East Texas Tales: Select Theater in Mineola, oldest continually operated theater in Texas, experiences 96 years of movie-magic

Published 11:53 pm Sunday, September 4, 2016

Riley Hodges, left, and Sam McNiel run the snack bar Saturday at the Historic Select Theater in downtown Mineola. Conversation goes hand-in-hand with the candy, pop corn and soda, typical of small town Texas on movie night. Andrew D. Brosig/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP

MINEOLA – The movies have been a big part of the culture and life in the East Texas town of Mineola since 1916, when the Star Theater showed silent movies, and it continued after the Hooks family started the Select Theater in 1920.

At that time, film reels were shipped to Mineola on the bus. It was the only way to get the large reels of film to the theater for patrons to view.



“I used to go to the bus station with my dad to get the film reels,” said Lou Wagner, chairman of the Meredith Foundation, and granddaughter of Select Theater original owner, Martha Hooks.

The Select got a facelift in 1948. Air conditioning, a new sound system, screen and a cry-room for babies were installed to make the movie experience more comfortable and family friendly.

Most people from Mineola cannot seem to talk about the Select Theater without mentioning James Dear and Truman Thomas. The two bought the movie equipment and ran the theater from 1961 to 1986. The neighbors and friends arranged their schedules so one of them was at the theater and the Sky Vue Drive-In Theater, which they also operated.

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Dear was 12 years old when he began working for the Hooks family at the Select Theater. He would eventually retire in 1986, but not without leaving behind memories and stories that will last for generations.

“My dad’s (James Dear) first job was to plug in the player-piano that was used during the silent films,” Martha Holmes said. “He worked for the Hooks family a majority of his life. He grew up learning the business. Except for his years in the Army during WWII, he was in the movie business most of his life.”

The movie theater served as a place where kids could spend the entire day watching the likes of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. The films created a sense of community and a place to see the world.

“It wasn’t just movies you could see at the Select. There were documentaries about animals, national parks, different places in America and the newscasts played at the beginning of some movies,” Ms. Holmes said. “Dad sad it was like watching the world out of a magic window.”

Dear and Thomas did their part to keep the kids who spent their days at the theater safe and well-behaved. The memories of Dear’s flashlight walking the isles was enough to make many kids sit up straight and mind their manners.

“It was really the cheapest babysitter in town,” Ms. Holmes said. “Dad (Dear) would just work in the theater and watch the kids, and if they were misbehaving, he would call their parents. My future husband was dropped off at the theater when he was 5 years old and was told to sit in the back and be good and watch the movie.”

Truman Thomas worked in the Mineola theaters, the Select, the Leroy and the Sky Vue Drive-in as a young boy. He, like Dear, served in the military during WWII. Thomas returned to Mineola to work for the Hooks family after the war.

“My dad (Truman Thomas) and James Dear literally grew up in the shows,” Brenda Melvin said. “When Mr. Hooks died, he had in his will that Daddy and James were to buy the shows. I went to work there when I was 14 years old and did everything except run the projectors.”

During the days of segregation, the crow’s nest on the upper level balcony was where the African-American moviegoers sat. With the same strictness and order, Cardall Daniels walked the aisles with his flashlight and kept order.

“There was a separate entrance, and we had to go upstairs,” Carlist Brinkley, Mineola acting postmaster, said. “I was 8 or 9 years old, and it was a treat for me and my cousins to go to the movies. It seemed like the best seats in the house up there. I didn’t have to strain my neck to see the screen.”

The balcony is now the sound room. There are 246 seats for anyone to watch the latest movies, see a play or hear the Lake Country Symphonic Band perform.

When Dear and Thomas retired in 1986, ownership of the theater transferred to the Lake Country Playhouse, a local nonprofit live theater company. The Select Theater allowed live theater performances to be performed on the stage of the theater. In 1993, with the help of the Meredith Foundation, the Lake Country Playhouse purchased the building with the promise to keep motion pictures playing in Mineola.

The latest renovations kept some of the nostalgia of the 1948 scheme. Care was taken to keep the art deco look but also modernize the theater for the 21st century and ensure its operation for decades to come. Through a grant from the Meredith Foundation, The Select was able to upgrade the sound system to Dolby, convert from 35mm to digital, add a new screen and extend the stage to support the Lake Country Symphonic Band.

“Being able to convert to digital kept the movie theater in business,” Mike Holbrook, executive director, said. “This is a place where people bring their grandkids and hear stories start with the words, ‘when I was your age.'”

Many kids in Mineola worked their first jobs at the Select Theater. Passing out flyers, being an usher, working at the concession stand and taking tickets were some of the jobs the kids of Mineola performed for Dear.

“Dad and Thomas mentored a lot of kids there,” Ms. Holmes said. “They were taught work ethic, morals, and that means so much to the community when there weren’t a lot of job opportunities.”

The rich history of the theater has included many first dates, first kisses, holding hands with that special boy or girl for the first time and marriage proposals. A wedding was performed on the stage in 2014.

James Dear’s granddaughter, Savannah Simcik, knew she wanted to get married in the place where her grandfather spent most of his life bringing entertainment to Mineola. Although Dear passed away four months before the wedding, he was involved in the planning. With their names on the marquee and the concession stands open, the couple made its way to the stage for the ceremony.

“My husband and I met at the coffee shop across the street from The Select in 2007,” Savannah Simcik said. “We had our first date there. On May 17, 2014, we were married on the stage. We left an empty seat for my grandfather (James Dear) who had passed four months before the ceremony.”

A tribute to the original Select Theater can be seen at the Mineola Historical Museum. The original 1948 popcorn machine is on display with the working 1948 projectors.

“We have a piece of the 1948 carpet, some of the seats, the curtain and many original pieces on display,” Sharon Chamblee, museum coordinator, said. “Barbara Musgraves and I made a documentary about the theater, and it’s on sale at the museum.”

The Meredith Foundation and The Lake Country Playhouse have allowed moviegoers to take their children and grandchildren to the movies in the same theater where legacies and family traditions of going to the movie were formed decades ago. Plans are in the works for a 100-year anniversary celebration less than four years away.

“I’m very proud that the Select Theater and my grandparents’ vision has been supported by Mineola and the surrounding area,” Ms. Wagner said.

Visit lakecountryplayhouse.com for more information on movie schedules, play schedules or the symphonic band concert information.

 

IF YOU GO

What: Lake Country Playhouse and the Select Theater

Where: 114 N. Johnson St., Mineola

MOVIE TIMES: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday matinee

COST: Adults $6, kids younger than 11, $4 on Saturday and $4 for the Sunday matinee

 

MEMORIES FROM THE SELECT

“Freshmen were required to read Romeo and Juliet and every year they showed Romeo and Juliet at the theater. Some of us would go every year.”

– Kim Ashby

“I remember Mr. Dear and Mr. Thomas walking the aisles with their flashlights. We weren’t allowed to be in the alley beside the theater when we were waiting for our parents to pick us up.”

– Nita Petty

“My dad, Truman Thomas, was co-owner of the theater. I started working there when I was 14.”

– Brenda Melvin

“My mother made me wear a bright colored shirt when I walked to the theater on Saturdays so she could see me when I was walking home. If she didn’t see me, she would call the theater.”

– Charlotte Blackmon

“I remember seeing a couple “necking” for the very first time at the Select when I was about 8 years old. They were in the back row. I was mesmerized. I don’t doubt Mr. Dear was close by with his flashlight.”

– Ruth Ann Rodieck

“The tornado that touched down in 1962 did a lot of damage. The theater was full of kids who were told to get under the seats. Everyone was safe.”

– Cindi Furrh-Yocom

“I used to pass out movie schedules around town in the 1950s for free tickets to see the movies. I remember tickets costing a dime.”

– Bobbi Few