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Texas Theatres

"What's a Rialto, Anyway?"
Theatres have just won the dubious distinction of being America's most endangered buildings. Their spaciousness makes conversions difficult and their thin brick walls also make them easy to tear down. While they are still here -- here's a gallery of theatres that once dominated the town square and had the largest electric bills in town. Here are the Arcadias, Rialtos, Majestics, Paramounts, Texans, and Pioneers.

See
Texas Theatres List

Texas Theatres Photo Collections
New & Features
Texas Opera Houses
Texas Drive-In Theatres
Movie Making & Theatre Related Stories


Texas Theatres Photo Collections

Barclay Gibson Collection
  • Texas Theatres - Series 9 3-1-19
  • Texas Theatres - Series 8 1-30--19
  • Series 7
  • Texas Theatres - Series 7 11-23-18


  • Series 6
  • Texas Theatres - Series 6 11-12-18
  • Series 5
  • Texas Theatres - Series 5 8-1-18
  • Series 4
  • Texas Theatres - Series 4 7-1-18
  • Series 3
  • Texas Theatres - Series 3 6-20-18
  • Series 2
  • Texas Theatres - Series 2 12-8-17
  • Series 1
  • Texas Theatres - Series 1 8-18-17
  • Collection 1
    Billy Smith Collection

  • Billy Smith Texas Theater Photo Collection
    Series 1 to 10


  • Dallas Theaters | Fort Worth Theaters

    Wes Reeves' Theatre Photos


  • Seven Panhandle Theatres



  • Drive-in theatres
  • Texas Drive-In Theatres





  • NEW FEATURES

    87 Drive-in
  • Making Out at the 87 Drive-In by Michael Barr 11-15 21

  • The Beachfront Drive-In by Clint Skinner
    History of drive-in theaters and the short lived beachfront drive-In Short Reel Theater in Galveston, Texas

  • Campus
  • Denton - Campus Theatre
  • Lyric
  • Flatonia - Lyric Theater
  • Palace
  • Marking Time at the Palace Theatre by Michael Barr
  • Midland - Yucca Theatre
  • Marfa - Palace Theatre
  • Globe Theatre
  • Bertram - The Globe Theatre Restored
  • Cotton pickin theater
  • The Cotton Pickin’ Theater by Bob Bowman
    At Point, a small town of some 700 souls in northern Rains county..., a sturdy old gin has found a new life as an entertainment venue that draws crowds from all over East Texas and performers like Mark Chestnut, Pee Wee Walker, and Gary Busey.
  • Texas Theatre
  • The Texas Theatre by Dana Goolsby
    The crown jewel of Palestine, has been salvaged and reborn.
  • Globe
  • Odessa - Globe Theatre by Colonel Hawkeye
  • Saenger Theatre
  • San Augustine - Augus Theatre by Barclay Gibson

  • Ballinger - Texas Theatre

  • Perot Theatre, formerly Saenger Theatre
  • Pines Theatre
  • The Rebirth of the Pines by Chris Adams
    Lufkin's beautiful renovation of the 1925 moderne, single-screen Pines Theater

  • "Rebirth of the Kay" by Chris Adams
    Rockdale's Kay Theatre
  • Waco
  • Waco - The Hippodrome Theater
  • Wellington Texas - Ritz Theatre
  • Wellington - The Ritz Theatre

  • Canyon Theatre, Leakey Leakey's Last Picture Show by Linda Kirkpatrick

  • Palestine’s Texas Theater by Bob Bowman

  • Stately Memories by Billy B. Smith

  • I was A Teenage Projectionist
  • Capitan Theatre
  • Pasadena's Capitan Theatre





  • Texas Theatres List (Featured Articles & Images)

  • Abilene - Paramount & Majestic Theatre
  • Alamo Heights - Broadway Theatre
  • Alice - Rialto Theatre
  • Alpine - Granada Theatre
  • Amarillo - Paramount Theatre
  • Anson - 1907 Opera House
  • Anson - Palace Theatre
  • Archer City - The Royal Theater featured in The Last Picture Show
  • Athens - Texan Theatre
  • Austin - Paramount
  • Ballinger - Texas Theatre
  • Bay City
  • Baytown - Brunson Theatre
  • Beaumont - Jefferson Theatre Marquee
  • Beaumont - Jefferson Theatre
  • Beeville - Rialto Theatre
  • Beeville - Rio Theatre
  • Bertram - The Globe Theatre Restored
  • Big Spring - Ritz Theatre
  • Big Wells
  • Blanco
  • Bonham Theatres
  • Bronte - Texas Theatre
  • Brownfield Theatres
  • Brownsville - Majestic Theatre
  • Brownwood - Bowie & Lyric Theatres
  • Bryan - Palace Theatre
  • Bryan - Queen Theatre
  • Calvert - Eloia Theatre
  • Canadian - Palace Theatre
  • Carrollton - Plaza Theatre
  • Center - Rio Theatre
  • Childress - Palace Theatre
  • Cisco - Palace Theatre
  • Clarendon - Mulkey Theatre
  • Claude - Gem Theatre
  • Cleburne - Esquire Theatre
  • Clifton - Cliftex Theatre
  • Columbus - Oaks Theatre
  • Conroe - Crighton Theatre
  • Copperas Cove - Cove Theatre
  • Corsicana - Palace Theatre
  • Crockett - Ritz Theatre
  • Crystal City
  • Dalhart - La Rita Theatre
  • Dallas - Texas Theatre
  • DeKalb - State Theatre
  • Del Rio
  • Denison - Rialto Theatre
  • Denton - Campus Theatre
  • Denton - Fine Arts Theatre
  • Dimmitt - Carlisle Theatre
  • Eagle Pass - Aztec Theatre
  • Earth - Earth Theatre
  • Eastland - Majectic Theatre
  • Ed Couch - Rio Theatre
  • Eden - Rivas Cinema Theatre - Photo essay by Jason Penney
  • Edna - Edna Theatre
  • Electra - The Grand Theatre
  • Falfurrias - Almeda Theatre
  • Falfurrias - Pioneer Theatre
  • Fayetteville - Dawn Theater
  • Flatonia - Lyric Theater
  • Floydada - Palace Theatre
  • Fort Clark - Post Theater
  • Fort Worth - Isis Theatre
  • Fredericksburg - Palace Theatre by Michael Barr
  • Gainesville- State Theatre
  • Ganado - Ganado Cinema
  • Garland - Plaza Theatre
  • George West - Theater name unknown
  • Gladwater - Cozy Theatre
  • Goliad - Frels Theatre
  • Graham - Theatres & Drive-in
  • Greenville - Texan Theatre
  • Hale Center - Closed Theatre
  • Hallettsville
  • Harlingen - Grande Theatre
  • Harlingen - Rialto Theatre
  • Hearne - Chatmas Theatre
  • Hillsboro - Texas Theatre
  • Hondo - Raye Theater *
  • Houston - Globe Theater
  • Humble - Jewel Theater
  • Huntsville - Town Theatre
  • Jacksonville - Palace Theater, 1932
  • Junction - Texan Theatre
  • Karnes City - Rialto Theatre
  • Kerrville - Arcadia Theatre
  • Kilgore - Crim Theatre and Texan Theatre
  • Kingsville - Texas Theatre
  • Kirbyville
  • La Grange - Cozy Theater
  • Leakey - Canyon Theatre
  • Lewisville - Community Theatre
  • Liberty - Liberty Opry on the Square, former Park Theater
  • Liberty - Former theater
  • Littlefield - Palace Theatre
  • Livingston - Fain Theatre
  • Lubbock - Cactus Theatre
  • Lufkin - The Rebirth of the Pines
  • Luling - Stanley Theatre
  • Lumberton - Palace Theatre
  • Marfa - Palace Theatre
  • Marlin - Palace Theatre
  • Marlin - Strand Theatre
  • Marshall - Paramount Theatre
  • Mason - Odeon
  • Mathis - The It Theatre
  • McAllen - El Rey
  • McGregor - Library Theatre
  • McGregor - Texas Theatre
  • McKinney - The Ritz
  • McLean - The Avalon Theater
  • Memphis
  • Merkel - Queen Theatre
  • Mexia - Mexia Theatre
  • Midland - Yucca Theatre
  • Mineola - Select Theatre
  • Mineral Wells - Grand Theatre
  • Mount Vernon - Joy Theater
  • Muleshoe - Wallace Theatre
  • Munday - Roy Theatre
  • Nacogdoches - Main Theatre
  • Navasota - Millers Theatre
  • New Braunfels - Brauntex Theatre
  • Oak Cliff - Texas Theatre
  • Odessa - Ector Theatre
  • Odessa - Globe Theatre
  • Olton- Roxy Theatre
  • Overton
  • Paducah - Palace & Zana Theatre
  • Palestine - Gem Theatre
  • Palestine - Texas Theatre by Dana Goolsby
  • Paris - Plaza Theatre
  • Pasadena - The Capitan Theatre
  • Pearsall - Oaks Theatre
  • Pecos
  • Perryton - Ellis Theatre
  • Plainview - Granada Theatre by Dwight Young
    Donna Reed and The Granada Theatre (no images)
  • Plainview Theatres
  • Point
  • Port Lavaca Theatre
  • Porterville - Temple Theater
  • Post - Tower Theatre
  • Premont - The Rig Theatre
  • Quitaque - Midway Drive-In
  • Ranger - Lone Star Theatre
  • Raymondville - Texas Theatre
  • Rio Grande City - Garmon Theater
  • Roby - Roby Theatre
  • Rockdale - "Rebirth of the Kay"
  • Rosenburg - Cole Theatre
  • Rusk - Cherokee Theatre
  • San Antonio's Majestic Theater by Michael Barr
  • San Augustine - Augus Theatre
  • Sanderson - Princess Theater *
  • Santa Rosa - Rio Theatre
  • Sealy - Texas Theatre
  • Seguin - Palace Theatre
  • Seguin - Texas Theatre
  • Sierra Blanca - State Theatre
  • Snyder - Ritz Theatre
  • Spearman - Lyric Theatre
  • Spur - Palace Theatre
  • Stamford - Grand Theatre
  • Stanton - Texas Theatre
  • Sulphur Springs - Mission
  • Sweetwater - Texas Theatre
  • Taylor - Theater name unknown
  • Temple - The Arcadia Theatre
  • Temple - The Texas Theatre
  • Terlingua - Starlight Theatre
  • Texarkana - Perot Theatre, formerly Saenger Theatre
  • Three Rivers - Rialto Theatre
  • Timpson - Fox Theatre
  • Tulia - Royal Theatre
  • Tyler - Arcadia, Liberty and Tyler Theaters
  • Vernon - Plaza Theatre
  • Victoria - Theatre Victoria
  • Wallis
  • Waxahachie - Texas Theater
  • Wellington - The Ritz Theatre
  • West Columbia - Capitol Theatre
  • Wharton - Plaza Theater
  • Wills Point - The Majestic Theatre
  • Wink - The Rig Theatre (Historic photos)
    More to come

    Opera Houses and Theatres for the Performing Arts

  • Amarillo - Grand Opera House
  • Austin - The Millett Opera House c. 1878
  • Beaumont - Julie Rogers Theater for the Performing Arts
  • Beaumont - Kyle Opera House
  • Granbury - Granbury Opera House by Joan Upton Hall
  • Hallettsville - Opera House c. 1896
  • Kerrville - Pampell's by Michael Barr
  • Plainview - Schick Opera House
  • Point - The Cotton Pickin’ Theater by Bob Bowman
  • Shiner - Opera House
  • Uvalde - The Uvalde Grand Opera House c. 1891
    More to come

    Haunted Theatres in Texas
  • Schulenburg - The Cozy Theater
  • Granbury - Granbury Opera House by Joan Upton Hall




  • Drive-in theatres
    Texas Drive-In Theatres

  • Texas Drive-In Theatres - series 1
  • Making Out at the 87 Drive-In by Michael Barr 11-15 21

  • The Beachfront Drive-In by Clint Skinner
    History of drive-in theaters and the short lived beachfront drive-In Short Reel Theater in Galveston, Texas


  • Movie Making & Theatre Related Stories

  • The Film Book: a Complete Guide to the World of Film by Ronald Bergan Review by Dr. Kirk Bane 10-1-23

  • La Menken and the First Horse Opera by Clay Coppedge 4-11-23

  • A Light in the Dark: a History of Movie Directors by David Thomson. Review by Dr. Kirk Bane 3-1-23

  • Sal Mineo: A Biography by Michael Gregg Michaud
    Reviewed by Dr. Kirk Bane 2-1-23


  • Robert Mitchum: Solid, Dad, Crazy by Damien Love
    Reviewed by Dr. Kirk Bane 1-4-23


  • William Friedkin Interviews Edited by Christopher Lane. Review by Dr. Kirk Bane

  • American Independent Film by Jessica Winter. Review by Dr. Kirk Bane

  • Cinema '62: the Greatest Year at the Movies by Stephen Farber and Michael McClellan. Review by Dr. Kirk Bane

  • The Seventies: The Decade that Changed American Film Forever by Vincent Lobrutto. Review by Dr. Kirk Bane

  • Easy Rider: 50 Years Looking for America by Steven Bingen. Review by Dr. Kirk Bane

  • Shooting Midnight Cowboy by Glenn Frankel. Review by Dr. Kirk Bane

  • The Wild Bunch: Sam Peckinpah, a Revolution in Hollywood, the Making of a Legendary Film by W.K. Stratton. Review by Dr. Kirk Bane

  • Shooting Stars of the Small Screen by Douglas Brode. Review by Dr. Kirk Bane

  • The Rough Guide to Westerns by Paul Simpson. Review by Dr. Kirk Bane

  • Everybody's Talkin': The Top Films of 1965-1969 by Barry Monush. Review by Dr. Kirk Bane

  • Supporting Features: Writing and Interviews on Movies and Moviemakers by Damien Love. Review by Dr. Kirk Bane

  • Peter Bogdanovich: Interviews. Peter Tonguette (ed.). Review by Dr. Kirk Bane

  • Sharon Tate: Recollection by Debra Tate, Foreword by Roman Polanski. Review by Dr. Kirk Bane

  • Early Movie Making by Mike Cox
    "The movie industry was in its infancy, but the American appetite for film already was hearty... This demand necessitated year-round shooting, but since almost all shots had to be made outside during these early years, movie companies based in the Northeast had to find places with weather more suitable for winter filming. Most companies went to California, and a couple of companies filmed in Colorado and Utah. But Melies chose San Antonio, where he set up shop adjacent to the Hot Wells Hotel.


  • Hoodwinked by Hollywood by Michael Barr

  • Supporting Features: Writing and Interviews on Movies and Moviemakers by Damien Love. Review by Dr. Kirk Bane

  • Wisdom learned from the silver screen by Britt Towery
    I was fortunate to get an early start on study of the history of the world. Every Saturday night mother took my sister and I to a double-feature at the one-aisled Queen Theater on Brownwood’s Center Avenue.

  • If It was a Fable, Let It Continue by Britt Towery
    There was a certain pride of station when I wore the maroon uniform of a Lyric Theater usher. That was a time when theater ushers actually helped people find a seat during the film...

  • Champ Did His Experiment at the State Theater and in the Name of The Enforcer by Bill Cherry
    There was a period where the use of the name Nelson was often meant to bring respect and fear. At least there was one Nelson - Charles was his name - whom everyone seemed to know was harmless... Most others, though, had the reputation among us teenagers for being The Enforcers...

  • Remembrances: The Queen Theatre in Merkel, Texas or Reflections through a Dr. Pepper bottle by Roger T. Moore

  • The Joy Theater of Shreveport by Billy B. Smith
    I saw a photograph of it in a history book about my hometown: the old Joy Theater on Texas Street. It is long gone now, as many movie theaters from the 1950s are, but seeing the photo brought back fond memories of my youth. The Joy was somewhat scandalous because of both the types of movies it showed and because of the kinds of patrons it attracted...

  • Tennessee Williams' Texas Director by Bob Bowman
    Without the interest of an East Texas woman, American theater icon Tennessee Williams might still be writing high school plays in a small town.

  • Hollywood Soot by Audrey A. Herbrich
    Photos by Boyd Photography, La Grange
    The Cozy Theater "had always been a town staple, not unlike cotton of the 40s, Chicken Ranch hookers of the 60s, or oil of the 80s. It was a prime hot spot. First dates, first kisses, first tastes of Cokes not from cans—all in the Cozy..."

  • Texas Guinan
    "I would rather have a square inch of New York than all the rest of the world." - Texas Guinan

  • Cowboy Gene by Mike Cox ("Texas Tales")
    Gene Autry the Singing Cowboy and the Palace Theater in Childress

  • The Movies in 1930s Marlin A memoir by George Lester

  • Profile of an Actor: Maurice Barrymore

  • Quite an Experience by Louise George ("History by George")
    A theater burned in Mena



    Poems & Light Verses by David Knape

  • Sky Theater 1-21-22


    Cartoons by Roger T. Moore

  • Horton Foote won an Academy Award 10-6-20


    *Our thanks to Lew Shrier & Dorothy Jordan for identifying theatres previously listed as unknown.


  • Forum

  • Subject: Texas City Theatres

    We have a debate on the movie theatres in the years we grew up. We recall the Jewel, the Showboat and the Drive Inn called Tradewinds. Many insist there was a movie on 6th Street called Texas or Texan.

    I have no recollection of it and was born in TC in 1938. I suggested perhaps the Jewel originally was named Texas. No, many say it was a different location and looked different. Could be two story bldg.

    It would be great for you to solve this for us. We are mostly in our 70's and 80's so some can't remember anything. Hope you can help! - Thanks, Sylvia Jo Smith, October 02, 2018

    Email history@texasescapes.com


  • More
    Texas Architecture

    Texas Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their photos (vintage or recent) or story of Texas theatres, please send as email attachments to history@texasescapes.com. For more informations, please contact us.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


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