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    FILM & VIDEO

    The First Picture Shows: Historic Austin Movie Houses Opening Reception

    The First Picture Shows: Historic Austin Movie Houses Opening Reception

    Presented by Austin History Center at Austin History Center

    June 16-August 19, 2012

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    Join the Austin History Center and the Austin History Center Association for a special exhibit reception for The First Picture Shows: Historic Austin Movie Houses and a Behind the Scenes Tour of the Paramount and State Theaters on Saturday, June 16 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. starting at the Austin History Center, 810 Guadalupe St.

    Beginning at 11:00 a.m. there will be an open house viewing of the exhibit with curators on hand to answer questions and provide background information. The Austin History Center Association will provide light refreshments. During the open house, local musician Tim Mueting will perform acoustical Americana music, including his song “Drive-In Picture Show.”

    At 11:45 a.m., the group will walk to the Paramount for a Behind the Scenes tour of the historic Paramount and State Theaters. On the tour you will learn how productions are staged, view the projection booth and equipment and see parts of the theaters that are usually closed to the public. Paramount staff will lead the tour. When the tour is over, attendees are invited to stay and watch the Saturday matinee “The Awful Truth.” Normal admission ticket prices apply. The box office opens at 1:00 p.m. Tour spots are limited, so please RSVP at ahc_reference@ci.austin.tx.us

    About the Exhibit

    Movies have entertained and enlightened us for over a century. Just as important as the films themselves, the spaces where we experience them has a major impact on how these motion pictures impact our lives. The Austin History Center’s new exhibit, The First Picture Shows: Historic Austin Movie Houses, explores the many film venues throughout Austin’s history, from the first motion picture screening in 1896 to the rise of the multiplexes. The exhibit will be on display from March 20 until August 19, 2012 at the Austin History Center, 810 Guadalupe St.

    Through hundreds of historic photographs, documents, and architectural drawings, the exhibit showcases the early Nickelodeons and storefront theaters that sprang up along Congress and 6th Streets, the grand movie palaces designed to provide moviegoers a lavish environment, and the dozens of movie houses that cropped up around town to provide ample space for the hundreds of films produced during Hollywood’s golden age. Visitors will also learn the fate of most of these movie houses, the ones that continue on as theaters as well as those that have found new life as drugstores, coffee houses, or comedy clubs. The exhibit will include the AHC’s very own modern “Kinetoscope” to transport visitors back in time to experience motion pictures as they were first made available over 100 years ago.


    • At-a-
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      • Venue Info

        Austin History Center

        810 Guadalupe
        Austin, TX 78741

        Full map and directions

      • Admission Info

        Tickets:

        Free

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      • Dates & Times

        Dates:
        June 16-August 19, 2012

        Times:

        Reception: Saturday, June 16 11am - 1pm


        Exhibit hours: Tues-Sat, 10 a.m.-6 p.m, Sun, 12-6 p.m.

      • Accessibility Info

          Currently, no accessibility information is available for this event.

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