Please scroll down for a list of existing vintage theaters. Theaters not in the book's Table of Contents are invited to contact the author at this site requesting to have it listed.

BOOK DESCRIPTION: It takes a vintage theater with a strong personality to survive into the twenty-first century. Surprisingly some date as far back as 1886 and range across the state. Meet the personalities (living and deceased) who have contributed to these old show places. Discover facts and legends about the early days of each as well as the transitions that have given new life as a venue for either "picture shows" or the performing arts.

• Natural disasters? How about fires and floods? So extreme that one projectionist got blown out of the booth.
• Special effects? Check out where water gushes during viewings of Titanic or Twister.
• Shootings? See how dangerous it might be to wait in line for your ticket or to watch a family feud up close.
• Mysteries? Find famous footprints and eerie photos.
• And then there are the ghosts . . . mostly playful, yet you have to wonder.
  

KEY FEATURES: Find a theater by location on a map, alphabetical listing of the city by chapter, or theater name in the index. Photos put you into the past and present of fifty sites. Each chapter gives contact information. As a bonus, each city’s other points of interest are listed as well.

AUTHOR INFORMATION: Stacey Hasbrook and Joan Upton Hall combed the state to locate the best of historical theaters that won’t give up the ghost (sometimes literally). Utilizing their experience as teachers and writers, they offer consulting services for writers. Also, Stacey has experience as a co-producer and interviewer for an Austin radio talk show.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abilene: Paramount (1930) www.paramount-abilene.org
Albany: Aztec (1927)
Alpine: Rangra (1927)
Anson: Opera House (1907)
Archer City: Royal (1927) ) www.royaltheater.org
Austin: Paramount (1915) www.theparamount.org
And Other Austin Oldies www.austintheatrealliance.org
Bastrop: Opera House (1889) www.bastropoperahouse.com
Beaumont: Jefferson (1927) www.jeffersontheatre.org
Canadian: Palace (1909)
Claude: Gem (1915) www.searchtexas.com/gem-theatre
Clifton: ClifTex (1920s) www.cliftextheatre.com
Columbus: Stafford Opera House (1886)
Dalhart: La Rita (1920s) www.larita.org
Dallas: Majestic (1921)www.liveatthemajestic.com
Village (1935)
Lakewood (1938) www.lakewoodtheater.com
And Other Dallas Oldies
Denison: Rialto (1920) www.mainstreetshowcase.com
Eastland: Majestic (1920) www.eastlandfoundation.com/majestic.html
El Paso: Plaza (1929) www.theplazatheater.org
Fort Worth: Casa Manana (1936) www.casamanana.org
And Other Fort Worth Oldies
Gainesville: State (1919) www.statetheatergainesville.com
Galveston: Grand Opera House (1894) www.thegrand.com
Georgetown: Palace (1925) www.thegeorgetownpalace.org
Graham: National (1919)
Granbury: Opera House (1886) www.granburyoperahouse.org
Halletsville: Cole (1929) www.hallettsville.com
Hamilton: Grand (1930s)
Harlingen: Municipal (Lon C. Hill) Auditorium (1936) www.harlingenarts.org
Hillsboro: Texas (1926)
Jefferson: Ruth Lester Memorial Playhouse (circa 1900) http://theexcelsiorhouse.com/ruth.htm
Llano: Lantex (1927) www.lantextheater.com
Lubbock: Cactus (1938) www.cactustheater.com
Mason: Odeon (1928)
Midland: Yucca (1929)
Mineola: Select (1920s)
Paris: Plaza (1926)
Plainview: Fair (1923) www.plainviewtex.com
Port Lavaca: Main (1936) www.plmainstreet.org
Post: Garza (1920) www.posttexas.com
San Antonio: Majestic (1929) www.broadwayacrossamerica.com/sanantonio
And Other San Antonio Oldies
Snyder: Ritz (1921)
Taylor: Howard (1924)
Terlingua: Starlight (1930s)
Texarkana: Perot (1924) www.trahc.org
Uvalde: Opera House (1891)
Victoria:Victoria (1910)
Waxahachie: Chautauqua Auditorium (1902) www.waxahachie.com/chautauqua.htm
Whitewright: Odeum (1920)
Wichita Falls: Wichita Theatre & Opera House (1908) www.wichitatheatre.com
"New Kid on the Block" - Denton: Campus (1949) www.campustheatre.com

TEXAS THEATERS FOUND SINCE PUBLISHING GRAND OLD...THEATERS:

Lockhart: Baker (1920s) www.lockhart.net/lockhartcommunitytheater
Marble Falls: Marble ( ? )
Odessa: Globe of the Great Southwest (1960s) www.globesw.org
Temple: Arcadia ( ? )

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ENDORSEMENTS:

• Larry McMurtry, author of The Last Picture Show and Pulitzer Prize winning Lonesome Dove:
  "In small town America, before television, the moviehouse was the only place to go where one might escape locality. Here was the world beyond the town or village. Joan Upton Hall and Stacey Hasbrook are to be commended for their effort to document the often complex survivals of Texas movie-houses; that any survive at all is testament to our need to look outward, to a place beyond our own."
  
  
• Elmer Kelton, author of The Good Old Boys and The Time It Never Rained:
  "Most of us have fond memories of happy childhood hours spent in movie houses where Hollywood films were like magic carpets taking us to times long past, to lands we would never see, and showing us adventures we could never have. This book takes us back in memory to those movie palaces that are gone but also shows us many that still live, restored to their original glories."
  
  
• Liz Carpenter, author of Start with a Laugh and Unplanned Parenthood: Confessions of a Seventysomething Surrogate Mother:
  "Every library in Texas should have a copy of Grand Old Texas Theaters That Won't Quit."
  
  
• Joe O'Connell, columnist for The Austin American-Statesman:
  "The book is full of ghosts and other interesting tales...But the real lesson is that we should cherish and patronize our historic theaters before they vanish. It's all in this delightful book that could serve as the perfect travel guide for cinephiles."
  
  
• Si Dunn, reviewer for The Dallas Morning News:
  "Austin writers Joan Upton Hall and Stacey Hasbrook highlight 48 old theaters that continue in business or have been brought back to life by dedicated investors, civic leaders and volunteers. The book should be handy both for state travelers and for communities trying to resurrect closed theaters."
  

Joan contributes columns to newsletters across the state