Majestic Theatre
908 Rusk Street,
Houston,
TX
77002
908 Rusk Street,
Houston,
TX
77002
11 people
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Grand opening section
Majestic Theatre opening Sun, Jan 28, 1923 – Page 49 · The Houston Post (Houston, Texas) · Newspapers.com
Grand opening ad
Majestic theatre opening Sun, Jan 28, 1923 – Page 37 · The Houston Post (Houston, Texas) · Newspapers.com
1933 photo added credit Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.
The Houston Majestic was the first fully atmospheric theater, however, John Eberson’s first partial or prototype atmospheric theatre was the Indiana Theatre in Terre Haute, Indiana. The Indiana Theatre’s construction started before the Wichita Orpheum and was completed 8 months before the Orpheum. Excavation for the Orpheum didn’t begin until July 28, 1921, whereas construction of the Indiana Theatre had began in February 1921, if not earlier. The Indiana opened January 28, 1922 while the Orpheum followed later that year on September 4. Many elements that were first used by Eberson in the Indiana were copied verbatim in his later theaters.
Photo added courtesy J.R. Gonzales, via the below link. Copy and paste link. One comment from the Traces of Taxes Facebook page said the Majestic Theatre was later incorporated into the Houston Chronicle building.
http://blog.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/
Which Majestic are we looking at here? I found these pictures of the demolition… http://www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/sets/72157621832310328/
the interior on each is different
The first Majestic in Houston opened in 1905 on Congress Ave. That location was closed when the Majestic on Texas Ave opened, in 1911. In 1923, the Majestic on Rusk opened and the Texas Avenue Majestic was renamed the Palace. All three Majestics were operated by Karl Hoblitzelle’s Interstate Theatres.
Three Stooges Texas Connection
The Three Stooges performed here during the vaudeville area which would have been during 1921-1934 for them. At the time they were working with Ted Healy and the act was called “Ted Healy and his Stooges”. Healy was the star and was the most successful vaudeville performer in the country making $9000 a week in the 20s. Healy started out as a cartoonist for the Houston Chronicle and met vaudeville performers and entered Show Business. You can hear a radio interview with Moe Howard talking about when they performed at all the Majestic Theaters in Texas and did a joke about Baylor University and the people of Texas where planning on throwing eggs at them! Its on the DVD Stooges Men Behind the Mayhem
http://www.amazon.com/Stooges-The-Men-Behind-Mayhem/dp/B00080ZGZQ
http://ladailymirror.com/2013/05/31/the-death-of-ted-healy-part-4/
Movies which played at the Majestic Theater in Houston, TX from 1/1/69 to 12/31/71. Research from old microfilms of The Houston Post and The Houston Chronicle. The date given is the Wednesday of the opening week. 01/01/69 Hellfighters 02/05/69 Pendulum 02/19/69 Angel in My Pocket 03/05/69 Secret Ceremony 04/02/69 100 Rifles 04/23/69 Uncle Tom’s Cabin 04/30/69 They Came to Rob Las Vegas 05/07/69 The Sweet Body of Deborah 05/14/69 A Fistful of Dollars/For a Few Dollars More 05/28/69 How to Commit Marriage 06/11/69 Once Upon a Time in the West 06/25/69 Mackenna’s Gold 07/16/69 The Lost Man 08/06/69 Stiletto 08/20/69 Eye of the Cat 08/27/69 Death Rides a Horse 09/10/69 3 into 2 Won’t Go 09/17/69 The Learning Tree 09/24/69 Some Kind of a Nut 10/01/69 Paranoia 10/08/69 The Good Guys and the Bad Guys 10/22/69 Inga 11/05/69 de Sade 11/19/69 Fanny Hill 12/17/69 Naked as the Wind from the Sea 12/24/69 The Arrangement 02/18/70 Tell Them Willie Boy is Here 03/11/70 The Lawyer 03/25/70 Bloody Mama 04/08/70 Sweden, Heaven, and Hell 04/15/70 The Honeymoon Killers 04/22/70 Female Animal 04/29/70 Scream and Scream Again 05/06/70 The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly/Hang ‘Em High 05/13/70 Barquero 05/27/70 The Losers 06/10/70 Beneath the Planet of the Apes 07/08/70 Beyond the Valley of the Dolls 07/29/70 Kelly’s Heroes 08/26/70 Soldier Blue 09/16/70 The McMasters 09/23/70 Darker than Amber 10/07/70 Monte Walsh 10/21/70 Hotel 10/28/70 The Student Nurses 11/04/70 Colossus—The Forbin Project 11/11/70 Machine Gun McCain 11/18/70 Dirty Dingus Magee 12/09/70 Rabbit, Run 12/16/70 Eva 12/23/70 There Was a Crooked Man… 01/20/71 Death Rides a Horse/Barquero/Sabata 01/27/71 Perfect Friday 02/03/71 The Swimming Pool/Monique 02/10/71 Her & She & Him 02/17/71 The Battle of Neretva 02/24/71 Patton 03/10/71 The Last Grenade/Ali-Frazier Fight 03/17/71 The Projectionist 03/24/71 Get Carter/Kenner 03/31/71 Madron 04/07/71 Brother John 04/14/71 Sudden Terror/The Grasshopper 04/21/71 War Between Planets 04/28/71 The Night Visitor 05/05/71 The Left-Handed Gun 05/12/71 The House That Dripped Blood 05/19/71 The Racing Scene 05/26/71 Today We Kill, Tomorrow We Die 06/09/71 Relations 06/16/71 Fanny Hill/Inga 06/23/71 Big Jake 07/07/71 Shaft 08/11/71 The Last Run 08/18/71 Night of Dark Shadows 08/25/71 The Todd Killings 09/01/71 Evel Knievel 09/15/71 Two-Lane Blacktop 09/22/71 The Clay Pigeon no listings after this – theater closed???
Movies which played at the Majestic Theater in Houston, TX from 1/1/66 to 12/31/68. Research from old microfilms of The Houston Post and The Houston Chronicle. The date given is the Wednesday of the opening week. 01/01/66 The Spy Who Came in from the Cold 01/26/66 Our Man Flint 02/16/66 The Oscar 03/02/66 Judith 03/16/66 Made in Paris 03/30/66 The Flight of the Phoenix 04/20/66 Ride Beyond Vengeance 05/04/66 A Man Could Get Killed 05/18/66 The Naked Prey 05/25/66 The Last of the Secret Agents 06/01/66 Hold On! 06/08/66 The Dirty Game 06/15/66 Stagecoach 07/20/66 Modesty Blaise 08/03/66 Assault on a Queen 08/24/66 How to Steal a Million 09/21/66 Ambush Bay 09/28/66 One Spy Too Many 10/05/66 Mister Buddwing 10/12/66 Alvarez Kelly 10/26/66 Texas Across the River 11/23/66 Spinout 12/07/66 Rage 12/21/66 Murderers Row 01/25/67 The Reluctant Astronaut (World Premiere) 02/08/67 The Sound of Music (pop prices) 03/22/67 Doctor, You’ve Got to Be Kidding! 04/12/67 Deadlier Than the Male 04/19/67 One Million Years, B. C. 05/03/67 The Deadly Affair 05/10/67 The Great Escape 05/24/67 The Busy Body 05/31/67 Thoroughly Modern Millie 09/20/67 The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre 09/27/67 The Flim-Flam Man 10/04/67 Point Blank 11/15/67 The Long Duel 11/22/67 Rosie! 12/06/67 Jack of Diamonds 12/13/67 Paris Blues 12/20/67 The President’s Analyst 01/17/68 The Penthouse 01/24/68 The Incident 01/31/68 Bonnie and Clyde 02/21/68 The Ballad of Josie 02/28/68 P. J. 03/13/68 In Cold Blood 04/10/68 Planet of the Apes 05/22/68 The Shakiest Gun in the West 05/29/68 Yours, Mine, and Ours 06/19/68 Bandolero 07/24/68 Dark of the Sun 08/07/68 Anzio 08/21/68 The Hell with Heroes 08/28/68 Salt and Pepper 09/11/68 Hammerhead 09/18/68 Deadfall 09/25/68 A Lovely Way to Die 10/02/68 Pretty Poison 10/09/68 Duffy 10/23/68 If He Hollers, Let Him Go 11/06/68 A Twist of Sand 11/13/68 Killers 3 11/20/68 Coogan’s Bluff 12/18/68 Hellfighters
Movies which played at the Majestic Theater in Houston, TX from 1/1/63 to 12/31/65. Research from old microfilms of The Houston Post and The Houston Chronicle. The date given is the Wednesday of the opening week. 01/01/63 Samson and the 7 Miracles of the World 01/09/63 Six Black Horses/Night Creatures 01/16/63 Who’s Got the Action 01/30/63 Sodom and Gomorrah 02/13/63 Diamond Head 03/06/63 The Days of Wine and Roses 03/27/63 Love is a Ball 04/10/63 It Happened at the World’s Fair 04/17/63 My Six Loves 05/01/63 The Ugly American 05/15/63 Showdown/Mystery Submarine 05/22/63 Island of Love 05/29/63 Hud 06/26/63 The Stripper 07/03/63 Donovan’s Reef 07/17/63 55 Days at Peking 07/31/63 The Thrill of It All 08/28/63 PT 109 09/11/63 For Love or Money 09/18/63 Toys in the Attic 09/25/63 The Condemned of Altona 10/02/63 Rampage 10/09/63 Wives and Lovers 10/16/63 The Running Man 10/23/63 Shock Corridor 10/30/63 Mary, Mary 11/13/63 McLintock 12/18/63 Four for Texas 01/08/64 Strait-Jacket 01/29/64 Soldier in the Rain 02/05/64 Love with the Proper Stranger 02/19/64 Dead Ringer 02/26/64 Man’s Favorite Sport 03/11/64 Kings of the Sun 03/18/64 One Man’s Way 03/25/64 Captain Newman, MD 04/15/64 Shock Treatment 04/22/64 Comedy of Terrors 04/29/64 FBI Code 98/The Man from Galveston 05/06/64 Operation Petticoat/Pillow Talk 05/13/64 From Russia, With Love 06/10/64 Wild and Wonderful 06/17/64 For Those Who Think Young 06/24/64 The Carpetbaggers 07/29/64 What a Way to Go! 08/19/64 Marnie 09/09/64 The Killers 09/16/64 I’d Rather Be Rich 09/30/64 The Visit 10/07/64 A House is Not a Home 10/14/64 Where Love Has Gone 10/21/64 Woman of Straw 10/28/64 Rio Conchos 11/04/64 Youngblood Hawke 11/18/64 Goodbye, Charlie 12/16/64 Joy House 12/23/64 Sex and the Single Girl 01/20/65 The Night Walker 02/03/65 The Pleasure Seekers 02/10/65 Baby, the Rain Must Fall 02/17/65 Dear Brigitte 02/24/65 The Rounders 03/17/65 None But the Brave 03/24/65 Hush, Hush…Sweet Charlotte 04/14/65 Major Dundee 04/21/65 Bus Riley’s Back in Town 04/28/65 Young Dillinger 05/05/65 Marriage, Italian Style 05/12/65 The Fool Killer 05/19/65 Ferry Cross the Mersey 05/26/65 Die! Die! My Darling! 06/02/65 Shenandoah 07/21/65 The Sons of Katie Elder 08/25/65 A Very Special Favor 09/15/65 Up from the Beach 09/22/65 The Reward 09/29/65 Ghidrah—The Three-Headed Monster 10/06/65 That Funny Feeling 10/13/65 Ship of Fools 10/27/65 The Ipcress File 11/24/65 The Nanny 12/08/65 The Bedford Incident 12/15/65 Living it Up/Pardners 12/22/65 The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
Movies which played at the Majestic Theater in Houston, TX from 1/1/60 to 12/31/62. Research from old microfilms of The Houston Post and The Houston Chronicle. The date given is the Wednesday of the opening week. 01/01/60 The Miracle 01/06/60 The Rookie 01/13/60 The Gene Krupa Story 01/20/60 The Story on Page One 01/27/60 Suddenly, Last Summer 02/17/60 Jack the Ripper 02/24/60 Once More, With Feeling 03/02/60 Guns of the Timberland 03/09/60 A Dog of Flanders 03/16/60 Samson and Delilah 03/23/60 Sink the Bismarck 03/30/60 The Glenn Miller Story 04/06/60 Masters of the Congo Jungle 04/13/60 Visit to a Small Planet 04/27/60 Wake Me When It’s Over 05/04/60 Flame Over India 05/11/60 Man on a String 05/18/60 Crack in the Mirror 05/25/60 The Mountain Road 06/01/60 Circus of Horrors 06/08/60 Wild River 06/15/60 The Story of Ruth 06/29/60 Ice Palace 07/06/60 Portrait in Black 07/27/60 The Bellboy 08/10/60 From the Terrace 09/07/60 Let’s Make Love 09/28/60 Hell to Eternity 10/12/60 It Started in Naples 10/19/60 The Dark at the Top of the Stairs 10/26/60 Song Without End 11/02/60 Midnight Lace 11/16/60 All the Young Men 11/23/60 G. I. Blues 12/14/60 Goliath and the Dragon 12/21/60 The World of Suzie Wong 02/15/61 Circle of Deception 02/22/61 The Great Imposter 03/15/61 Hippodrome 03/22/61 Konga 03/29/61 The Sins of Rachel Cade 04/05/61 Pepe 05/03/61 Return to Peyton Place 05/17/61 The Secret Ways 05/24/61 One-Eyed Jacks 06/21/61 Wild in the Country 06/28/61 The Pleasure of His Company 07/12/61 Two Rode Together 07/19/61 Tammy Tell Me True 08/02/61 The Guns of Navarone 09/13/61 Marines, Let’s Go!/The Battle of Bloody Beach 09/20/61 Operation Petticoat/Imitation of Life 09/27/61 Francis of Assisi 10/04/61 Scream of Fear/The Trunk 10/11/61 Splendor in the Grass 10/25/61 The Hustler 11/01/61 Two Women 11/08/61 Breakfast at Tiffany’s 11/22/61 Blue Hawaii 12/06/61 I Bombed Pearl Harbor 12/13/61 White Christmas 12/20/61 Flower Drum Song 01/17/62 Bachelor Flat 01/31/62 The Innocents 02/07/62 Madison Avenue 02/14/62 Lover Come Back 04/04/62 State Fair 04/18/62 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence 05/09/62 Cape Fear 05/23/62 Lonely are the Brave (World Premiere) 05/30/62 Burn, Witch, Burn 06/06/62 Zotz 06/13/62 Hell is for Heroes 06/20/62 The Counterfeit Traitor 07/04/62 Hatari 08/01/62 The Music Man 09/12/62 Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Man 09/19/62 Rear Window 09/26/62 No Man is an Island 10/03/62 The 300 Spartans 10/10/62 The Chapman Report 10/31/62 Wonderful to Be Young 11/07/62 Requiem for a Heavyweight 11/14/62 Horror Hotel/Bloodlust 11/21/62 Girls! Girls! Girls! 12/05/62 The War Lover 12/12/62 It’s Only Money 12/26/62 Samson and the 7 Miracles of the World
ictjennifer: Yes the Wichita Orpheum was Eberson’s first attempt at ‘atmospheric’ design. However, the Majestic in Houston became his first full blown ‘atmospheric’ movie theatre. This building became the standard and the begining of Eberson’s other ‘atmospheric’ theatres. What a shame this historic movie palace meet with the wrecking ball. Let’s hope the people of Wichita preserve the Orpheum gem!
Actually, the Wichita Orpheum Theatre built in 1922 by John Eberson was the first atmospheric theatre built in the United States.
“Racial Film Opens Strong at Houston Majestic"
About the showings of Home of the Brave, in Boxoffice magazine, July 16, 1949:
View link
According to opening day ads, “The Counter Jumper” with Larry Semon and Lucille Carlisle was the first film slated to play here.
View link
My grandfather is the second from the right.
My grandfather was the manager of the Palace Theater in 1925. So I guess that was the second Majestic? He had worked his way up at the Majestic – started as an usher. Tragically, he was killed in a car accident in 1925 at the age of 33. I have a picture here of the lobby of the Majestic. I’ll have to try to figure out how to link it here.
Death of the Majestic Theatre photo tour: Enter Here.
This theatre closed on 26 September 1971 and was demolished in February 1972 according to the book “Cinema Houston ”.
And I would love to see exterior and interior, particularly, photos of this FIRST EBERSON ATMOSPHERIC THEATRE!
I probably posted this before, but to think that the very first Eberson “atmospheric” theatre ever built was then demolished by the City of Houston! Shame!
The second Houston Majestic sat mid-block on Texas Avenue just west of the Chronicle Building. Financed by Jesse Jones, it opened on February 21, 1910.
In 1923, after the Majestic on Rusk opened, it was renamed “The Palace” and became home to “The Palace Players”, a “stock” theatre company (group of actors) performing stage plays.
The first Majestic (in 1905) was at 1306 Congress.
There was also JEO Pridmore’s 1909 Cort Theatre in Chicago, which is also often cited (with some debate mainly regarding the level of ornateness and sky effects) as the first atmospheric in the US.
From the Wichita Orpheum Cinema Treasures page:
I see. Further research has been done. I imagine that this research involved some brave soul actually going inside the Orpheum, looking at the ceiling, and saying "Yep, she’s atmospheric alright! Just look at them characteristic accoutrements!” Oh, I see a nomenclature-related architectural history fight coming! Quick, somebody notify Charlie Rose!But as much as I’d like to see this disagreement settled the old fashioned way (by mass gladiatorial combat between the respective populations of the cities of Houston and Wichita), I’m going to take a cue from Will Dunkin’s comment of December 14, 2005, above and say that the title of “World’s First Atmospheric Theatre” should go to Andrea Palladio’s 1580 Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Italy. The place is just loaded with accouterments, deny it who may!
That means the contretemps between fans of the Wichita Orpheum and the Houston Majestic (deceased) over which of the two theatres may or may not have been the second atmospheric ever built will have to be settled, as tradition in these situations (to wit, which gets to be considered the first also-ran) dictates, by a spittin' contest. My money’s on Wichita, by the way, since Wichita had the ‘nads not to let its historic Eberson (pre-or-full-on-atmospheric) theatre get knocked down. Ladies and gentlemen, start your saliva glands!