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Gordon Johnson
El Paso, TX |
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During the early and late 1930’s I can remember going to the Plaza Theatre on Saturdays and marveling at the twinkling stars, moving clouds and a setting which reminded me of an Italian or Spanish garden. Watching the organ rise from the depths was always a great plus.
But I didn’t really appreciate the theater until I started to work there in 1940. A friend of mine, Tommy Knight, was the assistant manager and was very instrumental in my getting a job as an usher. It was the first time I ever wore a “dickie”. The organizational structure at the time was to start in the balcony as an usher, graduate to the main floor as an usher, and then go to the foyer which was a central point for collecting the number of seats available that each usher could dial into the network. The foyer could tell the doorman how many people he could allow in to the theater. This dial-up network was really far advanced at that time, for this was during the Depression. Being head doorman was the top of the order, except for management.
Going to the movies was a popular thing to do in those days prior to television, and the crowds were very large on the weekends, with lines of people waiting, curling around the White House Department Store. It became obvious to me that right here in a little old west Texas town, during a depression, that we had one of the most modern, and beautiful theaters in existence at that time.
The Ellanay Theatre is gone, the Camino Real occupying that space. The Wigwam, Texas Grand, Alcazar, Colon and Crawford theaters are gone, leaving our only other theater in existence at that time (the Pershing Theater at Five Points is not in operation now). But, the Plaza, the jewel of local theaters, must be saved.
The Plaza at that time was owned by Interstate Theatres, and Mr. John Paxton was the area manager, and Mr. William Glen was manager of the Plaza. I would imagine that they have passed on by now, and the theater has been owned by many entities since. I believe it is in good hands now with the El Paso Community Foundation.
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