During the 1960s, movies from Italy, created by such visionary auteurs as Fellini, Pasolini and Antonioni, were staples of the art-house cinemas that popped up like cinecybin mushrooms in hip urban centers, university towns and even such minor metropolises as Memphis. 

Grindhouses, drive-ins and mainstream commercial theaters also imported their share of Italian cinema, screening dubbed rather than subtitled "Spaghetti" Westerns by Sergio Leone, horror thrillers by Mario Bava, sexy star vehicles with Sophia Loren and "Hercules" muscleman adventures set in Ancient Greece and Rome.