1974 ~ North Park Cinema 1 & 2

Research compiled by Javier R Garcia and Rick Medina

 Box Office Magazine October 7, 1974

Raul Davila, Joe Trevino and Carmen Abete in 1963 for the 14th anniversary of the Majestic's opening in 1949.  Davila began as a projectionist since the earliest days of the Capitol and Carmen began at the Queen Theater.  We'll see more photos of them with another posting for the Capitol and Majestic sometime later..... By 1974 Mr Trevino had already moved into the funeral business. When ABC North Park Cinema opened Mrs Abete was an assistant manager and Mr Davila was the chief operator.  His son Mario was also a projectionist and continues working at  Cinemark Movies 10 as a manager there,  [photo courtesy of Joe Trevino; insets from Brownsville Herald archives]  

 Brownsville Herald pages and clippings May 2, 1974

Herald news-clip courtesy of Rick Medina

 Souvenir brochure for closing of Majestic and opening of North Park Cinema 1 & 2 courtesy of Carmen Abete.

 Concessions counter, walls and ceiling look same today 07/2015

 1974 Grand Opening newspaper clip - Rick Medina

1983 Fall Became 3-screen theater - Rick Medina

Stay tuned for interview with Mario Davila whose name you may not know but face you will recognize - Next on Bronsbil Estacion blog

1940s ~ Queen Theater on E Elizabeth

Bill Stevenson  and Francis Cowan in front of Queen Theatre - Cowans father had cigar store there --  Photo courtesy of Dale Stevenson

c1907 Adolff Dittman pre-Brownsville, Texas

Adolf Dittmann Magic Trick

^^  click that ^^

The Dreamland, El Tiro and Teatro Mexico ~ 11th & E Washington St

1912 It looks like they were well on their way but then...

The two main theaters in 1913 were Dittmann and the Dreamland built by W.K. Sheppard on the corner of 11^th St. and Washington in February (its previous location was near 12^th and Washington St.).[i]  Both theaters thrived on competition for years to come.[ii]  The Dreamland did not have a stage like other theaters.  Instead, it included one thousand chairs and an orchestra pit beneath the screen.  The cost to build it was $7,000.  Sheppard hired a man to play a number of musical instruments and produce sounds to match scenes depicted in the pictures and another person played piano.  His main distributor supplied films by Universal Pictures.[iii]

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[i] Sanborn Fire Insurance maps from 1914 label the second building from the corner of 1100 Washington St. and 12^th St. as being in use for “Motion Pictures” and the Brownsville Herald news items and ads print the “New Dreamland” as having been from that location. 

[ii]   Visit “Photographs of the Robert Runyon Collection – The South Texas Border, 1900-1920” at the The University of Texas at Austin webpage at http://runyon.lib.utexas.edu to see the Dittmann and Dreamland.

[iii]  “Dreamland Tonight:  New Theater Built Exclusively for Moving Pictures Has Many Modern Features,” Brownsville Herald 02/05/13.

[iv]   Brownsville Herald 08/25/13.

[v]   Brownsville Herald 06/19/14.

[vi]   Brownsville Herald 05/13/10  excerpt:  “Part of the Crystal’s roof has been removed making it a cool pleasant resort on these spring nights.”

[vii]   Brownsville Herald 04/27/1912.

[viii] Hall, John R. “1930s Bring A/C Into the Mainstream.”  Posted April 24, 2001.  Internet article: http://www.achrnews.com/Articles/Feature_Article/2d061aeb4695a010VgnVCM100000f932a8c0__

 ... they decided to alter the building significantly

A.M. Stringer, who had been painting scenic art for Dittman’s vaudeville shows since 1910, was also hired by W.K. Sheppard to decorate the Dreamland in 1913.[iv]  The following summer he was rehired by Dittman to redecorate the lobby and paint scenery. 

In 1914, Sheppard announced plans to modify the ceiling of his theater as an airdome roof for the summer which could be opened and closed as needed.[v]  The owners of the Crystal had done something similar in 1910 by removing a section of the roof.[vi]  But it would still be a few years before air conditioning could give visitors satisfactory relief from summer temperatures.  Ads for the Ditmann boasted it was “the coolest place in town” beginning in April 1927.[vii]  More efficient AC systems made their way into theaters across the nation by the 1930s.[viii]

 Probably W.K. Sheppard with wife and daughter.

Theater family and movie posters

 May be W.K. Sheppard again with theater employees

 Theater seats

Theater pit and screen

 

1912 

1917

1919 The Queen Theater later moved into new building near E Elizabeth and 12th

David J. Young bought the Dreamland which became “Teatro El Tiro” (as early as 1937) [i] and later, Teatro Mexico (opened in 1945) which showed Spanish language movies along with the Teatro Iris (1946) on Washington St. [ii]  The first Spanish movies were shown at the Dittman, after David Young leased it from Adolf Dttman.[iii]  His son, Dave Young Jr. later bought the Fiesta Drive-In on Southmost Rd. and 29^th St. from the Ezell Theater Company (formerly the W.G. Underwood and Claude Ezell “U&E” theater chain which built it in 1954). 

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[i]   Interview with Rogelio Agrasanchez, Jr. July 16, 2009.  A 1949 Sanborn map places the Iris at 1037 Washington St.

[ii]   “Teatro Mexico Formally Opens Tonight,” Brownsville Herald 04/23/45.  A 1949 Sanborn map indicates the Iris Theater was at 1037 Washington.

[iii]   Interview with Adolf Dittman Jr. July 27, 2009 and Rogelio Agrasanchez, Jr. July 16, 2009.  Adolf Jr. recalled David J. Young, Sr. as leasing the theater from his father in the 1930s and Agrasanchez stated the Dittmann was the first to show Mexican movies.  The Brownsville Herald 01/02/1933 includes a Dittmann ad for “Esclavas de la Moda con Felix de Pomes and Blanca de Castejon” in a Spanish comedy.

El Tiro caravan announcing movie attraction (Brownsville High School on Palm Blvd behind them)

1945 Heraldo Spanish language news story

Brownsville Herald interview with David Young, Sr includes history of theater and description of renovation to building.

 Architect Jack Corgan rendition of new facade for theater

 Barely visible sign of Teatro Mexico and Coca Cola Sign

Mexico sign top left and Iris sign above van in photo

Teatro Mexico

 2005 11th and E Washington

1949 Sanborn Map shows Mexico, Grande and Iris theaters

Theaters & Drive Ins of Brownsville, Texas

Downtown locations of Theaters

Once Upon A Time....

To Brownsville with Love

Adolf Dittman (was Dittmann)

This is going to take a while...

In Brownsville:  A Pictorial History, May 29, 1908 is the date written beneath a photograph on which Adolf sits on a horse in front of the theater.  Written on its windows on the left of the entrance is “Electric Theater” and “Teatro Electrico” on the right.  This might have been a first for audiences to see films shown in “tints and colors” as described in the Brownsville Herald newspaper briefs. 

Adolf had a collection of stage props he ordered from magician’s catalogs.  One of these, the “eerie producing skull”, could be fitted with hidden objects inside the skull and be “mysteriously” drawn from his top hat.  His tuxedo coat had many hidden pockets of various sizes to hide small objects such as coins, cards and handkerchiefs.  Many of his rare books on magic were written in English and German.  The largest prop is an ornately carved wooden table in Louis IV style.  Its legs are painted gold with carved lion heads.  It also has a secret drawer and openings on the tabletop for hidden compartments.[i]

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[i]   Historic Brownsville Museum archives:  June and Adolf Dittman Jr. Collection.  Adolf Jr. described his father’s coat with many hidden pockets in an interview May 5, 2008.

Names of our first theater owners remained hidden in microfilm for years.  But we know more about Adolf Frederick Dittman from the assortment of personal belongings his family kept for years then donated to a museum.  He was born March 10, 1877 in Berlin, Germany.  His parents were August and Frederika Arndt Dittmann and he was the eldest of five children.  The family immigrated to America in 1885 and eventually settled in Salt Lake City, Utah.  When he was old enough to seek his fortune, he plied his skill as a stage magician in Chicago, Boston and New York.[i]  He learned the process of printing to write and publish songs and music.  One song which he composed was “She Thought Her Love in Vain” (1901).  From his Dittmann Publishing House in Chicago he produced a 300 page 9^th edition of Romanzo Intermezzo and Skeleton Dance by Otoman Zar-Adusht Ha'nish in 1904.[ii]  His knowledge of printing and appreciation of the arts served him later in life.

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[i]   Interview with Adolf Jr. and June Dittman May 5, 2008.  The personal items saved by the Dittmans proved invaluable to the writing of this article as well as microfilm of the Brownsville Daily Herald at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College library.

[ii] “She thought her Love in vain.” Words and music by A. Dittmann.  Arranged by R. E. Hanisch, Published by Adolf Dittmann (1901); Skeleton Dance and Romanzo Intermezzo by Otoman Zar-Adusht Ha'nish, Unknown Binding, Published 1904 by Adolf Dittman: http://www.gettextbooks.co.uk/author/Adolf_Dittmann   accessed July 30, 2009.  and  “Adolph Dittman” copy of unpublished essay by Ruby Woolridge (year unknown).

Billed as Professor Dittmann, Adolf was adept at card tricks and illusions.  One poster bill identified him as “The New Comet” and guaranteed a performance of “Enchanting Entertainment of High Class,” full of “Magic, Mirth and Mystery.”  The show was divided into five acts.  The poster loosely described miracles of magic, art and creations with the fourth act requiring absolute silence from the audience for Dittmann to demonstrate his “acquired ability with occult forces.”  Illusions of objects appearing from thin air and levitating instruments playing music by invisible hands were included in the grand finale.  Then he would mysteriously untie ropes and escape from the “mystic cabinet” by materializing in full light.[i]  The act was designed to amuse and instruct.  That is, he would reveal how certain tricks were done to assure audiences his illusions were not produced by supernatural forces.

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[i]  “The New Comet” double-sided poster printed by “T. Riddell.  Job Printer.  175 W 4th South St., Salt Lake City” from the June and Adolf Jr. Collection.

The Dittmann Theater was built at 1118 Washington St. during the summer of 1910 and would rein as the most frequented place for vaudeville and cinema.  Moving pictures attracted a broader audience and were a hot new trend in entertainment but they wouldn’t replace live entertainment immediately.  Adolf surely recognized this but he also had a strong desire to book vaudeville acts and plays.  It had a seating capacity for an audience of 600 with a 24’ by 47’ stage and 27’ high ceiling.

Ditman’s continued operating his two movie houses simultaneously.  Second run movies were shown at the Electric until late 1911 after Dittman announced he would show new films at both movie houses.

By mid 1910, Brownsville was estimated to have a population of 10,610.  Soon movie venues began cropping up in the downtown area.  Materializing during the early 1910’s were The Imperial, Star, Fox, Casino, Washington, Gem and Crystal Theaters.[ii]  Every one of these theaters was short-lived.

[ii] The Imperial announces its opening for October 23, 1909.  The Star Theater gave its “initial performance” on June 30, 1910 on ‘Washington street”.  Additional ads seldom appear; the last one being found for April 19, 1911.  The Fox opened April 6, 1912.  Ads for the Casino appear periodically from February 1912 to January 28, 1914.  Washington Theater ads appear from January 8 to October of 1914.  The Gem ads appear in January and February 1914. 

Robert Runyon photo of downtown diner with theatre poster at right.

Early movie poster with Dittmann print at bottom.

Dittmann and Runyon would have been friends in their time but we don't have a photo of them together.  I believe Adolf Dittmann took this 1913 photo of New York National Guard in McAllen, Texas and that is Robert Runyon in the photo.

Adolf Dittman Jr.

Adolf Dittmann is sitting far left at this Hollywood gathering for theater managers.

According to Adolf Jr., his father also took a few photos with Runyon.  That man looks like he's texting.

Dittmann filmed for Pathe Film silent news-shorts.  This film was seen all over the United States when they would show you news before a movie.