The Ritz Fantasy
St. Louis architect Scott Dunne designed The Ritz Theatre as an “image of fantasy” using
Art Deco style and Spanish Renaissance influences. The elaborate interior, seated around 1300, featured a Spanish courtyard façade
and illuminated sky. Two cloud machines mounted on turrets near the ceiling projected moving clouds. 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. Critics declared the Ritz “one of the finest in the state” and “one of the largest.”
Opening Day was Christmas Day, 1929. Patrons were anxious to escape the reality of the stock market crash, which had occurred just three months before and was 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. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer presented the feature, which included selected shorts. 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.
Headliners & Show-Stoppers
The Ritz was the first “talking” movie theatre and vaudeville house in South Texas. Big-name bands entertained military personnel and the local community during World War II. “Big Screen” movies came on the scene and forced theatre management to strip many embellishments to make room for the bigger screens. This included the ornate proscenium, the permanent framed opening 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 Buffett, Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, 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. The theatre closed in 1989.
Just a few legendary artists that have performed at The Ritz…
Bruce Springsteen
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Bob Dylan
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Willie Nelson
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Elvis Presley
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Journey
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B.B. King
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Metallica
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Motörhead
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Jimmy Buffett
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Def Leppard
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Iggy Pop
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Joan Jett
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AC/DC
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Lynyrd Skynyrd
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Blue Öyster Cult
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Rush
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Bo Diddley
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Mötley Crüe
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The Pointer Sisters
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Bruce Springsteen | Bob Dylan | Willie Nelson | Elvis Presley | Journey | B.B. King | Metallica | Motörhead | Jimmy Buffett | Def Leppard | Iggy Pop | Joan Jett | AC/DC | Lynyrd Skynyrd | Blue Öyster Cult | Rush | Bo Diddley | Mötley Crüe | The Pointer Sisters |
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