Orpheum Theater's Ghostly Mary



The Orpheum Theater, located in downtown Memphis, is one of the most lovely theaters in the entire state. It was originally built in 1890, but that structure burned to the ground in 1923. The Orpheum was then rebuilt, and was completed in 1928. Shortly after it was reopened, a ghostly little girl took up residence inside.

The little girl who "lives" in the Orpheum is known as "Mary," though no one knows what her name was in life. By all accounts, Mary was killed on Beale Street in some sort of an accident in 1921. No one knows what the nature of the accident was. Some say she was hit by a car, others say she fell. In any event, she eventually made her way to the Orpheum Theater. The theater would be the perfect place for a young girl to entertain herself, with so many people coming in and out, and so many plays. It's not hard to imagine a young child taking up residence in the Orpheum.

Mary has never created a disturbance during a production, but she has been known to play pranks on the actors and production crew. In 1977 the Orpheum hosted Fiddler on the Roof. The cast members sensed Mary's presence, and even insisted on holding a seance on the upper balcony on opening night! Other actors and stage hands have seen her or sensed her in the theater. They all agree she means no harm.

Mary's favorite song is "Never Never Land," and she has been known to play it on the theater's organ on occasion. Other times, she just hits random keys on the organ, as though she were only playing. This happens even if the organ is turned off. No ones has been able to explain this except to say that Mary is responsible.

During the 1960s, a man named Harlan Judkin was working to restore the pipe organ which Mary had become fond of. He had never heard any stories about Mary, as she was not well known back then. Harland and some of his workers were trying very hard to fix a problem which seemed impossible to fix. Frustrated and tired, they decided to take a break. When they returned, it was fixed! Judkin was unable to explain how it happened, and neither has anyone else.

The origin of Mary as having died in a falling accident comes from a parapsychology class which visited the theater in the 1980s to try to determine what caused her to haunt the theater. They could only ascertain that she had died in 1921 in a falling accident.

For years, management tried to keep Mary's presence a secret. Today she has become the unofficial mascot of the Orpheum. It is said that her favorite seat is C-5. So if you ever go to the Orpheum, don't sit in seat C-5. You might make a ghost mad at you.




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