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Home » Theater Guide » Location » United States » Texas » Houston » Village Theatre

Village Theatre

Houston, TX
2412 University Boulevard
, Houston, TX 77005 United States
(map)
Status: Closed/Demolished
Screens: Single Screen
Style: Art Deco
Function: Unknown
Seats: 933
Chain: Unknown
Architect: Unknown
Firm: Unknown
Add a photo for this theater!
The Village Theatre opened in August 1941, and was my neighborhood theatre when I was a child in the 1950's and early-1960's. (It was on the north side of University Boulevard between Kelvin and Morningside.) At that time it was a second-run theatre. On Saturday mornings the theatre ran the Fun Club, where children could see a serial, a cartoon or two, and a feature film, usually a western or sword and sandal epic.

In the late-1960's Houston needed yet another roadshow venue besides the Tower Theatre and the Alabama Theatre. If I recall correctly, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" was the first roadshow film to play there. Probably because the theatre was in the Rice University/West University area, Interstate chose the Village Theatre to revamp into a first-run, (sometimes) roadshow theatre. I left Houston in the mid-1970's, and the theatre was closed shortly after.

The theatre existed until the late-1990's, when it was demolished to expand the Village Shopping Center.
Contributed by J. P. Kirk

YOUR COMMENTS

 
The Village Theatre was situated at 2412 University Boulevard, and had 933 seats, according to the 1957 Film Daily Year Book. At that time, Houston had a reported population of 384,514. I wonder what it is in 2004?
posted by Warren G. Harris on Jun 8, 2004 at 1:16pm
Some big first-runs, including "Summer of '42" played here, but for about the last 10 or 15 years of its life this was an adult movie house.
posted by rorysa on Dec 11, 2004 at 11:38pm
Warren, I don't have the 2004 cencus for Houston, but 2003 was listed at 1,630.553.
posted by Chuck1231 on Dec 12, 2004 at 1:47am
Opening night photo:
http://www.moviepalaces.net/village_opening.jpg

Recent photo:
http://www.moviepalaces.net/houstonvillage2.jpg
posted by TC on Mar 17, 2005 at 11:31am
There were plans to restore the entire theatre and show movies, plays and concerts, but nothing ever happened. I remember reading the article in the late 80's/early 90's in West U Magazine. Too bad they didn't "go with it"..they could've very easily built the rest of the Village Arcade around the structure of the theatre. It had a men's clothier and an old timey toy store next door.
posted by belmontdrew on Jun 9, 2005 at 8:39am
I wasn't from the neighborhood there around the Village but I did go to school at Lanier Jr. High and then to Lamar High. I lived closer to the old Tower Theater back in the 50's and 60's and 70's. But the most unforgettable night back then was when my older brother took myself, and my mother, and just about the whole family, to witness the first showing of the movie THE EXORCIST there at the Village. Never have I heard such screaming and emotional outcries from an audience that at the showing...it scared us all half to death!! I remember there being some big controversy about showing this film in any theater in Houston but the Village took up the torch and dared to show it and boy it was a smash hit for the theater. That is about the only movie I saw there but it was a nice little movie house. I now live in another state but I will never forget the movie houses of Houston.
posted by swampsterman on Dec 14, 2005 at 6:55am
I, too, saw the Exorcist @ the Village Theatre. Houston has no sense of history.
I saw Cyndi Lauper @ the Tower Theatre--as a live venue.
posted by rogerscorpion on Jul 31, 2006 at 11:48pm
Here is a painting of the village theater go to http://www.hollywoodframegallery.com/koehn/theater7.jpg
posted by williamburge on Sep 10, 2006 at 9:13am
I read somewhere that this theater showed forign films in the 1960's.

"They showed the old movie theater, and half of it was gone." Scott Ward
posted by Ret. AKC(NAC) Bob Jensen on Mar 11, 2008 at 11:11am
Photos of the Village Theater can be seen here.

posted by Lost Memory on Jul 29, 2008 at 7:44pm
To see the Exorcist I stood in line to buy tickets and stood in line to get in . The line raped around the block and down the street
I ran up stairs to balcony front row. And got the scare of my life

What a time Best to you all. Earl
posted by jemco on Sep 30, 2008 at 7:36pm
1983 Photo

1984 Photo

posted by Lost Memory on Apr 30, 2009 at 9:15am
Another one that Houston let get away was the Village Theatre. This photo possibly pre-dates the Village's skin flick time period.

posted by Don Lewis on Sep 28, 2009 at 5:37pm
The Village Theatre had been scheduled to open on August 15, 1941, according to the issue of Boxoffice dated the following day.

Boxoffice of August 26, 1968, confirms that "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" would be the first roadshow movie presented at the Village Theatre. The date planned for reopening the house after remodeling was December 20.
posted by Joe Vogel on Sep 28, 2009 at 11:37pm
The August 15, 1941 opening date is correct. The premier feature at the Village was “Road to Zanzibar” with Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour.
posted by Bob Machann on Oct 5, 2009 at 4:05pm
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