Classic Valley Theaters # 1

I love this old photograph of McAllen's Cine El Rey. I've never seen the film "Juan Charrasqueado", but Pedro Armendáriz is such a great actor. Great presence and his work in "La Perla" and "María Candelaria" is top notch. If you want a great history of the Cine El Rey theater, it could be found here.

Here's a couple of classic photos of two of Pharr's most famous theaters. They were found thanks to this great site, the first pair of photos is of the Texas Theater, located in downtown Pharr. This theater was basically deserted for ages now but it has been recently remodeled and it is trying to get across the image of a classy theater that holds plays, one man shows, business meetings and serves as a ballroom for events like a Quinceañera. But back in the day, it was known as the type of theater that Travis Bickle would take a date to...

Next, this Cactus drive-in theater was built by Interstate Theatres, and it opened around 1950 or 1951. When it was first opened in the early days, it was managed by a man named John Connelly. This drive-in theater was located on Highway 83, what's left now in its place is a Workforce Solutions building (which used to be a Wal-Mart for a brief period then later evolved into the chains discount experiment Bud's in the 1990s) and a few stores like a dollar store, a thrift store, and a nice Mexican restaurent.

I love how is it says "The Most Beautiful Theatre in the World - Pharr, Texas" on the bottom. I wish more photos were available on this place.