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The LanTex opened its doors for bussiness on May 19, 1927, over 84 years ago. The Lantex was not the only place for entertainment in Llano back in those days, long before the LanTex opened its doors the citizens of llano received theri share of entertainment via a crude building named The Llano Opera House, which was located on the south end of the bridge overlooking the Llano River. It served as a site for stage shows, fundraisers, housed a roller skating rink, and eventually showed silent movies. |
The "talkies" or movies that first had sound accompinied with them didnt come out till some time later. According to the local news, the LanTex boased a colorful, Spanish architectural style. Constructed of stucco, the building measured 34 by 70 feet. Its elevated auditorium seated up to 290 people, and a balcony accommodated 75 viewers. The Stage, measuring 20 by 15 feet, featured a dressing room on each side.
From the start, the LanTex was the delight of the community with its plush "open chairs" and cool overhead fans. The owners dubbed it the "House of Comfort All the Year." Every now and then, the LanTex would feature live stage shows, sometimes as fundraisers, other times for free for the local kiddos. One, starring Buster Brown and his dog Tige, a popular show fashioned after the famous comic strip with the same name, was a hugely popular event.
Admission to the theater to watch a movie in 1927 was 30 cents for adults and 10 cents for children. Today, the LanTex Theater is still here, a true historical landmark, having risen from the ashes of two fires which burned it to the ground on two different occasions. Sporting a "1950s" look today, the theater is listed in the National Register of Historical Places and contributes in its own way to the local economy. It serves as the home to the acclaimed Llano Opry, and the LanTex still continues to pull hundreds of tourists into town each month for movies, opry shows and other events.
