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Queen of the Deuce

June 7, 2024
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Director
Valerie Kontakos
Released
2024
Country
Run Time
1h 18m
Rating
Format
Film
Archive
Queen of the Deuce

Artist Bio

Director Q&A

Overview

From the late ’60s to the mid ’80s, in the notorious Times Square area known as the Deuce, the eccentric, Greek-born Chelly Wilson built a porn cinema empire and a reputation as one of the most savvy and charismatic figures on the scene.

With a cigarette in hand and bags of money stashed in the corner, Chelly regularly held court in her bunkerlike apartment above the legendary 8th Avenue all-male Adonis Theatre, summoning a lively cabal of associates, entertainers and fellow poker players, with her female lovers always hovering and grandchildren often underfoot. Yet few in her circle knew of the risks she took to get there.

QUEEN OF THE DEUCE reveals Chelly’s origins as a taboo-breaking entrepreneur and traces the fraught events that lead to her departure from Europe on the eve of war, and the unconventional trajectories of her American business ventures and personal life. With the rise of feminism, the sexual revolution and gay pride in frame, QUEEN OF THE DEUCE is an alternate take on cultural history as seen through Chelly Wilson’s empowering story of survival.

Reviews

“Often it’s those people you have never heard of who prove the most entertaining subjects for documentary and that’s certainly true of the late Chelly Wilson.”
– SCREEN DAILY

"An affectionate portrait of Chelly as a one-of-a-kind trailblazer who lived life to the fullest, and always on her own iconoclastic terms, all while also providing a vivid snapshot of New York City during its daring and dangerous pre-sanitized era."
– THE DAILY BEAST

“Beguiling… breezy and brisk… [Chelly is] Auntie Mame with the swagger and bluntness of Sophie Tucker. Her tale is the stuff of a miniseries or, with its late 20th-century sexual sensibility, a rollicking novel by Jacqueline Susann.”
– FILM-FORWARD

What is

?

O Cinema South Beach

1130 Washington Ave
Miami Beach, FL 33139

Showtimes

Fri
Jun 7
7:00 pm
Sat
Jun 8
2:00 pm
Sat
Jun 8
3:40 pm
Sat
Jun 8
5:20 pm
Sun
Jun 9
1:00 pm
Sun
Jun 9
2:40 pm
Sun
Jun 9
4:20 pm
Mon
Jun 10
7:00 pm
Purchase Tickets

Event Details

• Adults – $12.50
• Older Adults (62+ years old w/ valid ID) – $10.00
• Students & Teachers (w/ valid ID) – $10.00
• Children (12 years old & under) – $10.00
• Military (w/ valid ID) – $10.00
• O Cinema Members – $8.50
(All tickets are available online and at the box office. Prices for special events and select screenings may vary. Please note ticket prices before you complete your purchase. All prices are subject to change without notice.)

All Miami Beach residents get 20% off Adult tickets on the FIRST MONDAY OF EVERY MONTH @ O Cinema South Beach! (w/ valid proof of residency)

ALL FILMS START EXACTLY AT THE LISTED TIME, AND ALL TICKET SALES ARE FINAL. NO REFUNDS, NO EXCHANGES, NO EXCEPTIONS.

Event Details

• Adults – $12.50
• Older Adults (62+ years old w/ valid ID) – $10.00
• Students & Teachers (w/ valid ID) – $10.00
• Children (12 years old & under) – $10.00
• Military (w/ valid ID) – $10.00
• O Cinema Members – $8.50
(All tickets are available online and at the box office. Prices for special events and select screenings may vary. Please note ticket prices before you complete your purchase. All prices are subject to change without notice.)

All Miami Beach residents get 20% off Adult tickets on the FIRST MONDAY OF EVERY MONTH @ O Cinema South Beach! (w/ valid proof of residency)

ALL FILMS START EXACTLY AT THE LISTED TIME, AND ALL TICKET SALES ARE FINAL. NO REFUNDS, NO EXCHANGES, NO EXCEPTIONS.

Purchase Tickets