HomeMy WebLinkAboutSCHULMAN FAMILY THEATRESSCHULMAN FAMILY THEATRES
The Schulman Theatres story starts in 1908 on Canal Street in New Orleans
where Abraham Schulman exhibited movies with his sister Leah Lazuraous.
Abraham later moved to Houston and opened the first Schulman Theater and
during the 1910s, it became a small chain. In 1926, the Houston operations were
sold and Abraham moved to Bryan with his son Morris. Together, they purchased
the Queen and Dixie Theatres on Main Street. The old Bryan City Hall was
purchased in 1928 and converted into the Palace Theater - a premiere facility
offering both Vaudeville stage shows and the new talking films. Morris Schulman
was a creative and community -minded businessman. He would send buses to
nearby College Station to give free rides to college students wanting to see his
shows. During the depression, he started the tradition of "Christmas Canned
Food Shows" to help the city mission feed transients who came through Bryan
looking for work. This tradition continued until the mid 1990s, when canned food
drives through public schools became popular and more effective. The Queen
Theater was torn down and rebuilt in 1939 with the first "conditioned air" system
in any theater west of the Mississippi. After that, the Palace Theater was
upgraded to include conditioned air as well. The three Bryan theaters ran
successfully for many years, but days of single screen theaters passed and the
Palace was the last of the three to close its doors in 1985.
As single screened theaters waned, America's car culture exploded and Drive -In
theaters became popular. Schulman Theatres opened several Drive -In theaters
during the 1960s, including the Circle Drive -In, the Skyway Drive -In and the
Skyway Twin. But with improved air conditioning and the advent of Daylight
Savings Time, outdoor theaters met their demise, and the last Schulman
Theatres Drive -In closed in 1984.
During the 1970s, 80s and 90s, the Schulmans bought, built and sold indoor
multiplexes. These theaters included the latest in technology, as the Manor East
3 in Bryan was the sixth theater in the world to implement the new Dolby Stereo
system. The theater was so popular, that "The Man from Snowy River" ran 38
consecutive weeks - longer than at any other theater in the world.
Schulman Theatres currently operates two theaters and has several state-of-the-
art stadium seated multiplexes under development. They
have recently expanded their offerings to include development, construction, and
management consulting to the theater industry. Drawing on their long history of
innovation and customer satisfaction, the Schulman family will continue to
provide the excellent theater experience for which they are known.