Navasota Examiner
Current Miller's Theatre owner, Sean Albrecht, said though the theatre has been closed for the past month, he is attempting to reopen it for weekend shows again, depending on holiday sales and his ability to obtain a hit movie despite rising costs.
Albrecht has owned the theatre since 1997, just 7 years after he graduated from Anderson-Shiro Junior-Senior High School. Prior to that, he helped previous owner Larry Eickenhorst run the theater. Albrecht said Eickenhorst had decided to pursue a restaurant venture when he offered Albrecht the business.
"The main reason I have the theatre is to spend time with my kids and keep it open for the community," said Albrecht.
Like other community members, Albrecht added that the theatre holds a lot of fond memories, from time with his wife and children to his days back in high school.
"I used to go there all the time in high school. That was the place to go hang out with friends," said Albrecht.
William Albert Miller Jr. of Navasota, whose grandfather Johnny Miller initially started the business in the early 1930s, said the theatre has been a place of entertainment for community youth ever since.
"We went to the theatre 3 or 4 times a week. It was the thing to do and we'd meet on Saturday afternoon. It was a good place to hold hands with your girlfriend," said Miller.
Miller said in the 1950s there were three movie theatres in Navasota. Miller's Theatre served as the main one, as it ran first-run movies; and The Queen Theatre ran second-run movies, as did the Dixie Theatre, which served the African-American community prior to desegregation.
"Sometimes my dad would ride a bicycle and carry our reels to all the theatres," said Miller. "Those were the glory days of the picture shows."
Miller said while his parents were working on Saturday's, he was able to enjoy double features, which usually featured westerns.
Back in the 50s, dad would give me 25 cents. Admission was 9 cents, and I'd buy a nickel coke, a nickel bag of popcorn and a nickel pickle, and I'd watch a double feature and had a penny left over," said Miller.
He added that his grandfather had the best sound system between Houston and Dallas, and people came from all over Texas to watch movies in Navasota.
The only time he went to Houston to watch a movie was in the mid-1950s with the film industry's first attempt at 3-D, as movie screens were placed on three sides of the theatre during viewing.
Even so, Miller said his favorite movie experience was at the Navasota theatre.
"The scariest movie I watched was "The Thing" back in the 50s with James Arnes. "I remember I had to walk home after the movie at night. We lived near the water tower, and I ran all the way home. Those were innocent times when kids could walk home in the dark."
Miller said after movies were created in color, he remembers watching the classic "Gone With The Wind."
"For awhile, theatres played both color and black-and-white. They picked the media that had the best effect," he said.
The current Masonic Lodge building at 304 East Washington was erected in 1929, and the bottom floor initially served as a public school. The other two locations were destroyed by fire, one where the current post office is located and the other at 202 West Washington. (History of Grimes County, 1982.)
"When they didn't need them anymore, they found other uses for them (bottom floors of Masonic Lodges). It's been a theatre ever since," said Miller. "My first job was as a popcorn boy there when I was 11 or 12."
Though the theatre has changed hands from time to time ever since, member Mike Harris said the lodge has always been able to keep it open for the community, and doesn't plan to change that now, even if holiday numbers make it impossible for Albrecht to retain ownership.
"The Masonic Lodge would like for it to be a theatre, and we've worked with Sean and other people because it provides an activity for the youth and people in the community. Sean is going to see if he gets better crowds after football season. If Sean is unable to continue, we're planning to seek another operator for the theatre," said Harris. "We're hoping Shawn will be able to turn it around and keep it open."
Albrecht said over the past 2 years, sales have dropped by 50 percent. He is hoping to retain another blockbuster hit over the holidays.
"It's always been a part of my family life, and I've had a lot of people contact me and say they hope the theatre isn't closing down. If things don't pick up fairly quickly, it could be closed after Jan. 1."