Royal Theater

I remember making a point of driving here on a cross-country trip just to see the theatre in July of 1973, two years after the release of the film in 1971. I took a couple of photos of the exterior.

The address for the Royal Theatre is 116 South Sycamore St., Archer City, Tx.

There is a photo of the Royal, circa 1988, in the book "Silent Screens". It looks to me that the current theater was reconstructed in the same space as the old one. The columns on both sides of the theater are intact and look just the same as the photo of the new theater on the website. Further, the website said the theater was reconstructed and the tree on the right looks the same and in the same position in the vacant lot. The blade sign is in the same location as the bare power outlets in the 1988 shot. If this theater was relocated, they certainly did a wonderful job.

There is a photo of the Royal Theater here:
http://www.airforcebase.net/personal/architecture/Archer_City_Royal_Theater_200103B.JPG

This is the working link for the Royal Theater photo:
http://www.airforcebase.net/personal/architecture/Archer_City_Royal_Theater_200103.JPG

The A&E series, "City Confidential" showcased Archer City in its 100th episode. The show centered around small-town crime and corruption, but also focused on the Royal. It has been lovingly restored as a Country & Western night club by Larry McMurtry, author of Lonesome Dove and other popular books. He also runs a book store in Archer City, which has helped it to become a sort of tourist mecca.

Of course, everyone wants to see the Royal.

Here is a photo I took of the Royal when driving through Archer City in 1973.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y60/italiangerry/Cinemas/Royal-ArcherCityTX-LASTPICTURESHOW1973photobyGerryDeLuca.jpg

This 1973 photo shows the Royal in the distance as well as a view of the Texaco station that featured prominently in the film "The Last Picture Show."
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y60/italiangerry/Cinemas/RoyalArcherCityTXTexacoStation.jpg

Just to clarify for everyone, today's theater (where live productions are performed) is to the LEFT of the original Royal. Look at the picture closely...the facade with the marquee is just that, a facade. You can see the metal structure in the back through the right 'hallway' and you can see a pair of gray metal doors through the left 'hallway'. In the middle, directly under the marquee, is what is used as a box office. You would enter the theater through the gray double doors or the French doors to the left of the marquee facade. The reason your 1988 pic looks so similar to the current pic is b/c the lot to the right (east) of the marquee has not changed. The facade is the original marquee and the building next door is the new theater space. Then on the other side of the theater (to the left in your pic, or to the west) is one of Larry's bookstores. This little Royal complex (along with the Spur Hotel) comprise the Northeast corner of the town square.

This is another photo of the Royal Theater in Archer City.

One more photo of the Royal Theater in Archer City can be seen here.

This is a recent photo of the Royal Theater and here is another.

My photograph of ROYAL sign.(taken about 6 years ago)
www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/308697292

And the original ROYAL sign now in storage.
www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/308697726

Before the restoration, the Royal looked like this.

Here is an updated link for the Royal Theater website.

A very sad photo of the Royal Theater in Archer City taken in 1990. The "ROYAL" sign is in storage next door to the original site of the theater

This is a 2008 photo.

I knew there was something cool about searching theater's I catch a glimpse of "Snapped".

This time I find the actual theatre facade from "The Last Picture Show", which I always wondered about.

As I've posted on a few other CT links, "Snapped" is a show in constant rotation on the Oxygen network.
It routinely starts with establishing shots in the hometown of the various female killers profiled.
Those shots often include the hometown/main street like theatres. More so when the theatre is the same name as the hometown.

With this type of filmaking history, you'd think "Snapped" producers would have milked the Royal's significance.
This time around the shot of the Royal was only the vertical neon portion of the sign at night, and from a distance for only a couple of seconds.
Had they known of it or chosen to, "The Last Picture Show" connection could have been eerily incorporated into "Snapped".
Guess these creative opportunities disappear or get passed on, the older these movies get.

Typo: First sentence should read "On "Snapped".

Another photo of the Royal is here.

Wow. One has to wonder why such an exlaborate handicap access ramp, would have been built right next to what appears as the unsafe remains of the Royal Theater's wall.

The wall looks about the same in this older photo taken before the handicap ramp was installed. Maybe the wall is in no danger of collapsing. If it was, it should have been fixed when the ramp was installed.

Yeah I guess so. You'd think the excavation to pour the ramp-concrete alone, would have undermined a freestanding wall in that condition. Maybe it has specific bracing behind it. But why is the wall even left in that manner? Does keeping the building hollowed out that way have some historic significance?
There's no visible sidewalk to the right of the ramp anyway. Why such grandiose access to an empty structure? Strange. Must have been some egress code or something.

There might be a fire exit on that side of the building and people could walk through that opening. I doubt that it would have cost very much to knock that wall down when the ramp was being installed. It was probably left there for decorative purposes. It gives the building an "Old West" appearance. Maybe someone from Archer City can explain the mystery of the wall.

To quote President Reagan, "Tear down this wall!". :)

Ha! Very good. I will admit, it does look cool.
I'd have filled the front windows with multiple stills from "The Last Picture Show". So visitors could do their own comparisons on the property.
Wonder if that old Texaco is still down the street. Have to go out West again someday.

1981 Photo

Here is another 2009 photo.