Lyric Cinema

The Lyric Cinema is a historic movie theater located in Spearman, Texas, United States. According to the theater's official website, it is one of Spearman's oldest continually operating businesses and has been owned by only two families: the Hales and the Ellsworths. The theater traces its origins to The Rex, which opened in June 1927 on Main Street next to Hale Drug. Around 1932, S.B. Hale purchased the Rex's building and equipment and renamed it The Lyric Theater. The Lyric was the third movie theater to operate in Spearman, following The Arcade (opened April 1920, destroyed by fire in March 1922) and The Rex. S.B. Hale, an early pioneer of Hansford County, had first shown movies in the basement of his store, Hale Drug. After a fire destroyed his store in 1924, he built the first brick building on Main Street. The Rex/Lyric was located where the Brickstreet Grill's open-air patio now stands. After Mr. Hale died in 1939, operation of the theater passed to his wife, Grace, and his son, Wright. In 1948, Grace and Wright built the theater building that is still in use today; it opened in November 1948. For a short time afterward, Spearman had two movie theaters on Main Street until the one beside the drug store was permanently closed. After Mrs. Hale's death in 1955, the theater continued under the Hale family and later the Ellsworth family. The Lyric Cinema remains an active, family-owned, single-screen movie theater serving the Spearman community. It shows current films and maintains a website with admission prices and showtimes. The theater is a local landmark and a rare example of a continuously operating small-town cinema in the Texas Panhandle.

The Lyric Cinema in Spearman, Texas, is one of the town's oldest continually operating businesses. Its history is intertwined with the early cinema culture of Hansford County. The first movie theater in Spearman was The Arcade, owned by Tom Finley and opened in April 1920. It showed silent movies but burned down in March 1922 when a fire destroyed seven businesses on the east side of Main Street. Mr. Finley lost all his movie equipment and fixtures except a piano, and he never rebuilt. The second theater, The Rex, was built on Main Street next to Hale Drug and opened in June 1927. Around 1932, S.B. Hale purchased The Rex's building and equipment and renamed it The Lyric Theater. The Lyric thus became the third place in Spearman to see a movie. S.B. Hale was one of the early pioneers of Hansford County. He first showed movies in the basement of his store, Hale Drug. After his store was destroyed by a fire in 1924, he built the first brick building on Main Street—a building that today houses The Brickstreet Grill. The Rex/Lyric was located where Brickstreet's patrons now enjoy dining in an open-air patio. Mr. Hale died in 1939, and operation of the theater fell to his wife, Grace, and his son, Wright. In 1948, Grace and Wright built the theater building that is still in use today. It opened in November 1948, and for a short time Spearman had two movie theaters on Main Street until the one beside the drug store was permanently closed. After Mrs. Hale's death in 1955, the theater continued under the Hale family and later the Ellsworth family. The Lyric Theater has remained in continuous operation, making it a rare surviving small-town cinema. It is currently owned by the Ellsworth family, and its website features a history written by Gary Ellsworth. The theater still shows movies and serves as a community gathering place in Spearman.

• 1955

  Mrs. Grace Hale dies; theater continues under the Hale family.

• 1948

  Grace and Wright Hale build the current theater building, which opens in November.

• 1939

  S.B. Hale dies; operation passes to his wife Grace and son Wright.

• 1932

  S.B. Hale purchases The Rex and renames it The Lyric Theater.

• 1927

  The Rex theater opens in June on Main Street next to Hale Drug.

• 1922

  The Arcade is destroyed by fire in March.

• 1920

  The Arcade, Spearman's first movie theater, opens in April.

Historic, family-owned single-screen community cinema in small-town Texas.

• Movie screenings

• Concessions

1. 1LYRIC Cinema Spearman, TXthelyriccinema.com
2. 2Lyric Cinema - Wikidatawikidata.org