The Gem Theater: March 2018

Introduction

Downtown Wichita Falls, Texas, in the mid 1940’s was a bustling metropolis for a boy of 7 just away from the farm and ranch community where he was born. My father, a cook and cowboy by trade, had just started as one of the first cooks for the Casa Manana restaurant in 1947. He moved us to an apartment on Ohio Street, right across from the Gem Theater, between 7^th and 8^th Streets. It’s here that we would stay for the next three years. The Gem Theater became a magic palace for a young mind. But it had to share that distinction with the rest of the magic that was Wichita Falls. I attended San Jacinto and Carrigan elementary schools, as well as Reagan Junior High, and belonged to the Boys Club on 6th Street. Please join, and share your stories and pictures through a Guest Blog, of early Wichita Falls - or your home town. Contact me at fadingshadows40@gmail.com or leave a comment. We could use old pictures of movie houses, drive-in theaters, and other nostalgic pictures related to our youths.

Sunday, March 18, 2018

The Strand Theater

The Strand Theater in Wichita Falls: I went to the Strand a few times. I remember seeing BLACKBOARD JUNGLE at the Strand, and I think THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD in the early 1950s.

Sunday, March 11, 2018

The Tower Theater

The Tower Theater in Wichita Falls where I saw so many great Saturday Matinees, as well as the 1948 serial, Superman. I have some great memories from the Tower Theater.

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Another Old Time Rack

Here's another old time paperback rack. I love these old pictures of comic book spinner racks, pulp and magazine racks, and even paperback racks from years past.

The Gem Theater