal theater chains.
posted by klangklangston (24 comments total)

one of America's seminal theater chains.

I see what you did there
posted by dersins at 5:48 PM on January 22 [7 favorites]

Dammit, dersins, you beat me to it! Jack-off.
posted by scody at 6:15 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

I see what you did there

Technically, though, I guess it was ceiling cat who saw what you did there.
posted by dersins at 6:18 PM on January 22 [4 favorites]

I was fascinated by the old Pussycat in Oakland when I was a kid. Everytime we'd drive by I'd stare at the pink building with "PUSSYCAT" lettered across the marquee. I also lingered over their ads in the back of the Chronicle. Perhaps I can blame them that I'm now a dirty, dirty queer.
posted by serazin at 6:24 PM on January 22

I guess I'm a porn theatre naif, I had no idea Pussycats were a chain. Great article.

The story mentions the Burbank Theatre in San Jose; I love that building. It's now home to some kind of motley secondhand store but for years after I moved here, its marquee proudly announced A D U L T M O V I E S right next to the huge sign that read SKIN DIVING LESSONS from the adjacent Stan's Skin Diving School.
posted by jamaro at 6:53 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

"I see what you did there"

If it helps, while I wrote it I was remembering William Safire's insistence on a long E pronunciation.

"Perhaps I can blame them that I'm now a dirty, dirty queer. "

It was even run by queers! See, the gays are recruiting!
posted by klangklangston at 7:05 PM on January 22

[looks around for something soft but solid to throw at kk]
posted by five fresh fish at 7:15 PM on January 22

im in ur pornsite
steelin ur pagebrakes
posted by terranova at 7:38 PM on January 22

More posters from the 60s.
posted by netbros at 8:13 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

tl;dr -- but the pictures are great!!
posted by not_on_display at 8:26 PM on January 22

I used to go to one in East Hollywood when they would show the really weird old porn films, like Cafe Flesh or Sex World. I watched Valley Girl the other night, and, for a moment, Nic Cage passes a Pussycat on Hollywood (long gone, but, if I remember right, there was a punk club in the basement where the Go-Go's used to play). I found myself literally bouncing in my seat in excitement at seeing the old theater.
posted by Astro Zombie at 9:02 PM on January 22

I found myself literally bouncing in my seat in excitement at seeing the old theater.

Huh. I remember going into that theater and also seeing guys bouncing in their seats. Or something.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 9:15 PM on January 22

The Reverse Cowgirl points out the one she remembered best - gone now. Some memerobelia seekers in the comments.
posted by jfrancis at 9:54 PM on January 22

memorabilia, that is.
posted by jfrancis at 9:55 PM on January 22

This thread exists solely for the purpose of making masturbation-related jokes.
posted by Pope Guilty at 10:49 PM on January 22

Like the fact that the article's comments page seems to be the place for old employees of the Pussycat to bitch at each other.

+ as a kid always passed by the Pussycat in Oakland on the way to grandmas house... thanks for the trip down memory lane.
posted by jettloe at 11:18 PM on January 22

that was really interesting. there was one in my hometown, which always seemed to me to be a bit out of place. it was interesting to read the whole sordid history of that place. thanks for the post.
posted by joeblough at 11:34 PM on January 22

How many of you out there had jobs in these joints as jizzmoppers? Did they pay you in quarters?
posted by doctorschlock at 4:20 AM on January 23

As a young boy, I was actually turned upside down and used as the jizzmop. Quarters? No. My father always told me the experience was payment enough.
posted by gman at 4:38 AM on January 23 [2 favorites]

There was a Pink Pussycat in Boston when I was six. I used to read the blurbs from the newspaper ads aloud to my mom, but I never had any idea what they said.
posted by pxe2000 at 5:35 AM on January 23

tl; dr. I did note, with some amusement, that at some point they did sell refreshments in the theaters, which would give another reason for the floor being sticky.
posted by Halloween Jack at 6:56 AM on January 23

.
posted by Ceiling Cat at 6:56 AM on January 23

When I moved to Santa Monica in '96, there was still a Pussycat Theater on 2nd Street. The Promenade was well on its way to becoming Yet Another American Mall, but knowing there was a porn theater just one block over gave the neighborhood just enough seedy grandeur.

The building is now a Bucca di Beppo. I don't eat there.
posted by RakDaddy at 9:48 AM on January 23

Porn was a lot more interesting when it was a hidden subculture vs. an omnipresent part of our Internet experience.
posted by ViceList at 4:08 PM on January 28 [2 favorites]