My dad graduated from Texas A&I, 1958. He worked for Bud Piper at Cage-Piper Funeral Home (later Piper Funeral Home). We lived in the apartment over the ambulance garage. Piper has long since moved to bigger and better quarters but the old building where we lived is still there, at the corner of 10th and E. Kleberg.
The theaters we patronized in Kingsville were the Texas (downtown), the King’s, and the Brahma (without the final “n”).
Great finds – thanks for posting. Note of interest: grand opening article (Kingsville Record 4/30/52) lists car capacity of 450. Pretty big for Kingsville.
The line of cars stacked up on Buckner waiting to get in to this theater when John Wayne movies played would often be past John West Road! Hatari!, McLintock, etc. were big crowd-pleasers back then. Several neighbor families would caravan out here, all of us kids in our PJ’s, and make an evening of it. We’d even play on the playground equipment in our PJ’s, our dads in their light slacks and madras sportshirts on those warm summer nights. Good memories of a good theater.
Chuck: to answer your question – yes. The Colonial was at one time in its existence operated by the Interstate Circuit, headquartered in Dallas, at various times under the auspices of, or in partnership with, Publix Theaters, which was Paramount’s exhibition branch.
That also goes for the White Theater.
I know things get confusing with similarly named streets in the same city, especially when the names are eventually changed altogether. The Forest Lane area didn’t even exist when these theaters were built.
Everyone’s making the same mistake about the Colonial’s address that they made about the White Theater, just up the street, namely, you’re calling old Forest AVENUE Forest LANE. They are two different streets in two completely different parts of town. Forest Avenue is now called Martin Luther King Blvd. The Colonial is at the corner of MLK Blvd. (Forest AVENUE) and Colonial Avenue. Looks like the building is still there.
Please change the addresses of BOTH these theaters from Forest LANE (not even developed when these theaters were current) to Forest AVENUE.
Thanks, SiliconSam – according to Yakima (on the Carpo Teatro page under Kingsville theatres), that is the site of the Texas Drive-In – he has several pix, check ‘em out. Now we need to add a Texas page under Corpus listings.
The Wilshire was a lovely theater right up until its death. Always ran first-run pictures, always a good presentation, always a good and attentive staff – just the epitome of what a dignfied single-screen walk-in should be.
In a way, it’s a shame the current market will not support a resurgence of such a theater as this was – that all we can hope for in new construction is the multi-screen megaplex where the sound from the latest action/s-fx blockbuster bleeds through the wall into the auditorium showing a nice dialogue/character-driven film.
Was there also a Texas Drive-In on Leopard Street near the Thunderbird Drive-In? I am told it was on or near “old Hwy 9 to San Antonio.” Is that present-day Leopard Street (State 407)?
So it seems that postcard shot, reputed to be the Hi-Way, is actually taken from the north looking back toward the south along 77, toward town? That would explain why the highway curves to the left in the shot, with the screen tower on the left side of the highway.
Cool, RWolfe – and yeah, I agree with you about downtown Corpus – what a beautiful place I remember it being. Not now, though. Why don’t you post your Corpus drive-in info under the heading for that city – you and Yakima might be able to create some new pages.
Yakima, I remember seeing a photo of the Robstown Drive-In screen tower after it was blown down by high winds. Don’t know when that occurred. Would love to see some of your info posted. If you have an account on flickr or pbase or some other picture hosting site, you can post a link to it in your text for whatever theater you’re posting about.
“The King was on North 77 (14th Street), near where it joined 6th Street and went on to Bishop. It was next to the old Wilcox Furniture and the Bowling Alley (later the Crimson Palace)and St. Martin’s KC Hall.”
“The King was a regular family outing growing up – can remember getting my dad to drive me and my buddies there to see "Woodstock” (old enough to rock, too young to drive – legally) and cringing at sitting next to my dad when Country Joe yelled “Gimme an F!”
From posts made October 5 & 7, 2010 by RWolfe on the Carpo Teatro (Kingsville) page.
“El Rancho was on E Santa Gertrudis, just about a block east of 14th Street on the south side of the street…
…El Rancho was just Spanish language until the last few years before it closed – they began showing some 2nd run and ‘alternative’ English movies (recall seeing “Wattstax” and Hendrix’s “Rainbow Bridge” there)."
posted by RWolfe Oct 5 & 7, 2010 on the Carpo Teatro (Kingsville) page
“The Brahma was at 77 (14th Street) & Ailsie and was torn down sometime in the early 60’s. Remember that a Kroger eventually got built on that property.”
Posted by RWolfe on the Carpo Teatro (Kingsvile) page, October 5, 2010
“…Looks pretty small. Located at Hwy 77 and FM1355. You have to go to Google Earth, and 1956 Historical to see it. It disappears in the 1961 shot however.”
Hey, RWolfe, that’s great – just knowing those great old drive-ins survived into the seventies is cool. You sound like you were a hardcore rocker – been years since I heard anyone else mention “Wattstax” (or thought of it myself)! Still got all your old vinyl?
Yes, Sam, I have been back thru the K several times in the last few years, and to see how raggedy it’s getting to be (especially sad and forlorn old King High, but also St. Gertrude’s School across from the church) is a real downer, kinda like Corpus’s old courthouse. Afraid these fine old structures are goners.
Hey, we ought to add these drive-ins to the list of theaters for Kingsville, now that we have established where they are (were).
My grandfather owned the Running W Plumbing Supply and my grandmother groomed dogs (poodles a specialty – she also showed them) – one of her friends was a woman named Pauline Fredericks, and my grandfather’s daughter (he was only my grandfather by marriage) was Patsy Miller, married to I.J. Miller.
My dad worked for Bud Piper at Cage-Piper (later just Piper) Funeral Home (which was then located in the building at 10th and E. Kleberg).
Know the chances are slim, but any of these names ring a bell with you?
SiliconSam, I believe you found the one I always remembered (incorrectly) as being the El Rancho! (I DO remember you could easily see it from the King) Thanks so much!
RWolfe, you and I are from roughly the same days in Kingsville (I was born there in ‘54, lived there 'til '58, visited there 'til '65).
My grandparents were Betty and Louis J. Huppertz – they lived first at the corner of 10th and King (where the Diamond Shamrock is now) and later moved out to E. Ailsie, just down from where the Brahma was.
My dad graduated from Texas A&I, 1958. He worked for Bud Piper at Cage-Piper Funeral Home (later Piper Funeral Home). We lived in the apartment over the ambulance garage. Piper has long since moved to bigger and better quarters but the old building where we lived is still there, at the corner of 10th and E. Kleberg.
The theaters we patronized in Kingsville were the Texas (downtown), the King’s, and the Brahma (without the final “n”).
So it WAS just the “Rancho”, not “El Rancho.” My mistake of a faulty memory, since I was the one who started asking about these drive-ins.
My memory was also faulty about the name of the King’s Drive-In; I remembered it as “King.”
Excellent work, Yakima. Thanks so much.
Yakima –
Great finds – thanks for posting. Note of interest: grand opening article (Kingsville Record 4/30/52) lists car capacity of 450. Pretty big for Kingsville.
I remember the screen tower mural.
The line of cars stacked up on Buckner waiting to get in to this theater when John Wayne movies played would often be past John West Road! Hatari!, McLintock, etc. were big crowd-pleasers back then. Several neighbor families would caravan out here, all of us kids in our PJ’s, and make an evening of it. We’d even play on the playground equipment in our PJ’s, our dads in their light slacks and madras sportshirts on those warm summer nights. Good memories of a good theater.
Used to visit friends who lived on San Paula – we’d sneak over the back fence and catch a free show.
Chuck: to answer your question – yes. The Colonial was at one time in its existence operated by the Interstate Circuit, headquartered in Dallas, at various times under the auspices of, or in partnership with, Publix Theaters, which was Paramount’s exhibition branch.
That also goes for the White Theater.
I know things get confusing with similarly named streets in the same city, especially when the names are eventually changed altogether. The Forest Lane area didn’t even exist when these theaters were built.
Everyone’s making the same mistake about the Colonial’s address that they made about the White Theater, just up the street, namely, you’re calling old Forest AVENUE Forest LANE. They are two different streets in two completely different parts of town. Forest Avenue is now called Martin Luther King Blvd. The Colonial is at the corner of MLK Blvd. (Forest AVENUE) and Colonial Avenue. Looks like the building is still there.
Please change the addresses of BOTH these theaters from Forest LANE (not even developed when these theaters were current) to Forest AVENUE.
Thanks for all your good hard work, Yakima! You have really added a great deal to this wonderful resource!
Thanks, SiliconSam – according to Yakima (on the Carpo Teatro page under Kingsville theatres), that is the site of the Texas Drive-In – he has several pix, check ‘em out. Now we need to add a Texas page under Corpus listings.
Outstanding, Yakima! Thanks! We need a Texas page linked from the Corpus Christi section now!
The Wilshire was a lovely theater right up until its death. Always ran first-run pictures, always a good presentation, always a good and attentive staff – just the epitome of what a dignfied single-screen walk-in should be.
In a way, it’s a shame the current market will not support a resurgence of such a theater as this was – that all we can hope for in new construction is the multi-screen megaplex where the sound from the latest action/s-fx blockbuster bleeds through the wall into the auditorium showing a nice dialogue/character-driven film.
Anybody familiar with old-time Corpus:
Was there a Texas Drive-In located on Leopard Street near the Thunderbird?
Was it on or near “Old Hwy 9 to San Antonio”?
What would “Old Hwy 9” be called today?
Yakima, or any old Corpus hands out there:
Was there also a Texas Drive-In on Leopard Street near the Thunderbird Drive-In? I am told it was on or near “old Hwy 9 to San Antonio.” Is that present-day Leopard Street (State 407)?
“Cannot get Google to map properly.”
It’s about 3,000 miles due east of the North Pacific Ocean.
Good eye, SiliconSam!
Great movies, Yakima!
Thanks to you both.
Yakima, can you post those pictures?
So it seems that postcard shot, reputed to be the Hi-Way, is actually taken from the north looking back toward the south along 77, toward town? That would explain why the highway curves to the left in the shot, with the screen tower on the left side of the highway.
Cool, RWolfe – and yeah, I agree with you about downtown Corpus – what a beautiful place I remember it being. Not now, though. Why don’t you post your Corpus drive-in info under the heading for that city – you and Yakima might be able to create some new pages.
Yakima, I remember seeing a photo of the Robstown Drive-In screen tower after it was blown down by high winds. Don’t know when that occurred. Would love to see some of your info posted. If you have an account on flickr or pbase or some other picture hosting site, you can post a link to it in your text for whatever theater you’re posting about.
Hope to hear more from you soon!
“The King was on North 77 (14th Street), near where it joined 6th Street and went on to Bishop. It was next to the old Wilcox Furniture and the Bowling Alley (later the Crimson Palace)and St. Martin’s KC Hall.”
“The King was a regular family outing growing up – can remember getting my dad to drive me and my buddies there to see "Woodstock” (old enough to rock, too young to drive – legally) and cringing at sitting next to my dad when Country Joe yelled “Gimme an F!”
“El Rancho was on E Santa Gertrudis, just about a block east of 14th Street on the south side of the street…
…El Rancho was just Spanish language until the last few years before it closed – they began showing some 2nd run and ‘alternative’ English movies (recall seeing “Wattstax” and Hendrix’s “Rainbow Bridge” there)."
“The Brahma was at 77 (14th Street) & Ailsie and was torn down sometime in the early 60’s. Remember that a Kroger eventually got built on that property.”
“…Looks pretty small. Located at Hwy 77 and FM1355. You have to go to Google Earth, and 1956 Historical to see it. It disappears in the 1961 shot however.”
View link
SiliconSam, posted Oct 5, 2010 on Carpo Teatro (Kingsville) page
Hey, RWolfe, that’s great – just knowing those great old drive-ins survived into the seventies is cool. You sound like you were a hardcore rocker – been years since I heard anyone else mention “Wattstax” (or thought of it myself)! Still got all your old vinyl?
Yes, Sam, I have been back thru the K several times in the last few years, and to see how raggedy it’s getting to be (especially sad and forlorn old King High, but also St. Gertrude’s School across from the church) is a real downer, kinda like Corpus’s old courthouse. Afraid these fine old structures are goners.
Hey, we ought to add these drive-ins to the list of theaters for Kingsville, now that we have established where they are (were).
Continuation of above:
My grandfather owned the Running W Plumbing Supply and my grandmother groomed dogs (poodles a specialty – she also showed them) – one of her friends was a woman named Pauline Fredericks, and my grandfather’s daughter (he was only my grandfather by marriage) was Patsy Miller, married to I.J. Miller.
My dad worked for Bud Piper at Cage-Piper (later just Piper) Funeral Home (which was then located in the building at 10th and E. Kleberg).
Know the chances are slim, but any of these names ring a bell with you?
SiliconSam, I believe you found the one I always remembered (incorrectly) as being the El Rancho! (I DO remember you could easily see it from the King) Thanks so much!
RWolfe, you and I are from roughly the same days in Kingsville (I was born there in ‘54, lived there 'til '58, visited there 'til '65).
My grandparents were Betty and Louis J. Huppertz – they lived first at the corner of 10th and King (where the Diamond Shamrock is now) and later moved out to E. Ailsie, just down from where the Brahma was.
Thanks RWolfe; any idea where the Hi-Way Drive-In was located (mentioned in MikeRogers May 22 post, above)?