Harry F. Weaver was the architect of the Lyric Theatre which opened December 31, 1907 with the live play, “The Lion and the Mouse” for the Reis Circuit. This Lyric opened with 920 seats with 290 in the balcony, 140 in the gallery and 490 on the floor. Its stained glass window work was completed by G.A. Paddock & Son.
The theatre hosted dances in its dance hall twice a week and began to show films in the 1910s getting competition from another theater in 1916. On March 16, 1920, M.E. Comerford Amusement Circuit took on the location as it became a full-time movie theater. It gave it an extensive refresh in 1923. The theatre converted to sound continuing operation into the 1960s. The last film to play was on March 22, 1961, with “Ten Seconds to Hell” because the theatre burned on March 23, 1961 just an hour before its scheduled showing of “Gorgo.”
Comerford Circuit replaced the Lyric with the “all new” Capitol Theatre in 1962.
The AMC Ogden 6 opened November 5, 1976 with “Tunnel Vision,” “Alex & the Gypsy,” “Murder by Death,” “The Bad News Bears,” “All the President’s Men,” and Mel Brooks' “Silent Movie.” AMC Theatres left the venue after completing a 20-year leasing agreement.
Classic Cinemas Circuit took on the Ogden 6 on November 4, 1996 as Classic Cinemas Ogden 6. In February of 2020, the theatre announced that it would likely close at year’s end. However, Classic Cinemas closed during showtimes on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A decision was made to shutter the theatre permanently without future movie screenings and announced in June of 2020. The theatre reopened for concession sales in May of 2020 and closed permanently as the Classic Cinemas Ogden 6 after a final weekend of concession sales on June 5-7, 2020. Plans called for demolition.
The original Cozy Theatre was opened by Gerhard von Minden and Irwin W. Speckels on August 4, 1923 with Mildred Harris Chaplin in “Polly of Storm Country.” The pair had operated the Cozy in nearby La Grange since 1917 when von Minden moved to the area.
Von Minden started the new four-story, von Minden Hotel Building in 1924 and finally opened both the New Cozy Theatre in 1927 and the von Minden Hotel in 1928. The New Cozy Theatre opened on November 30, 1927 with Clara Bow in “Rough House Rosie.” An opening speech by Texas Senator Gus Russek launched the evening and Babe Schindler’s Orchestra provided the evening’s musical numbers. The Hotel launched May 22, 1928 – the structure apparently taking longer than expected to complete. The Cozy converted to sound on its way to a 90-year legacy.
Boren and Morrows Theatres announced this project in 1946 but post-War shortages delayed its opening. J. Lee Griffith opened the venue as the Griffith Theatre on April 4, 1947 with Fred Astaire in “Yolando and the Thief.” Griffith would then purchase the competing Gay and Grand theaters from Charles Weisenberg. Tulia Theatres Corp., formed by Jewel Avant and R. T. O'Daniel, purchased the Griffith Theatre and renamed it as the Royal Theatre in 1949 which was still operating in the 2020s.
The Jewel Theatre launched April 3, 1923 in the existing Zimmerman Building. Roy B. Eaton opened the venue with the film, “June Madness.” The theatre became known as the Grand Theatre on August 8, 1924 when A.W. Philips purchased the theatre from Eaton.
The theatre co-existed with the Charles Weisenburg bought the theatre in 1939 and sold it Grand to Bill Middleton in 1945. Weisenburg would launch the Gay Theatre in 1947. In 1957, it was used as a church.
Charlie Weisenburg Theatre Circuit launched the Gay Theatre on January 28, 1947 with “Gallant Bess.” The theatre opened on the east side the town square. It had Super Simplex projectors featuring Western Electric sound. In 1970, the city held a redesign contest to remake the theater’s front as the venue was used for local events.
The original Majestic Theatre was built in 1913 as a neighbor to the Stephenville Tribune Newspaper. It opened in February of 1914 down the street on the same side. The second Majestic Theatre opened on May 14, 1920 with a $5,000 pipe organ. Trans Texas Amusement Circuit took on the location at 190 North Belknap and closed it in 1984 when it opened the Cinema 6. In 1987, the Stephenville Area Little Theatre took over the site for live shows.
R.L. Roberts and W.C. Mauldin launched the Tower Drive-In Theatre on August 6, 1949 with “I Shot Jesse James.” In 1950, a competing ozoner, the Star-Lite Drive-In Theatre opened. Jack J. Arthur took on the entire portfolio of Stephenville’s theatres consisting of the Palace, the Majestic, the Ritz as well as the Tower and the Star-Lite. Overbuilt, he shed the Tower and then the Ritz. The Tower appears to have closed after a double feature of My Dog Shep and Comin' Round the Mountain on November 13, 1951. A news note said that the Tower might be used for outdoor advertisements in 1952.
Technically, this ozoner was the Star-Lite Drive-In Theatre and it opened as Stephenville’s second drive-in along with the competing Tower Drive-In. It opened June 28, 1950 with Glenn Ford in “The Mating of Millie.” Jack J. Arthur Theatres ended up with the entire portfolio of Stephenville theatres with the Palace, the Ritz, the Majestic and both the Star-Lite and the Tower. With the town overbuilt, he would quickly shed the Tower Drive-In followed by the Ritz.
The Star-Lite was never called the Tower Drive-in though Arthur did, however, remove the hyphen rebranding the venue as the Starlite Drive-In. The Starlite appears to have ceased operations on September 30, 1982 with a double feature of “Friday, the 13th, Part 2” and “Friday, the 13th.” If that’s the case, it’s a nice way to go out for a drive-in.
The Leon Theatre launched April 3, 1947 by A.R.Parsons and H.L. Millington in a converted retail spot at 123 North Texas Street. In its planning stages, the pair had considered the name, the Atomic Theatre. A year later, H&H Theatre Circuit of Abilene run by Howard T. Hodge and Homer Hodge took over both the Leon and the Texas Theatre.
Hodge passed away and the theaters were sold to Leonard Scales. Scales launched the Weeping Oak Drive In in 1951 soon closing the Texas Theatre. The Leon closed in 1960. It reopened on March 13, 1963 with Jerry Lewis in “It’s Only Money.” It does not appear to have made it to the end of its 20-year lease. It then became an auto parts store under the Western Auto chain in 1971. The Weeping Oak Drive-In continued to 1983.
The Liberty Theatre was located at 112 North Texas opening at the end of World War I. Patrons entered by the screen and walked up the aisle because of fire codes. The Liberty was equipped with Vitaphone for sound rebranding as the New Liberty on June 14, 1929. Its first talkie played in July of 1929 playing the film, “The Valiant.” The Liberty closed after showings on August 19, 1939 after just about 20 years of operation for an extensive remodeling which included turning the interior around with the screen now at the rear of the building and sound proofing on the ceiling and walls to improve sound reproduction.
It relaunched as the Texas Theatre in 1939. Stewart sold the Texas to J.R. Miller and H. L. Millington. In 1948, Parsons sold it and the one-year old Leon Theatre to Abilene-based H&H Theatre Circuit. Leonard Scales bought both the Leon Theatre and Scales would close the Texas in 1951 just after opening the Weeping Oak Drive-In. The venue became home to Ronald’s Variety Store.
The small town of De Leon could boast of having three open movie theaters in 1951, albeit briefly. That’s not bad for a town off just 2,241 people.
Believe it or not, one of De Leon, Texas' claims to fame was its great oak tree that was purportedly featured in a 1937 column of “Ripley’s Believe It or Not.” Oddly, so the story goes, it was the only Weeping Oak variety in the area and its majesty was well known to residents with the tree living more than 150 years. The tree dated back prior to the town being laid out by a surveying effort by the Texas Central Railway in 1881.
The De Leon Weeping Oak tree was just a mile south of town on Highway 16 which right across the street from where the drive-in was built. For in-town patrons, it was an entertainment two-fer – a movie and the tree. The Drive-In screen was situated so patrons could see both before dusk. The Drive-In was damaged by two storms – both in 1983 – but the tree stood its ground. The theatre was razed in 1985 but the tree lived on. That is until May 4, 2016 when the tree succumbed to a storm and the townspeople were the ones weeping.
And the “Believe it or Not” storyline with the tree is likely more “not” as there appears to be no “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not” that featured this tree in 1937 — or ever — while locals have said that there are many such oak trees in their county. But that doesn’t take away the fact that the drive-in was, believe it, named after the legendary and mighty Weeping Oak just across the street. (BTW: my post above was just to correct the synopsis which had the wrong opening date, the wrong closing date, imprecise demolition date, and actually still has the wrong original owner’s name. Other than that, you could believe it, too.)
The Weeping Oak Drive-In was opened with the film, “Stage to Tucson” with Rod Cameron and a fireworks show on March 1, 1951. The local paper says the operator was Leonard Scales. It also says Scales operated the two downtown theaters, the Leon and the Texas. Scales sold the ozoner to Edgar Brinson. In the summer of 1955, Brinson converted the Weeping Oak to widescreen. It was still in operation in 1983 with Hollywood films Thursday-Sunday and Spanish Language films on Wednesdays. Wind damage from two storms on April 1 and – a more severe storm – on June 28, 1983 closed the theatre for repairs. It The theatre was demolished in July of 1985.
Woody Campbell left his job at Warner Theatres in the booking department to start the Trail Drive-In Theatre in 1950. In 1953, he then purchased the Majestic Theatre in downtown Bowie running both.
When R.D. Carver announced the Lafayette Theatre in April of 1918, the town put up a united front to stop the large-capacity project which seated nearly 1,500 in development stage. The venue was likely from an architectural plan by Humphreys and Faw of Winston-Salem and was built to house live African American vaudeville and live acts in addition to motion pictures. The same management team from the Rex Theatre would program the new Lafayette. Carver finally got approval to break ground and appears to have launched in 1919.
The Star Theatre appears to have completed its run on August, 3, 1968. Later in 1968, it was converted to a business called the Supper Club. In 1970, it became a nightclub called the Afro American Scene with go-go dancers until 1976. It then was the Mr. Big Stuff Club from 1977 to 1978. The building was vacant and offered for sale for many years at just $30,000. It appears to have been razed early in the 21st Century.
This opened as the Embry Theatre – a movie theater with live events exclusively for African American patrons. It appears to have changed names to the Avenue in 1933.
M.S. White was the original owner and named the theatre after himself launching on April 3, 1940. White had created the White Theatre and ran the Dal-Sec Theatre in Dallas beginning in 1934 before selling both to Interstate Theatre Corporation in 1936. The veteran film salesman’s career dated to the early 1910s and the Ft. Worth White Theatre was his return to exhibition in a new-build location which once housed an apartment complex. White retired from the exhibition business in 1951 selling off his two theaters.
On May 25, 1961, the theatre became the Berry Theatre and initially kept a policy of second-run Hollywood films and selected short subjects. The Berry would simultaneously be known as Teatro Berry in 1962 when it changed to a policy of showing Hispanic films. The Berry appears to have gone out of business in the home video era on February 21, 1988.
The theatre launched on January 6, 1912 as a movie and live play and vaudeville venue for African American audiences by Piedmont Amusement. It added an airdome for warm month operation that year. became a hardtop theater in an existing retail locationlate in 1912.
The Tower Drive-In Theatre closed permanently on September 2, 1974 screening “Thunderbolt & Lightfoot” and “Bandolaro!” at the end of a 25-year lease. It was replaced by the Tower Shopping Center and ABC’s Tower Twin hardtop theatre.
July 24, 1958 program by the Perrin Drive-In
Harry F. Weaver was the architect of the Lyric Theatre which opened December 31, 1907 with the live play, “The Lion and the Mouse” for the Reis Circuit. This Lyric opened with 920 seats with 290 in the balcony, 140 in the gallery and 490 on the floor. Its stained glass window work was completed by G.A. Paddock & Son.
The theatre hosted dances in its dance hall twice a week and began to show films in the 1910s getting competition from another theater in 1916. On March 16, 1920, M.E. Comerford Amusement Circuit took on the location as it became a full-time movie theater. It gave it an extensive refresh in 1923. The theatre converted to sound continuing operation into the 1960s. The last film to play was on March 22, 1961, with “Ten Seconds to Hell” because the theatre burned on March 23, 1961 just an hour before its scheduled showing of “Gorgo.”
Comerford Circuit replaced the Lyric with the “all new” Capitol Theatre in 1962.
The AMC Ogden 6 opened November 5, 1976 with “Tunnel Vision,” “Alex & the Gypsy,” “Murder by Death,” “The Bad News Bears,” “All the President’s Men,” and Mel Brooks' “Silent Movie.” AMC Theatres left the venue after completing a 20-year leasing agreement.
Classic Cinemas Circuit took on the Ogden 6 on November 4, 1996 as Classic Cinemas Ogden 6. In February of 2020, the theatre announced that it would likely close at year’s end. However, Classic Cinemas closed during showtimes on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A decision was made to shutter the theatre permanently without future movie screenings and announced in June of 2020. The theatre reopened for concession sales in May of 2020 and closed permanently as the Classic Cinemas Ogden 6 after a final weekend of concession sales on June 5-7, 2020. Plans called for demolition.
The original Cozy Theatre was opened by Gerhard von Minden and Irwin W. Speckels on August 4, 1923 with Mildred Harris Chaplin in “Polly of Storm Country.” The pair had operated the Cozy in nearby La Grange since 1917 when von Minden moved to the area.
Von Minden started the new four-story, von Minden Hotel Building in 1924 and finally opened both the New Cozy Theatre in 1927 and the von Minden Hotel in 1928. The New Cozy Theatre opened on November 30, 1927 with Clara Bow in “Rough House Rosie.” An opening speech by Texas Senator Gus Russek launched the evening and Babe Schindler’s Orchestra provided the evening’s musical numbers. The Hotel launched May 22, 1928 – the structure apparently taking longer than expected to complete. The Cozy converted to sound on its way to a 90-year legacy.
Boren and Morrows Theatres announced this project in 1946 but post-War shortages delayed its opening. J. Lee Griffith opened the venue as the Griffith Theatre on April 4, 1947 with Fred Astaire in “Yolando and the Thief.” Griffith would then purchase the competing Gay and Grand theaters from Charles Weisenberg. Tulia Theatres Corp., formed by Jewel Avant and R. T. O'Daniel, purchased the Griffith Theatre and renamed it as the Royal Theatre in 1949 which was still operating in the 2020s.
This theater closed at the end of the 1981 season at the end of a 30 year lease.
The Jewel Theatre launched April 3, 1923 in the existing Zimmerman Building. Roy B. Eaton opened the venue with the film, “June Madness.” The theatre became known as the Grand Theatre on August 8, 1924 when A.W. Philips purchased the theatre from Eaton.
The theatre co-existed with the Charles Weisenburg bought the theatre in 1939 and sold it Grand to Bill Middleton in 1945. Weisenburg would launch the Gay Theatre in 1947. In 1957, it was used as a church.
Charlie Weisenburg Theatre Circuit launched the Gay Theatre on January 28, 1947 with “Gallant Bess.” The theatre opened on the east side the town square. It had Super Simplex projectors featuring Western Electric sound. In 1970, the city held a redesign contest to remake the theater’s front as the venue was used for local events.
The original Majestic Theatre was built in 1913 as a neighbor to the Stephenville Tribune Newspaper. It opened in February of 1914 down the street on the same side. The second Majestic Theatre opened on May 14, 1920 with a $5,000 pipe organ. Trans Texas Amusement Circuit took on the location at 190 North Belknap and closed it in 1984 when it opened the Cinema 6. In 1987, the Stephenville Area Little Theatre took over the site for live shows.
R.L. Roberts and W.C. Mauldin launched the Tower Drive-In Theatre on August 6, 1949 with “I Shot Jesse James.” In 1950, a competing ozoner, the Star-Lite Drive-In Theatre opened. Jack J. Arthur took on the entire portfolio of Stephenville’s theatres consisting of the Palace, the Majestic, the Ritz as well as the Tower and the Star-Lite. Overbuilt, he shed the Tower and then the Ritz. The Tower appears to have closed after a double feature of My Dog Shep and Comin' Round the Mountain on November 13, 1951. A news note said that the Tower might be used for outdoor advertisements in 1952.
Technically, this ozoner was the Star-Lite Drive-In Theatre and it opened as Stephenville’s second drive-in along with the competing Tower Drive-In. It opened June 28, 1950 with Glenn Ford in “The Mating of Millie.” Jack J. Arthur Theatres ended up with the entire portfolio of Stephenville theatres with the Palace, the Ritz, the Majestic and both the Star-Lite and the Tower. With the town overbuilt, he would quickly shed the Tower Drive-In followed by the Ritz.
The Star-Lite was never called the Tower Drive-in though Arthur did, however, remove the hyphen rebranding the venue as the Starlite Drive-In. The Starlite appears to have ceased operations on September 30, 1982 with a double feature of “Friday, the 13th, Part 2” and “Friday, the 13th.” If that’s the case, it’s a nice way to go out for a drive-in.
R.L. Roberts and W.C. Mauldin launched the Tower Drive-In Theatre on August 6, 1949 with “I Shot Jesse James.”
Once part of the H&H Theatre Circuit.
The Leon Theatre launched April 3, 1947 by A.R.Parsons and H.L. Millington in a converted retail spot at 123 North Texas Street. In its planning stages, the pair had considered the name, the Atomic Theatre. A year later, H&H Theatre Circuit of Abilene run by Howard T. Hodge and Homer Hodge took over both the Leon and the Texas Theatre.
Hodge passed away and the theaters were sold to Leonard Scales. Scales launched the Weeping Oak Drive In in 1951 soon closing the Texas Theatre. The Leon closed in 1960. It reopened on March 13, 1963 with Jerry Lewis in “It’s Only Money.” It does not appear to have made it to the end of its 20-year lease. It then became an auto parts store under the Western Auto chain in 1971. The Weeping Oak Drive-In continued to 1983.
The Liberty Theatre was located at 112 North Texas opening at the end of World War I. Patrons entered by the screen and walked up the aisle because of fire codes. The Liberty was equipped with Vitaphone for sound rebranding as the New Liberty on June 14, 1929. Its first talkie played in July of 1929 playing the film, “The Valiant.” The Liberty closed after showings on August 19, 1939 after just about 20 years of operation for an extensive remodeling which included turning the interior around with the screen now at the rear of the building and sound proofing on the ceiling and walls to improve sound reproduction.
It relaunched as the Texas Theatre in 1939. Stewart sold the Texas to J.R. Miller and H. L. Millington. In 1948, Parsons sold it and the one-year old Leon Theatre to Abilene-based H&H Theatre Circuit. Leonard Scales bought both the Leon Theatre and Scales would close the Texas in 1951 just after opening the Weeping Oak Drive-In. The venue became home to Ronald’s Variety Store.
The small town of De Leon could boast of having three open movie theaters in 1951, albeit briefly. That’s not bad for a town off just 2,241 people.
Believe it or not, one of De Leon, Texas' claims to fame was its great oak tree that was purportedly featured in a 1937 column of “Ripley’s Believe It or Not.” Oddly, so the story goes, it was the only Weeping Oak variety in the area and its majesty was well known to residents with the tree living more than 150 years. The tree dated back prior to the town being laid out by a surveying effort by the Texas Central Railway in 1881.
The De Leon Weeping Oak tree was just a mile south of town on Highway 16 which right across the street from where the drive-in was built. For in-town patrons, it was an entertainment two-fer – a movie and the tree. The Drive-In screen was situated so patrons could see both before dusk. The Drive-In was damaged by two storms – both in 1983 – but the tree stood its ground. The theatre was razed in 1985 but the tree lived on. That is until May 4, 2016 when the tree succumbed to a storm and the townspeople were the ones weeping.
And the “Believe it or Not” storyline with the tree is likely more “not” as there appears to be no “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not” that featured this tree in 1937 — or ever — while locals have said that there are many such oak trees in their county. But that doesn’t take away the fact that the drive-in was, believe it, named after the legendary and mighty Weeping Oak just across the street. (BTW: my post above was just to correct the synopsis which had the wrong opening date, the wrong closing date, imprecise demolition date, and actually still has the wrong original owner’s name. Other than that, you could believe it, too.)
The Weeping Oak Drive-In was opened with the film, “Stage to Tucson” with Rod Cameron and a fireworks show on March 1, 1951. The local paper says the operator was Leonard Scales. It also says Scales operated the two downtown theaters, the Leon and the Texas. Scales sold the ozoner to Edgar Brinson. In the summer of 1955, Brinson converted the Weeping Oak to widescreen. It was still in operation in 1983 with Hollywood films Thursday-Sunday and Spanish Language films on Wednesdays. Wind damage from two storms on April 1 and – a more severe storm – on June 28, 1983 closed the theatre for repairs. It The theatre was demolished in July of 1985.
Woody Campbell left his job at Warner Theatres in the booking department to start the Trail Drive-In Theatre in 1950. In 1953, he then purchased the Majestic Theatre in downtown Bowie running both.
When R.D. Carver announced the Lafayette Theatre in April of 1918, the town put up a united front to stop the large-capacity project which seated nearly 1,500 in development stage. The venue was likely from an architectural plan by Humphreys and Faw of Winston-Salem and was built to house live African American vaudeville and live acts in addition to motion pictures. The same management team from the Rex Theatre would program the new Lafayette. Carver finally got approval to break ground and appears to have launched in 1919.
The Star Theatre appears to have completed its run on August, 3, 1968. Later in 1968, it was converted to a business called the Supper Club. In 1970, it became a nightclub called the Afro American Scene with go-go dancers until 1976. It then was the Mr. Big Stuff Club from 1977 to 1978. The building was vacant and offered for sale for many years at just $30,000. It appears to have been razed early in the 21st Century.
This opened as the Embry Theatre – a movie theater with live events exclusively for African American patrons. It appears to have changed names to the Avenue in 1933.
M.S. White was the original owner and named the theatre after himself launching on April 3, 1940. White had created the White Theatre and ran the Dal-Sec Theatre in Dallas beginning in 1934 before selling both to Interstate Theatre Corporation in 1936. The veteran film salesman’s career dated to the early 1910s and the Ft. Worth White Theatre was his return to exhibition in a new-build location which once housed an apartment complex. White retired from the exhibition business in 1951 selling off his two theaters.
On May 25, 1961, the theatre became the Berry Theatre and initially kept a policy of second-run Hollywood films and selected short subjects. The Berry would simultaneously be known as Teatro Berry in 1962 when it changed to a policy of showing Hispanic films. The Berry appears to have gone out of business in the home video era on February 21, 1988.
The theatre launched on January 6, 1912 as a movie and live play and vaudeville venue for African American audiences by Piedmont Amusement. It added an airdome for warm month operation that year. became a hardtop theater in an existing retail locationlate in 1912.
Re-opened as the Grand River Drive-In July 3, 2019 and closed July 14, 2019 for improvements which apparently were never completed.
The Tower Drive-In Theatre closed permanently on September 2, 1974 screening “Thunderbolt & Lightfoot” and “Bandolaro!” at the end of a 25-year lease. It was replaced by the Tower Shopping Center and ABC’s Tower Twin hardtop theatre.