HISTORIC RICE THEATRE

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323 North Parkerson Avenue
Crowley, Louisiana 70526

Rice Theatre Annex
316 North Avenue F
Crowley, LA 70526

Office: (337) 788-4116

Contact: Charlotte Jeffers

The Theatre was constructed in the mid to late 1940's. The owners were listed as the Southern Amusement Company of Lake Charles. The total cost for property and building was approximately $100,000. In August of 1940, a severe flood halted the construction of the theatre. After all the setbacks and problems encountered, the theatre was finally opened. The first movie to be shown on opening night was a movie entitled "This Thing Called Love" with Rosalind Russell and Melvin Douglas. This was January 31, 1941.

After years of enjoyment as a theatre, the building was then sold to the City of Crowley in 1986. This was when the Rice City Civic Center Project was undertaken by a group of concerned citizens and the City of Crowley Administration. The Rice Theatre had been vacant for nearly 20 years.

On May 7, 1988, the Rice City Civic Center held a grand opening with a film entitled "Crowley - 100 Years" and has been hosting events ever since.

Since 1986, the Rice City Civic Center Restoration Committee, Friends of Theatre, the City of Crowley, along with concerned citizens, businesses, industries, and organizations in the city of Crowley have donated thousands of dollars for restoration purposes, and this is still happening today.

Some of the major restoration projects completed since 1986 are:

New roof in 1986
New carpet on the first floor (aisles & lobby)
New stage 49' 4" x 32' (largest in Acadia Parish with Neoprene padding installed that absorbs sound)
Repainted interior and exterior with Art Association painting murals on north and south walls
New draw curtains, side curtains and rear back curtain
Built a 30' x 50' structure (multipurpose building) in the rear of the Theatre
Restored the marquee to its original state
Recovered seats
New sound system and lights
Renovated restroom facilities

Future restoration projects include:

Permanent roof - elevated
Painting and plaster work in the interior
Flooring
Complete art deco refurbishing

Until 1997, there was no budget for the Theatre. It ran primarily by rentals and donations. In 1997, the City of Crowley established an operating budget for the Rice Theatre.

Without the continued support of the community and the endless efforts of the past and present committee members, the Theatre would not have existed this long.

Historical Facts

The following information was obtained from the microfilm library of Crowley Daily Signal newspapers located in the Acadia Parish Library.

July 22, 1940 - A contract was expected to be let for the construction of a new theatre on Parkerson Ave. Owners were listed as the Southern Amusement Company of Lake Charles. The low bidder was Frank Hebert, Lake Charles contractor. Cost of the building was between $75,000 - $100,000. The property was described as South of the Heymann building and was purchased for a sum of $12,500. Front footage on Parkerson Ave. was 65 feet, extending 300 feet West to N. Ave. F.

July 30, 1940 - This story was about the contract letting describing the building. The seating capacity of the theatre was to be 1,000 and a regulation sized stage would be built for the presentation of stage attractions.

August 8, 1940 - "Flood Conditions Menace City" were the headlines on the front page of this issue. Construction on the theatre was halted.

January 22, 1941 - A long article was published about the renovating of the theatre after the flood of 1940 inundated the building. This article stated that the building would soon be opened. The seats were described and were to be staggered so each viewer would not have their view obstructed by the person sitting in front of them. The interior is described as simple in design. The color scheme was pink, brown, tan, and blue. There was special indirect lighting and neon lighting installed. The lobby was extremely attractive and splendid restrooms had been installed. There were 1,000 seats with 700 on the floor and 300 in the balcony.

January 30, 1941 - This article stated that the Rice Theatre would open on Friday, January 31, 1941, at 6:30 p.m.

January 30, 1941 - Another article about the theatre was published. This article included the names of employees including Clyde E. Noble, manager, Dave Arnaud, operator, Hilton Carlin, assistant operator, Alvoid Kober, Connie Hoffpauir, Mildred Murrell, Trixie Crawford, Harry Thibodeaux, and Harry Regan. It was noted that special hearing aide devices were available along the side walls of the theatre for hard of hearing patrons. The central air conditioning system was described. No stage was actually built for performances. The screen is described as surrounded by a beautiful proscenium. There was indirect lighting, florescent tubes, lighted translucent columns and an attractive color scheme. There were specially controlled screen curtains and mohair upholstery on the chairs. Jack Knight, an eminent authority on theatre design, planned the interior. Colored tile enhanced the front of the building where a lighted sign and marquee was located. Tube lights gave the theatre a "big time" appearance.

January 31, 1941 - The Rice Theatre grand opening was held. Patrons would tour the building for an hour before show time at 7:30 p.m. The opening movie was Rosalind Russell and Melvyn Douglas in "This Thing Called Love".

January 31, 1941 - Special photos of the exterior and interior of the theatre are in this issue.

February 1, 1941 - An article on the grand opening of the theatre appears in this issue.

May, 1991 - Interviews were obtained from the following people about the Rice Theatre:

Beth Barnett - Beth stated that she remembers the color in the interior of the theatre was mauve with brown for the seats.
Marjorie Puissegur - Marjorie said that mauve was the interior color as best she could remember. Her husband was the manager of the theatre for a number of years.
Donald Lacombe - He stated that mauve was the interior color. He couldn't remember much else.
Malcolm Millet - Malcolm stated that he didn't remember the colors but he worked at the theatre in middle 1940's as a projectionist.
Gladys Williams - Gladys worked at the theatre for many years selling tickets. She did not remember much about the interior colors but thought the curtain was blue.
Richard Arnaud - Richard's father was projectionist for the theatre when it opened. The equipment was state of the art for the time. Richard didn't recall specific colors in the interior.
Mrs. Hilton Carlin - Mrs. Carlin stated that her husband worked at the Rice Theatre for many years. He had previously worked at the Opera House theatre. His job was assistant projectionist. She didn't recall anything about the interior colors but said the theatre was the best in town.