view of Miners Game, Albert Lee Nedow photographs, PH095
In January 2006, Disney released the film Glory Road, based on the story of Texas Western’s victory in the NCAA national championship with an all-black starting lineup. Several scenes were filmed around El Paso, including at the ASARCO plant and El Paso High School.
Fisheye
Dia de los Reyes Magos (Epiphany)
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jake Erlich was an El Paso-raised actor and sideshow performer who stood at 8 ft. 6 ½ in., leading to silent film roles with the Century Comedies production company before touring with Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Pictured above is Erlich (right) in the 1924 comedy Sahara Blues, along with actor Al Alt (left) and the “Century Follies girls.”
Sahara Blues promotional photo, Jake Erlich papers, PH096
February 2025
Groundhog Day
Dia de la Candelaria
Valentine’s Day
President’s
Murray Abraham with parents and mayor, El Paso Herald-Post records, MS348
Actor F. Murray Abraham moved to El Paso as a child and attended Texas Western –now UTEP – where he performed in the campus theater. He is best known for his roles in films such as Scarface and Amadeus, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in March 1985.
F.
March 2025
Daylight Savings Time Begins
Purim Begins at Sundown
St. Patrick’s Day
Vernal Equinox
Ramadan Ends at Sundown
Eid al-Fitr Begins at Sundown
César Chàvez Day
Built in 1912, the Grecian Theatre presented movies, live music, and boxing matches in a setting with modern amenities such as ventilation and a public phone. The building still stands on South El Paso Street.
The Grecian Theatre, c. 1915, Kohlberg family papers, MS369
National Library Week Begins
Passover Begins at Sundown
Passover Ends at Sundown
Murray Theatre schedule, May 1949, Leona Ford Washington photograph collection, PH033
Activist Leona Ford Washington documented the African American community in El Paso by collecting photographs and other materials from donations and thrift shops. This schedule presents the upcoming films in May for the Murray Theatre, an African American-owned theater on Mesa Ave.
Cinco De Mayo
Dia de la Madre
Mother’s Day
Premiere at the Plaza Theatre, 1953, El Paso Times subject files, MS265
In 1953, the Plaza Theatre hosted the sold-out premiere of Take the High Ground!, a Korean War movie filmed on location at Fort Bliss. The stars and producers of the film attended, as did Fort Bliss and local officials, while crowds gathered outside to view the festivities.
(Note: this image has been colored from its original format.)
Father’s Day
Juneteenth Summer Solstice
Poster for The Wonderful Country, Tom Lea papers, MS476
Artist and author Tom Lea, born in El Paso in July 1907, was known for his realistic depictions of the Southwest, and several of his works have become classics of the Southwestern genre. His novel The Wonderful Country was adapted into a movie in 1959, starring Robert Mitchum and Julie London. Lea himself cameos in the film as a barber.
“Frontier Day” declaration, El Paso Times subject files, MS265
To celebrate the 1949 premiere of the film El Paso, members of the cast were paraded through the streets of downtown to Pioneer Plaza, where Sheriff Allan Falby tacked a notice to a tree declaring “Today is Frontier Day!” Present for the declaration were actors Eduardo Noriega and Mary Beth Hughes, and civic leader “Tio” Sam Myres.
August 2025
Pedro Infante and Tito Guízar, Casasola Studio Photographs, PH041
Stars of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema often came to El Paso to perform and promote their films. Pedro Infante (left) appeared in over 60 films and recorded around 350 songs. Tito Guízar (right) became famous for his recordings of popular Mexican songs, most notably “Allá en el Rancho Grande,” which he sang in the 1936 film of the same name.
Mexican Independence Day
Autumn Equinox
Title card for Manos: The Hands of Fate, Rare PN1995.H6 M36 2003 DVD
El Paso salesman Hal Warren wrote, directed, produced, and starred in this low-budget horror movie about a vacationing family who run afoul of a mysterious cult in the desert. Cast with members of the local theater scene and filmed on 16mm cameras that had to be cranked by hand, the film was poorly received upon release but has since developed a cult following, including sequels, stage adaptations, and even a video game.
Indigenous People’s Day
The Alhambra (Engelbrecht collection, MS600) and Capri Theatres (Samuel Fant photographs, PH058)
The Alhambra Theatre, later known as the Palace Theatre, opened in 1914 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The Capri Theatre, originally called the Ellanay Theatre, operated between 1918 and 1966 before becoming a clothing store and eventually being demolished in 1983.
November 2025
Opening in 1930, the Plaza Theatre hosted film premieres and stage performances before falling into decline and closing in 1974. In 2000, the El Paso Community Foundation organized a successful restoration project, and the Plaza reopened in 2006.
Plaza Theatre Tin Ornament and Invitation, Mary Carmen Saucedo papers, MS708
December 2025
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Hanukkah Begins at Sundown
Winter Solstice Hanukkah Ends at Sundown
Christmas Eve Christmas Kwanzaa (ends Jan.1)
January 2026
Dia de los Reyes Magos (Epiphany)
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
February 2026
Groundhog Day Dia de la Candelaria
16mm projector with reels, Glen T. Moore papers
This Keystone 16mm projector, fitted with industrial reels from the Glen Moore papers, demonstrates how the film materials in Special Collections go beyond only major Hollywood releases and cult classics.
Front Cover: This photo was taken during a parade to celebrate the premiere of the 1949 movie, El Paso.
(Note: this image and other historical photos in this calendar have been colorized from their original formats. Thanks to David Flores for his help in the colorization.)
C.L. Sonnichsen Special Collections Department
The University of Texas at El Paso Library 500 W. University Avenue El Paso, Texas 79968 915-747-5697 utep.edu/library/special-collections
To donate, please visit: https://www.utep.edu/library/_Files/docs/special-collections/friends_endow.pdf
