Roxy Theater (Miami Beach)
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The Roxy Theater is a former movie theater located at 1527 Washington Avenue in
Miami Beach, Florida Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The municipality is located on natural and human-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean ...
. In 1994, the Roxy was converted into an adult nightclub and renamed Club Madonna. It is owned and operated by theater and nightclub proprietor and former Broadway theater producer Leroy Griffith.


History

The Roxy, billed as "Miami Beach's newest and most fabulous theatre," opened on Friday, July 21, 1967. For its grand opening, the theater premiered '' The Way West'', starring
Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. ...
,
Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He is known for his antihero roles and film noir appearances. He received nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. He received a star on the Holl ...
, and
Richard Widmark Richard Weedt Widmark (December 26, 1914March 24, 2008) was an American film, stage, and television actor and producer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, ''Kiss of Death (1947 film ...
. "The theater is luxurious, designed for comfort and seats 400," wrote ''Miami News'' columnist Herb Kelly. He also reported that Griffith planned to add vaudeville later. Griffith generated publicity there when, in 1967, he publicly invited city officials to a screening of the film, ''Man and Wife''. "It was advertised as the art of making love 49 different ways," he said in a 1993 interview. "I don't remember inviting them, but I vaguely remember the incident. I think that was the first hard-core movie ever shown down here." According to press accounts at the time, the officials seemed to think the movie was boring, but not obscene. In early 1994, Griffith converted the Roxy from an adult movie theater to an all-nude strip club (Club Madonna), which it remains today. He successfully withstood an attempt by attorneys for the pop singer
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
to prevent him from using the name. According to an April 1994 item in the ''
Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily Middle-market newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London. , it has the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom by circulation, h ...
'',
''"The singer, who wants to open a parade of strip clubs herself, had her lawyer fire off a letter to the club's owner, Leroy Griffith, telling him he would have to change the name of his establishment 'because it gives the impression that my client endorses your club and its activities.'  An attorney for the club hit back saying:  'If Madonna wants to take down the sign, she'll have to stop by with a ladder and do it herself.'"''
''
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'' reported that her lawyers claimed she had been "injured" by her perceived association with the club and that its name was "a serious violation of our client's rights" under U.S. trademark law.  Griffith's attorney countered that ''Madonna'' is a name "that's been in the public domain for a couple of thousand years."  Griffith declared to a local TV station, "Our name is Club Madonna, Incorporated, and it will be there as long as we're legally allowed to do so, and I think that'll be for a long, long time." Scenes from the 1995 movie ''South Beach Academy'' were shot inside Club Madonna.
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
's one-time sex partner and adult film star
Stormy Daniels Stephanie A. Gregory Clifford (born Stephanie A. Gregory; March 17, 1979), known professionally as Stormy Daniels, is an American pornographic film actress, Film director, director and former stripper. She has won many industry awards and is a ...
was featured in a two-night appearance at the club in 2018, during her “Make America Horny Again” tour. "I got her at the right price," Griffith told a local newspaper.


References


External links


Club Madonna
{{coord, 25, 47, 17.4, N, 80, 07, 54, W, region:US_source:kolossus-svwiki, display=title Roxy Theater Buildings and structures in Miami Beach, Florida 1967 establishments in Florida Theatres completed in 1967