Parkway Theater

In the history of the tiny town of Iowa Park, (no idea why it was named that), they either had over a half-dozen theaters or its one theater was renamed a lot.

1. 1. Crouse was running the “Ideal theatre” in Iowa Park in 1920 when he posted movie notes to Exhibitors Herald.

The Film Daily noted on September 12, 1924 that, “The Park Theater has been leased by L. Myers and the name changed to Pick Wick Theater.” A letter from projectionist Bernard Birdwell, from the “Pickwick Theatre, Iowa Park, Texas,” was included in Moving Picture World’s November 8, 1924 issue. Exhibitors Trade Review finally noticed on Jan. 10, 1925 that the “Electric Theatre, Iowa Park, Tex., has changed its name to the Pickwick Theatre.”

The 1926 Film Daily Year Book listed the Park Theater with 300 seats in Iowa Park.

Motion Picture World noted on Feb. 26, 1927, “The Pickwick Theatre at Iowa Park, Texas, has been purchased by G. W. Belcher.”

The 1927 Film Daily Year Book listed the Pickwick with 300 seats in Iowa Park.
The 1931 Film Daily Year Book listed it with 200 seats.

In a January 6, 1931 classified advertisement in Movie Age, G. W. Belcher was selling his equipment. Lester Myer bought the Pickwick Theater from the Belchers, as reported in the Film Daily later that month. On June 2, 1931, the Motion Picture Times wrote, “Lester Myer has moved the sound equipment in the Pick-Wick at Iowa Park over to Lake Wichita Falls where he will operate an airdome for the summer.” But on December 29 that year, the Times ran a list of “abandoned or dismantled theatres,” which included “Iowa Park, Pickwick Theater.”

The 1932 & 1933 Film Daily Year Books did not list a theater for Iowa Park. In 1934, the 200-seat Pickwick Theater returned to the Year Book list. In 1936 & 1937, its name changed to the Ritz Theatre.

In 1937, the Film Daily’s lists of theater changes included three from Iowa Park, Texas in rapid succession. On January 26 1937 it was operated by Lester Dollison. On May 7, the “Iowa Theater (formerly Ritz), transferred to John Jenkins.” Then on May 26, it was transferred to M. F. Fuller; on June 25, the “Ritz Theater (formerly Iowa), transferred to John H. Cates.”

The 1938 Film Daily Year Book listed the Park with 200 seats in Iowa Park. It was included that year in the five-theater L. R. Dollison circuit. The 1942 Year Book still called it the Park Theater, then in the Ind-Ex Booking Service circuit.

James “Doc” Estes of the Park Theater in Iowa Park, Tex., was mentioned four times in January and February 1942 issues of Motion Picture Herald.

The 1943-46 Film Daily Year Books listed the Royal Theater with 200 seats in Iowa Park.

On September 21, 1946, Motion Picture Herald noted, “The Parkway Theatre of Iowa Park, Texas, has been sold by W. E. Guest of Fort Worth to J. B. Boyce of Sherman, Texas”. Less than a year later, Boxoffice reported on May 31, 1947, “IOWA PARK, TEX. — Mrs. J. B. Joyce has sold her Parkway Theatre here to Leroy Daniel and Albert Reed”.

The 1947 Film Daily Year Books listed the Parkway Theater with 200 seats in Iowa Park. It showed the Parkway Theater with 270 seats in 1949-51.

Billboard magazine noted on December 4, 1954, “Vernon Murphree, for the past two years with the Twin Sheppard Drive-In, Wichita Falls, Tex., has reopened the Parkway Theater at Iowa Park, Tex.”

Get Movie Tickets & Showtimes

Recent comments (view all 1 comments)

Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.