Capri Theater
107 South El Paso Street,
El Paso,
TX
79901
107 South El Paso Street,
El Paso,
TX
79901
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Showing 1 - 25 of 26 comments found
Tranformation of Ellanay into Capri described in this 1961 trade article:Boxoffice
Street View has been set to a view of the wrong theater (the Plaza.) Pan the view left and move down the street, and you’ll see the actual location of the Capri, just about where the driveway next to the sign reading “Paseo de las Luces” is now.
Candy, soda and popcorn was sold to the right as you entered the theatre. There was also another entrance on El Paso Street with a small area and counter where one could buy without going into the theatre. Guys would go in that entrance to talk to the girls who worked there. To keep the guys out, the manager finally put up a sign which said “If you have nothing to do, please don’t do it here”. (It did not keep the guys out).
Great pictures and ads guys.
A book called Spirits Of The Border: The History And Mystery Of El Paso Del Norte says that the Ellanay Theatre opened November 8, 1918, with a seating capcity of 940. The original owners were J.M. Lewis and Victor Andreas.
The following quote comes from a 1918 issue of the trade journal “Architect and Engineer” under the headline “Unique Terra Cotta Work”
I believe that the remains of this terra cotta panel can be seen in this photo from the time of the theater’s demolition (this is one of the 14 photos Lost Memory linked to in the sixth comment on this page.)The fact that a Los Angeles tile company was chosen for this project suggests that the architect of the building might have been a Californian familiar with their work. The Los Angeles Pressed Brick Company was the leading producer of face brick in Southern California during the early 20th century, but the product itself was produced by many companies throughout the nation, including Texas. A Texas architect would probably have been more likely to use a closer source. So far I’ve had no luck tracking down the name of the Ellanay’s architect, though.
Here is a June 1974 ad from the El Paso Herald-Post:
http://tinyurl.com/ygt5doe
It’s a newspaper ad.
Cool flyer. Nice one, Mike.
Capri Grand opening in February 24th, 1961 at View link
That’s an amazing story, Clyde.
That’s way before my time. I was going to The Capri towards the end of its life. late 70’s – Early 80’s. I remember seeing a lot of horror and grindhouse films there. Lots of double features. I always used to sit in the balcony. Loved it up there. I wish they’d never knocked it down…
I was watching a Tarzan move at the Capri (then Ellanay), with Johnny Weismuller as Tarzan. The movie was stopped and there was an “on-screen” announcement that World War II had ended. This had to be August,1945.
Very cool, ken.
Cheers, m8.
Here is a December 1963 ad from the El Paso Herald-Post:
http://tinyurl.com/r3dn3r
Thanks for the pics, Lost. Once again you’ve come through.
Cheers, m8.
1980 Day Photo
1980 Night Photo
Thanks for the pic, Ken! Brings back many memories. I grew up in El Paso and saw MANY movies at The Capri. The sad thing is there’s not many pics of this movie house around. I’ve searched everywhere and yours is the first decent one I come across. I only wish there were pics of the interior which I remember being quite nice. What I remember happening was that it was shut down due to the construction of The Plaza hotel which still stands in downtown El Paso. It’s a shame because the Capri was a treasure. It even had a balcony which is where I used to sit all the time. Awesome pic. Thanks, man.
Here is a 1980 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/dfaroa
In the mid 1990s, the Capri house a clothing store.
I agree that it should be listed as the Capri. According to this website, the Capri closed in 1983 and has been demolished.
The Capri was El Paso’s Cinerama theater. A complete list of Cinerama presentations in El Paso has been posted on this page.
Moderators/Contributors: I’d like to suggest Capri be added to the top of this page as an alternate name for this theater. Actually, now that I think about it, Capri ought to be the primary name and Ellanay should be the alternate name.
Here are 14 photos of the Ellanay Theater.
If I’m not mistaken, the theater was also once known as the Capri. I believe it was in the area that is now the parking lot for the Chase bank building downtown. This was the theater that held the locally publicized premiere to the ill-fated movie “Manos: The Hands of Fate”. The movie was a total turkey and everyone hated it. Around 25 years later it would be featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000 on Comedy Central and would go on to become a cult favorite. Go figure.
I’ll take the washer/dryer.
You are the grand prize winner in the “Guess how this theater got its name contest”:
The Ellanay which opened in 1918, was whimsically named for two El Pasoans named Louis and Andreas.
Just a guess – L&A? Perhaps the owners of the theater?