Green Tree Theatre
1606 Houston Avenue,
Port Arthur,
TX
77640
1606 Houston Avenue,
Port Arthur,
TX
77640
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The Green Tree Theatre was mentioned in The Port Arthur News as far back as 1921. On July 1, 1925 The Jefferson Amusement Co., a subsidiary of Saenger Theatres, purchased the Green Tree Theatre, Pearce Theatre, Peoples Theatre, Strand Theatre and Victor Theatre from J.A. Holton. The deal would be effective August 1, 1925 for Mr. Holton who had operated five theatres in Port Arthur since 1914.
Apparently Jefferson Amusement owned the building and Ruben Ludwig independently managed the theatre and served as machine operator. In July 1926 there was an exchange of lengthy letters in The Port Arthur News between Mr. Ludwig and Union Local 301 IATSE. The union said the Green Tree Theatre was unfair to stage employees and moving picture machine operators. Apparently this dispute was later resolved as there was no follow-up stories.
By 1929 the 250-seat Green Tree Theatre was dropped from Film Daily Year Book.
Contributed by
Ron Pierce
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Recent comments (view all 1 comments)
The Green Tree started as The Green Tree Saloon with billiards, opened by Ruben Ludwig’s father a few years earlier, William Ludwig. William moved to Port Arthur from New Braunfels, where he had owned Willie’s Saloon on San Antonio St. William Ludwig converted the saloon into a theater at the beginning of Prohibition. Ruben also ran a short-lived grocery with his brother in the building next door, Ludwig Brothers Grocery.