Pictures of picture shows

Mike Robertson of Austin was driving down the main street of Bertram, Texas, two years ago and noticed an old theater that looked interesting.

“So I just rolled down the window of my car, picked up my iPhone and snapped a picture of it. A couple of weeks later I was at the town of Edna in South Texas and there was another cool-looking theater. So I took a picture of it.

“That got me to wondering how many old theaters like these are in the state of Texas. Then I found a website that lists just about every theater that ever existed whether they’re open or closed. So I just started to take more pictures of theaters and instead of just snapping one out the window I would get out of the car and take several photos from different angles.

“Before long I had dozens and dozens of these and I would paste them on my Facebook page. People would comment and say ‘Oh, we had our first date in that theater’ or ‘My dad was the projectionist there’ or ‘we used to make out in the cry room of that theater.’ There was just a lot of interest in it. So it drove me to keep doing it. It was during the pandemic and seemed a pretty safe thing to be doing.

“So to date I’ve done 230 theaters and I’ve traveled as far north as you can go in Texas, and as far south, east and west. I’m sure I still missed a couple. I keep looking.

“Not all of them have been restored by any means. Some are in very sad condition. A lot of them are for sale. I was thrilled to see that in the little town of Spur they’ve taken steps to preserve their Palace Theater. There’s another Palace Theater in Garland, Texas that’s almost space-age looking. It’s very very cool. Stamford has a beautifully restored theater that is used for all types of events besides movies.

“Some of the best ones are not in huge towns. I went through some I didn’t even know existed. I had never heard of Canadian, Texas, and they have a beautiful theater there that’s been lovingly restored and they take such good care of it. It’s just pristine. It’s exciting to see a community that does that. I just love these things. There are theaters in almost any town of any size. It’s amazing to me how small some of the towns are than had theaters. They are so nostalgic and they’re going to be lost if we don’t save them.”

Mike says drive-ins have suffered more than most theaters because when a drive-in goes out of business they just tear down the screen and the sign and there’s no trace left. Mike has a website that shows his photographs: texaspictureshows.com.

“It’s divided into four categories according to the condition they’re in and what they’re being used for now. Some show movies, some have stage plays and a theater in Kerrville has weddings and dances. I just want to see these old theaters last because they’re an important part of our culture and our memories of growing up.”

Mike is a public speaker, musician and multi-media designer based in Austin, Texas.

As the creator and producer of “The Sound of Texas,” one of the longest running syndicated radio programs in Texas, Tumbleweed seeks fascinating people who embody the spirit of the lone star state and brings them into the homes and hearts of thousands.