Arcadia Theatre

The Texas Tech trio of alums, Wendell O. Bearden and Preston E. Smith and Irma Mae Smith, continued their foray into film exhibition with their biggest of three theatres in their New Arcadia. The theatre turned out to be the most long lasting of their operations, as well. The New Arcadia Theatre was a post-War baby and was all treat launching on Halloween 1946 with Boris Karloff in “The Walking Dead” and Phylis Thaxter in “Bewitched". The $25,000 converted space venue was more than the trio had spent on the Tech Theatre and the original Arcade Theatre turned Chief Theatre (also occurring on October 31, 1946), combined.

The Arcadia Theatre was going to be a straight-up trade out for the New Arcadia on Avenue H. But an influx of post-War college students combined with material shortages making it challenging for new-build theatres to complete on-time projects led the Smiths and Bearden to have a faux twin screen operation – albeit with separate staffs and functions. And it allowed the two venues to combine for the four-wall playout of “Skid Row: Scarlet Street of Sin” for three days in 1950.

But clearances were challenging against established chains for the independent trio and the operators went against the establishment in a high profiled and punishing lawsuit over monopolistic practices in film exhibition. The Arcadia Theatre and Chief Theatre advertised together into the 1950’s before Bearden decided to drop advertising as the Chief Theatre went advertisement-less to its quiet 1962 closure. By that time the Smiths had political ambitions with Preston moving from the Texas House to the Senate in 1956. So Bearden managed to keep the third-run double- and triple-feature policy going at the Arcadia Theatre all the way until December 22, 1968 triple feature of “Sargent Ryker", “Inspector Clouseau", and “Don’t Just Stand There". A month later Smith celebrated Inauguration Day as the new Governor of Texas in January of 1969.

The Arcadia Theatre would do what it had to do to compete against the suburban luxury theatres including the Chaparral Twin Cinemas, the Winchester Theatre, the Fox Theatre, Cinema West and the Showplace 4. The Arcadia Theatre tried lurid, adult films during the porno chic era of film exhibition beginning that policy on January 12, 1969 with Suzzan Landau in “Surfside Sex” and Amber Arnett in “The Wild Females". But wilder films were playing elsewhere in town and the Arcadia Theatre discontinued advertising - or the local paper stopped accepting their wild advertisements. Either way, it is hard to know when the Arcadia Theatre switched from adult films to Spanish language films. However, that was said to have occurred in the 1970’s.

A plan to create the Citibus Downtown Transfer Plaza was passed leading to the demolition of the block containing the Arcadia Theatre and Chief Theatre. The Transfer Plaza opened in the footprint of the Chief Theatre and Arcadia Theatre in 1992; and in 1996 the street known as Avenue H became Buddy Holly Avenue. As for the Avenue H theatres, the Arcadia Theatre’s love’s to last more than one day. And love is love and not fade away.

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