~Thornton Wilder "Our Town"
The Ritz, Opening Day, Christmas 1929 - - Opening day for the Ritz Theatre was an exciting one. It was Christmas day, 1929. Patrons were anxious to escape the reality of the stock market crash, just 3 months before, and the beginning of what would become the Great Depression. The first show at the Ritz was “It’s a Great Life” starring the Duncan Sisters. The feature was presented by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and included selected shorts. The story was about two sisters working in the sheet-music section of a large department store. 
They get fired, enter vaudeville (variety shows), split up when one of them falls in love with a piano player (Lawrence Gray), become re-united and finally return to the stage. The film included songs such as “Sailing on a Sunbeam” by Dave Dryer and Ballard MacDonald. Ticket prices were 30 cents for adults and 10 cents for children, although the lower floor price was raised to a whopping 50 cents later.
The Ritz Fantasy - - Designed by St. Louis architect, Scott Dunne, the Ritz was created to be an “image of fantasy” using art deco style and Spanish Renaissance influences. The elaborate interior, which seated around 1300, featured a Spanish courtyard façade and illuminated sky. Moving clouds were projected from two cloud machines mounted on turrets near the ceiling. Stars twinkled in the sky to further enhance the magical atmosphere. The decorator was Peckenpaugh Construction Co. The lobby was a two-story open space with a mezzanine balcony that circled the room. The Ritz was declared “one of the finest in the state” by critics, in addition to being one of the largest.
The Ritz Entertainment - - The Ritz was opened as a first-run movie theatre and vaudeville house (stage entertainment offering a variety of short acts such as slapstick, song-and-dance routines, and juggling performances). During World War II, big-name bands entertained military personnel as well as the local community. “Big Screen” movies came on the scene and forced Ritz management to strip many of the theatre’s embellishments to make room for the bigger screens. This included the ornate proscenium, the permanent framed opening, a sort of picture frame around the stage, through which the audience would see the play or entertainment. But the Ritz was still grand and continued to thrive until the last regular scheduling of films in 1972. It re-opened as The Ritz Music Hall in 1974 and then Ritz Productions in 1976 and featured such acts as Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffett, Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, Def Leppard, Motley Crue and many others. Later, the Performing Players, an amateur theatre group, held shows at the theatre, followed by another amateur group, The Encore Theatre Corporation. The latter occupied the Ritz until the 80’s.- - -
The Ritz Theatre, once a state-of-the-art venue of its day, has been closed for over 15 years and slowly deteriorating. Today, the theatre’s future is in the hands of the non-profit corporation, PATCH, and the community. Bruce Collins created the Ritz with a long-term vision of entertainment and excitement filled with culture and creativity. This should continue to be the ongoing vision for the Ritz and Corpus Christi. PATCH, established for the good of the Ritz Theatre, has a responsibility to restore this house of creativity. We want to respect the history and the courage of those who found the passion and drive to create the theatre in the first place. PATCH will restore the Ritz Theatre, retaining the original style of Spanish Renaissance, and develop the theatre into a state-of-the-art entertainment venue worthy of the times and the name, The Ritz.
This week´s topic for Tina's Picstory is *my town*! I drove to the area to take pictures of how it looks today... As above shows, this is part of the old town Corpus Christi, and a future bright for the old town theater/vaudeville. Restoration has begun, but funds are dwindling by the state of the economy. All written, describing the theater's history was found HERE.
Also, you know me...anything Halloween!! Right? Well around our town, in the grocery stores they had bags of these. Of course I couldn't resist picking up a bag....what else for snacking but Halloween Colored Tortilla Chips?!! They were tasty. But, I think I liked the orange ones better...hehehehehe
