Movie Magic Alive and Well at County’s Last Theater

Good News celebrate her son’s birthday.

Those perfect “movie moments” are happening all the time in Flatonia. As I was at the Flatonia Lyric Theater interviewing owner Terry Ehler recently, a birthday boy who was celebrating with a party at the theater stepped out of his car with so much childlike excitement it made me see why Ehler loves what she has created.

The Lyric Theater building along with the one next door holds special meaning to the town because they are Flatonia’s oldest brick buildings. They were built in 1879 by E. H. Fordtran. The Lyric building originally housed city hall. Later it housed Harrison Business College, the Renfro & Routh drug store, and then later a grocery store.

Around the early 1900s just two doors down from the theater there was an open field where performances would be performed by a Shakespearean society in town along with live music. But in the winter months when it was too cold, they decided to use the theater building for its shows. During that time someone came in with a projector and took pictures of everyone in town and put them up on a screen. Around 300 people came to see themselves on the big screen. The newspaper said, “Everyone had such a good time, it was such a happy hour,” so in 1913 it became known as The Happy Hour Theatre, and outside you are still able to see the signage with the saying, “Meet me at The Happy Hour Theatre.”

After a change of ownership to Bill Miller in 1930, It became The Lyric Theater, and then in 1952, it received a major renovation with its signature marquee and new equipment. Unfortunately in 1967, it showed its “last” movie Beach Blanket Bingo. In 2007 James Longmire, the new owner, began the slow task of bringing it back to life. After the extensive renovation was completed in 2017, the theater was once again ready to welcome new patrons through its doors.

However, Longmire decided to sell the building after wanting to move on to other projects. So in 2020, Ehler and her husband John Knotts bought the building when she came to the theater to

Ehler, who’s from the Freyburg area, teaches an art and theater children’s camp for ages five and up each semester. “In 2020 kids came to my camp and we were going to be performing a play,” she said. “But I had a little stage and the parents came and it was just so packed so I told John I need a bigger stage. That week it happened to be my son Cody’s birthday, so I asked him what he wanted to do and he said let’s just go watch a movie at The Lyric. But instead of watching the movie, I was concentrating on the big stage. I told John, ‘you know the theater is for sale,’ because I knew James and so John and I talked about it for two days and that was it. We bought the theater.”

Ehler and Knotts then began an extensive renovation. She redid the concession stand and added 1920s wallpaper to resemble one of her favorite films Gypsy. Ehler is a movie historian, buff, and candy connoisseur. “Popcorn was not allowed in movie theaters in the beginning because in the early 1900s and through the depression you dressed up in style to go see the movies. Popcorn was only sold outside in a pushcart until the films added sound so the theater opened up to a wider audience,” said Ehler, who, of course, has many items from the early movie and theater era such as a movie usher ensemble, candy, advertisements, and a 1911 Steger & Sons piano from Chicago that would have been played during the silent film era.

But if you thought the theater alone was an experience, then you will also need to stop by the pizzeria and ice cream parlor called Big Time Pizza in the building next door, which was also part of the sale. Just before entering you can meet and ride Rocky Road, the stores mechanic horse, and as soon as you step inside, Ehler will have you play a game to possibly win a prize. And while waiting for your ice cream or pizza, you can admire the countertop she modeled after seeing it at Disney World. Along with enjoying your ice cream, you can enjoy artwork done by her, Knotts, and children from her camp, plus you can view her personal “museum” of items she has found and collected from Second Chance, her grandpa’s old country store, and her past career as an on-air radio personality in Dallas for 35 years.

Throughout her broadcasting career, she has interviewed numerous celebrities from Wynonna and Naomi Judd to Loretta Lynn. “I just want to do entertainment. I’m just trying to take my big city experience that I had in my life and bring it to small-town Texas and play big,” said Ehler. And speaking of playing it big, Ehler continues to have ideas she would love to incorporate into the theater.

“Puppetry is magic,” said Ehler who is working on a puppet room and stage. “Every Christmas I want to do a real puppet show because that’s where the magic is and parents are always looking for things to do for their kids.” Along with puppetry, Ehler would love to do Silent film Sundays or Cinema History Sundays. “When I do a movie I love to tell stories during the movie about what you’re missing behind the scenes,” said Ehler.

For the people who question why would they want to pay money to see a movie they could just watch in their home Terry has an answer for you. “You come and watch it and I’ll show you.You see some of these movies on the big screen and you see stuff you have never seen in a movie before,” said Ehler. “Did you really want to see that Elvis movie on that little bitty screen? It’s just such an experience. It’s loud and beautiful cinematography. Also depending on the movie, it’s fun to have other people in the audience because you are all laughing or crying together. It’s just more of an experience.”

To see what’s playing and showtimes at The Lyric, follow them on Facebook at Lyric Theater or call (361) 458-2500. Big Time Pizza is open Wed. & Thurs. from noon-8 p.m., Fri. & Sat. from noon-10 p.m. and Sun noon-4 p.m. or call (361) 4583400.