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 reunited 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.

Economic Development

Even in the midst of the Great Depression, the Ritz Theatre was a vehicle for economic development. 715 N. Chaparral served as the flashy main entrance, while an additional box office and entrance faced Mesquite Street. W.W. Jones, a rancher, businessman, Port of Corpus Christi Navigation Commissioner and owner of the Nueces Hotel, made the suggestion to create the additional box office because he believed property on Mesquite Street would be enhanced by the theatre’s proximity. Next door to the theatre on Chaparral was Jack Brown’s wood shop. Brown created one-of-a-kind driftwood sculptures from Padre Island and was a professional cabinet maker. He carved beautiful furniture from mahogany and mesquite and built the first two domino tables for Artesian Park, adjacent to the Ritz.

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). The Ritz was the first “talking” movie theatre in South Texas. 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. 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 featured such acts as Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffet, 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 ’80s.