Jack Weiss Collection

DONOR:

Jack Weiss

SIZE:

One folder

SCOPE & CONTENT:

Photographs of the Mission Theatre, Mesilla Park, NM, 1947 -1962

BIOGRAPHY:

The Mission Theatre was built in Mesilla Park in 1936-1937 by Rod Bason. The formal opening was in May 1937. The Mission changed ownership in 1938 when it was purchased by C.C. Dues of El Paso. Subsequently Jack Weiss bought the Mission Theatre in 1947. The theatre closed in 1962.

The Indian scene mural inside the theatre was painted by Seth Crews, an artist from El Paso. Because it was painted on plaster walls, the mural was destroyed when the building was demolished in 1962.

When Jack Weiss bought the theatre there was no tile, the box office was free-standing, and it had a plain board marquee. Jack added tile, lights, a new box office, and a new marquee. A Baldwin Electronic organ was installed in the orchestra pit in 1949. Purchased in Denver, the organ provided music prior to the movie and during intermission.

Photographs in the IHSF collection include a picture of the theatre with the Franklin McKinney store next door. The McKinney's stores later became the Pic Quik stores. Campbell Cleaners and Jim Bell's barbershop were nearby, as was the Mesilla Park train station.

Photographs of a monkey in a cage driving around town, represent how movies were advertised. In this case, the movie was "White Gorilla, Devil Monster". Jack took movie pictures around Las Cruces to use as movie previews, attracting viewers who were often in the movies. IHSF converted these movies to digital video format in 2001.

(Information provided by the Las Cruces Sun News, Las Cruces, NM, 2/1/1940, p. 1; and Jack Weiss)