LIVE MUSIC AND CLASSIC MOVIES

Classic movies, tribute artists, and vintage neon are the key hallmarks of the 1950’s Ector Theatre in downtown Odessa. The Ector opened in 1951, four years before the release of the 1955 James Dean classic “Rebel Without a Cause”, with a screening of “Half Angel” starring Loretta Young. The theatre, a dazzling example of Art Moderne movie house styling with its dark orange brick, green granite, aluminum detailing, and wrap-around neon marquee, served the region’s movie lovers a continuous fare of Hollywood movies until closing its doors in 1985. What followed was a series of fits and starts until Odessa residents Don and Toni Stice, spearheading a “Friends of the Ector” organization, took over the building in 2001 and restored much of the brilliant neon grid-work spanning the movie palace façade. The Stices have done their best to keep the Ector doors open, scheduling theatrical events on the Ector’s stage throughout the year including an evening with the Elvis impersonator Vince King, musical artists paying tribute to country singers like George Strait, Alan Jackson, and Brooks & Dunn, rock legend Buddy Holly, and the mid-century chart-topping group The Platters. The theatre also shows classic movies like Viva Las Vegas and Casablanca.