According to the Earth News-Sun newspaper on November 4, 1971, Ted Borum who owned both the Earth Theatre in downtown Earth announced that due to personal reasons he will not open the shows in the future. Mr. Borum has sold his theatre equipment and the building that houses the Earth Theatre is for sale. The Earth News-Sun on July 20, 1978, states that Ted and Ruth Borum came to Earth in 1945. Several had owned the Earth Theatre before Ted Borum purchased the theatre in 1945.
According to the Earth News-Sun newspaper on November 4, 1971, Ted Borum who owned the Sunset Drive-in Theatre sold his theatre equipment for the drive-in. The land and building where the drive-in theatre is located are for sale.
According to the Devils River News, Juan Velasquez of Sonora opened his new theatre in Sonora showing Spanish movies in January 1928. The building was located on the south edge of Sonora. He held a contest to “name the theatre” and the Devils River Newspaper on 17 February 1928 shows the name “Valencia Theatre” was chosen. A $1500 piano was installed. The building was enlarged given a total of 20x64 with a seating capacity of 200. The Valencia Theatre ceased operation by November 1928. On Tuesday night, December 25, 1928, the theatre building caught fire from the flames of the home of A.F. Clarkson due to a chimney fire. The theatre’s front was burned at a loss of several thousand of dollars. The building was not insured.
According to the Dickens County Times in 1925, the Lyric Theatre had its first show on Monday, March 9, 1925, in its new home on Harris Street. The program was “The North of 36”. Mr. W. W. Flournoy was the owner and manager of the Lyric Theatre when it opened. He sold his interest in the Lyric Theatre and part ownership of the Spur Theatre to M.A. Lea, Sr and his son, M.A. Lea, Jr in February of 1928. By 1933, the building was being remodeled for a grocery store owned by J.H. Moore, Sr.
The Devil’s River News on June 23, 1982, records the funeral of Green Hix Hall. His obituary states that he and his wife built and operated the Bronco Drive-in in the early 1950s. After his wife passed in 1955, he sold the Bronco Theatre.
“The Bronco Drive-In Theatre in Sonora was owned and operated by Muriel and Hillman Brown from 1962 to 1974. The last movie for the Bronco Drive-in was on August 31, 1974. The Drive-in had been unprofitable for several months.” - Devil’s River News, 29 August 1974
According to The Beaver Herald-Democrat on 8 October 1931, the State Theatre was destroyed by fire on 6 October 1931. The room where the fire started was filled with pianos, victrolas, radios, and electric supplies belonging to Frank Spangler, who owned the building. The fire started with an explosion. The front of the building with the picture machine booth was saved. Fred Dolton, owner of the State Theatre says all his equipment is covered by insurance.
By 1953, the Howell Theatre’s name had changed to “The Rancho Theatre.”. The Coleman Democrat on February 15, 1966, shows the Rancho Theatre building fire started on Sunday night, 13 February 1966 in the projection room area in the north part of the building. The blaze possibly started in the generator room under the projection room. The theatre building was owned by Wright Howell of Dallas, grandson of the late B.C. Howell, operator of the Theatre since the late 1920s and operated the theatre as the Howell Theatre. Roland Duus owns and operates the theatre and has been operating the theatre as “The Rancho Theatre”. The fire gutted the theatre.
Coleman Democrat on July 29, 1969 shows that Roland Duss established both of the Coleman Drive-in theaters. He sold the Drive-ins to Carlton Mann of Mineral Wells in 1969. The article mentions that Roland Duss built the Oak Drive-in and later added the Cole-Anna and then purchased the downtown theatre, the Rancho.
The Coleman Democrat newspaper on 10 March 1953 explains that the Howell Theatre’s name was changed to “The Rancho Theatre”. The old Howell Theatre was located in downtown Coleman, on West Pecan Street. The name change was marked with a large neon sign, replacing the former Howell downtown sight.
In 1923, Mitchell County deed records show that the Palace Theatre was sold to Walter W. Whipkey by Ralph & Sadler, the original owners of the theatre.
The Colorado Weekly Record shows that the new home of the Best Theatre was being constructed in 1923. The building then occupied by the Colorado National Bank will be remodeled into the new Best Theatre. The big style “O” Wurlitzer will be one of the main attractions. The double piano has pipe and drum attachments to the straight pipe organ. A six foot Typhoon blower will be installed. There is a 10 or 11 foot lobby with tile floor and plaster walls. The box office is made of white marble with a black base and plate glass over the marble. There are French mirrored entrance doors with brass push rods and kick plates.
- Colorado Weekly Record, June 1, 1923
The Donley County Leader shows that the Pastime was opened by Homer Mulkey in 1910. By 1946, the Pastime had been shifted to being open only on Saturdays and showing westerns only. In April of 1951, the Pastime Movie Theatre was sold to the Clarendon American Legion and they used it for their meetings and dances. It appears the Pastime had closed by December of 1950 and was no longer showing movies.
The Donley County Leader shows that Homer Mulkey came to Clarendon in 1904 and became one of the outstanding photographers in the region. He sold his art gallery in 1910 and opened up his first movie theatre in Clarendon. At the time of his death in 1941, he owned two theatre houses in Clarendon including the Cozy.
The Donley County Leader newspaper shows the Cozy Theatre opened on October 18, 1935. The first picture shown in the theatre was “The Miracle Rider”. The roof was gravel and asphalt. The inside walls had a panel effect and were new to this area. the panels are colored buff, white and light blue resembling tiling. Subdued lights from the side walls alone. The sound equipment is made by RCA and Simplex machines. The front of the building is done in white with Carrara glass ornaments. The Cozy Theatre is distinguished by the nine-foot-high neon sign on the front of the building. The original building was constructed in 1893 by Frank Borcher. The article does not mention the Queen Theatre, but C.L. Heath got his first experience in the building in picture show work when he used a hand-cranked machine in this building in 1910.
According to the Bronte newspapers, the Bronte landmark, the Texas Theatre was placed for sale on the real estate market in January of 1991. The Texas Theatre, at that time, was one of the remaining landmark buildings left in Bronte. The Bronte Chamber of Commerce led the effort to save the theatre building. According to the newspaper article, the photo shown on this page was the Texas Theatre construction that began in 1947. The Texas Theater was built by the Wojtek Brothers of Robert Lee. They acted as designers, architects, and builders. The Texas Theatre in Bronte photo was used as the logo for the Texas Film Commission and was on the cover of Texas Monthly in November 1990. Luis Charles owned the theatre in 1991 and he closed the theatre in the mid-1970s. Bids have been contracted to tear down the Texas Theatre in Bronte in 1991 to salvage materials. Price for the building, equipment, and lot in 1991 was $25,000. In 1985, a metal screwed-down roof was put on the Texas Theatre. The building has the original projection equipment and the popcorn machine was still there.
According to the Bronte Enterprise newspaper, there were two Texas Theatres in Bronte, Texas. The first Texas Theatre building which was owned and managed by the Wojtek brothers opened in Bronte, Texas on November 16, 1936. The two brothers built a “new” Texas Theatre which is the photo shown on this page. The newspaper describes the building as being a new structure, 36 feet wide by 110 feet long built of concrete tile. The carpet covers the concrete floors in the lobby and rubber aisle carpets lead to the seats. The new building has been painted white. Frank, Victor, and Otto Wojtek are the owners of the new theatre. They operated the “old” Texas Theatre in Bronte for 12 years. In the “New” Texas Theatre, there are 68 seats on the balcony and 332 on the main floor. The brothers opened the “new” Texas Theatre in Bronte on September 14, 1948.
The 9 April 1920 Ballinger Ledger mentions that J.D. Jones of Jones & Wood are owners of the Maeroy Theatre and White City Amusements Parks in Ballinger. That’s the earliest mention I found in the Ballinger newspapers of the Maeroy Theatre.
The Ballinger Daily Ledger on 13 October 1914 shows the Princess Theatre to be opened with six reels of ZuZu the Band Leader, For the Sake of Kate, and When Ruben Fooled the Bandits". Admission was 10c.
In the 13 September 1932 issue of the Ballinger Semi-Weekly Ledger, it mentions that the Queen Theatre is re-opening after being closed for several months.
According to the Earth News-Sun newspaper on November 4, 1971, Ted Borum who owned both the Earth Theatre in downtown Earth announced that due to personal reasons he will not open the shows in the future. Mr. Borum has sold his theatre equipment and the building that houses the Earth Theatre is for sale. The Earth News-Sun on July 20, 1978, states that Ted and Ruth Borum came to Earth in 1945. Several had owned the Earth Theatre before Ted Borum purchased the theatre in 1945.
According to the Earth News-Sun newspaper on November 4, 1971, Ted Borum who owned the Sunset Drive-in Theatre sold his theatre equipment for the drive-in. The land and building where the drive-in theatre is located are for sale.
According to the Devils River News, Juan Velasquez of Sonora opened his new theatre in Sonora showing Spanish movies in January 1928. The building was located on the south edge of Sonora. He held a contest to “name the theatre” and the Devils River Newspaper on 17 February 1928 shows the name “Valencia Theatre” was chosen. A $1500 piano was installed. The building was enlarged given a total of 20x64 with a seating capacity of 200. The Valencia Theatre ceased operation by November 1928. On Tuesday night, December 25, 1928, the theatre building caught fire from the flames of the home of A.F. Clarkson due to a chimney fire. The theatre’s front was burned at a loss of several thousand of dollars. The building was not insured.
According to the Dickens County Times in 1925, the Lyric Theatre had its first show on Monday, March 9, 1925, in its new home on Harris Street. The program was “The North of 36”. Mr. W. W. Flournoy was the owner and manager of the Lyric Theatre when it opened. He sold his interest in the Lyric Theatre and part ownership of the Spur Theatre to M.A. Lea, Sr and his son, M.A. Lea, Jr in February of 1928. By 1933, the building was being remodeled for a grocery store owned by J.H. Moore, Sr.
The Devil’s River News on June 23, 1982, records the funeral of Green Hix Hall. His obituary states that he and his wife built and operated the Bronco Drive-in in the early 1950s. After his wife passed in 1955, he sold the Bronco Theatre.
“The Bronco Drive-In Theatre in Sonora was owned and operated by Muriel and Hillman Brown from 1962 to 1974. The last movie for the Bronco Drive-in was on August 31, 1974. The Drive-in had been unprofitable for several months.” - Devil’s River News, 29 August 1974
According to The Beaver Herald-Democrat on 8 October 1931, the State Theatre was destroyed by fire on 6 October 1931. The room where the fire started was filled with pianos, victrolas, radios, and electric supplies belonging to Frank Spangler, who owned the building. The fire started with an explosion. The front of the building with the picture machine booth was saved. Fred Dolton, owner of the State Theatre says all his equipment is covered by insurance.
By 1953, the Howell Theatre’s name had changed to “The Rancho Theatre.”. The Coleman Democrat on February 15, 1966, shows the Rancho Theatre building fire started on Sunday night, 13 February 1966 in the projection room area in the north part of the building. The blaze possibly started in the generator room under the projection room. The theatre building was owned by Wright Howell of Dallas, grandson of the late B.C. Howell, operator of the Theatre since the late 1920s and operated the theatre as the Howell Theatre. Roland Duus owns and operates the theatre and has been operating the theatre as “The Rancho Theatre”. The fire gutted the theatre.
Coleman Democrat on July 29, 1969 shows that Roland Duss established both of the Coleman Drive-in theaters. He sold the Drive-ins to Carlton Mann of Mineral Wells in 1969. The article mentions that Roland Duss built the Oak Drive-in and later added the Cole-Anna and then purchased the downtown theatre, the Rancho.
The Coleman Democrat newspaper on 10 March 1953 explains that the Howell Theatre’s name was changed to “The Rancho Theatre”. The old Howell Theatre was located in downtown Coleman, on West Pecan Street. The name change was marked with a large neon sign, replacing the former Howell downtown sight.
In 1923, Mitchell County deed records show that the Palace Theatre was sold to Walter W. Whipkey by Ralph & Sadler, the original owners of the theatre.
I wonder if the natural gas compressor was actually a Typhoon air pump for the Model “O” Wurlitzer pipe organ they used in the theatre.
The Colorado Weekly Record shows that the new home of the Best Theatre was being constructed in 1923. The building then occupied by the Colorado National Bank will be remodeled into the new Best Theatre. The big style “O” Wurlitzer will be one of the main attractions. The double piano has pipe and drum attachments to the straight pipe organ. A six foot Typhoon blower will be installed. There is a 10 or 11 foot lobby with tile floor and plaster walls. The box office is made of white marble with a black base and plate glass over the marble. There are French mirrored entrance doors with brass push rods and kick plates. - Colorado Weekly Record, June 1, 1923
According to the Colorado Record newspaper, Mr. Taylor opened the Best Theatre in 1916.
The Donley County Leader shows that the Pastime was opened by Homer Mulkey in 1910. By 1946, the Pastime had been shifted to being open only on Saturdays and showing westerns only. In April of 1951, the Pastime Movie Theatre was sold to the Clarendon American Legion and they used it for their meetings and dances. It appears the Pastime had closed by December of 1950 and was no longer showing movies.
The Donley County Leader shows that Homer Mulkey came to Clarendon in 1904 and became one of the outstanding photographers in the region. He sold his art gallery in 1910 and opened up his first movie theatre in Clarendon. At the time of his death in 1941, he owned two theatre houses in Clarendon including the Cozy.
The Donley County Leader newspaper shows the Cozy Theatre opened on October 18, 1935. The first picture shown in the theatre was “The Miracle Rider”. The roof was gravel and asphalt. The inside walls had a panel effect and were new to this area. the panels are colored buff, white and light blue resembling tiling. Subdued lights from the side walls alone. The sound equipment is made by RCA and Simplex machines. The front of the building is done in white with Carrara glass ornaments. The Cozy Theatre is distinguished by the nine-foot-high neon sign on the front of the building. The original building was constructed in 1893 by Frank Borcher. The article does not mention the Queen Theatre, but C.L. Heath got his first experience in the building in picture show work when he used a hand-cranked machine in this building in 1910.
According to the Bronte newspapers, the Bronte landmark, the Texas Theatre was placed for sale on the real estate market in January of 1991. The Texas Theatre, at that time, was one of the remaining landmark buildings left in Bronte. The Bronte Chamber of Commerce led the effort to save the theatre building. According to the newspaper article, the photo shown on this page was the Texas Theatre construction that began in 1947. The Texas Theater was built by the Wojtek Brothers of Robert Lee. They acted as designers, architects, and builders. The Texas Theatre in Bronte photo was used as the logo for the Texas Film Commission and was on the cover of Texas Monthly in November 1990. Luis Charles owned the theatre in 1991 and he closed the theatre in the mid-1970s. Bids have been contracted to tear down the Texas Theatre in Bronte in 1991 to salvage materials. Price for the building, equipment, and lot in 1991 was $25,000. In 1985, a metal screwed-down roof was put on the Texas Theatre. The building has the original projection equipment and the popcorn machine was still there.
Frank, Victor, and Otto Wojtek were the owners of the Alamo Theatre in Robert Lee, Texas. The theater opened for business on October 15, 1935.
According to the Bronte Enterprise newspaper, there were two Texas Theatres in Bronte, Texas. The first Texas Theatre building which was owned and managed by the Wojtek brothers opened in Bronte, Texas on November 16, 1936. The two brothers built a “new” Texas Theatre which is the photo shown on this page. The newspaper describes the building as being a new structure, 36 feet wide by 110 feet long built of concrete tile. The carpet covers the concrete floors in the lobby and rubber aisle carpets lead to the seats. The new building has been painted white. Frank, Victor, and Otto Wojtek are the owners of the new theatre. They operated the “old” Texas Theatre in Bronte for 12 years. In the “New” Texas Theatre, there are 68 seats on the balcony and 332 on the main floor. The brothers opened the “new” Texas Theatre in Bronte on September 14, 1948.
The 9 April 1920 Ballinger Ledger mentions that J.D. Jones of Jones & Wood are owners of the Maeroy Theatre and White City Amusements Parks in Ballinger. That’s the earliest mention I found in the Ballinger newspapers of the Maeroy Theatre.
The Ballinger Daily Ledger on 13 October 1914 shows the Princess Theatre to be opened with six reels of ZuZu the Band Leader, For the Sake of Kate, and When Ruben Fooled the Bandits". Admission was 10c.
In the 13 September 1932 issue of the Ballinger Semi-Weekly Ledger, it mentions that the Queen Theatre is re-opening after being closed for several months.
The Princess Theatre was located at the corner of 8th Street and Railroad Avenue in Ballinger according to the 1913 phone book.