Tower Theatre
113 S. Austin Street,
Ranger,
TX
76470
113 S. Austin Street,
Ranger,
TX
76470
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By 1920, the oil boom town of Ranger had over 16,000 people. Theaters sprang up everywhere including the June 20, 1920 launch of the Temple Theatre (ad in photos). But by 1930, more than 60% of the population was gone and making the transition to sound for a now small town theater was a risky proposition. But, fortunately for the Temple - which didn’t - so many theaters burned down that the former Temple became viable in a town of just over 4,000 people in 1945. And the venue reopened as the Tower Theatre on May 5, 1945 with Tex Ritter in “Rhythm of the Rio Grande.”
Herbert Rapp opened the Tower Theatre in the old Temple Theatre in May of 1945. The theatre began with Saturday and Sunday offerings of two big pictures. In June of 1948, considerable damage occurred to the booth in the Tower Theatre destroying the sound system and causing additional damage. In February 1957, the Tower Theatre closed. In February 15 1958, the old Southland Hotel and Tower Theatre were gutted by fire causing thousands of dollars in damage.
Subsequent to opening the Tower Rapp opened the Ranger Drive-In in Loop Strawn. This has its own listing on Cinema Treasures. Rapp retired from the Drive-In in 1978. Presumably he was still operating the Tower at that time.
The Tower was reimagined in the former Temple.