There are times we all wish we could go back and live in those “olden days”. Sometimes we just want to know what life must have been like when our grandparents were teenagers, how they must have spent their Friday nights out with friends. The Brunson Theater in our town gives us the feel of the old times. Being built in the 1940’s, it is still a beautiful sight to drive by. It is so intriguing to just imagine all of the young lads who must have asked a beautiful young lady out on a date to the towns theater. At times I think of all the parents who sought out a babysitter so they could enjoy a nice quiet dinner and movie out on the town. I personally feel as if the Brunson Theater brought joy to so many people. The walls of the Brunson Theater must have seen so many late night kisses and so many young boys slipping their arms around that pretty girl, and all of those old couples going on an old fashioned date.
The
Brunson Theater in Old Baytown was opened on August 23, 1949. It had a seating
capacity of up to 1,000 people (Guynn). This means there were 1,000 people they
could please with a movie at any given time.
It has been abandoned and owned by the city since 1997 when its piled
debts were too much to handle any longer.
When the theater first opened, it is said that it was a big hit among
the people. The adults and teens spent their nights and weekends seeing the new
movies and shows. Matinee times on Saturdays were also an attraction for all of
the young children. There was a lot of
spirit and love in the Brunson Theater shared among the people and seen in the
love they carried for it. When the first ticket was sold and
the curtains were opened by the reigning Miss Texas, the theater was officially
open for the people to enjoy. Yes Sir, That’s My Baby was the first of many
movies to be shown at the new theater in Baytown, Texas. (Touchstone)
The man to thank for the Brunson Theater goes by the name
H.E Brunson. He had a vision for the city of Baytown and he brought that to
life (Touchstone). He was not the only man who kept it up and going, though.
His side kick, Rufus Honeycutt, had a large vision for the city’s new theater
He wanted to do everything he could to bring it the attention it deserved. It
is reported that Mr. Honeycutt even went so far as to fake an attempted suicide
in order to draw a crowd. He stood on top of the theater and yelled for all to
hear that he was going to jump in twelve hours. He warned the police department
and others so they would know it was simply a hoax, but by all means did he
draw a crowd (Orton).
Honeycutt did the best that he could to bring the needed
attention to the theater but that did not last for too long. Before they knew
it the Brunson Theater was under way of having to close its doors. The Brunson Theater was sold to Bob Jooey from Houston (Baytown Sun). Over the years, the
Theatre was donated to the Lee College Regents in 1984 (Guynn). To this day it
is still abandoned, just waiting for someone else to love it and have a vision
for it the way Brunson and Honeycutt did.
As I sit in my car in across the street from the Brunson
Theater I can not help but imagine what it must have been like to sit behind
these abandoned walls. What it must have been like to spend a Saturday day
night out on the town enjoying a movie date with the one I love. I run my hand
along the wall and imagine all of the love stories that must sit behind these
walls. How many parents took their kids out to enjoy a movie in this beautiful
theater. I think of all the young lovers who shared a late night movie and ice
cream down Texas Avenue. This theater holds a past that I can only imagine.
I return to my vehicle and just sit and admire this building.
Why has our city just let it go to waste. This building once had soul and a
vibrant life. Oh, the beauty it has. Others may look at it and think it is ugly
or maybe of no use. But I look at it and see beyond the walls. I see the
texture of the building and how much time must have been spent building it. I
see the money and time Mr. Brunson himself poured into the building, and also
the love he had for it. This building holds so much beauty I long to enter its
doors and experience it all first hand. The joy that would bring…
Works Cited
1. Dillard, Amanda. "The Brunson
Theater And The End Of An Era." Touchstone 26.(2007): 55. Texas Reference
Center. Web. 2 Nov. 2011
2. Orton, Wanda. “When Rufus Is There,
Movies are Greatest Shows On Earth.” The Baytown Sun. Baytown. Sept. 6, 1964. Page 1. Print.
3. “Baytown-La porte Theaters Are
Sold.” The Baytwon Sun.” Baytown. Aug.
6, 1968. Page 1. Print.
4. Guynn, Bruce. “Regents Accepts Donation
Of Theater.” The Baytown Sun. Baytown. 28, May 1984. Page 1. Print.
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