DUANE
Duane's take
The way the marker tells it, here's the story of Karl St. John Hoblitzelle — and friend, this one's worth pulling over for. Born October 22, 1879, Karl Hoblitzelle was a young Missourian when he got his first real taste of the show business world.
The year was 1904, and he helped produce the St. Louis World's Fair. Now, most folks came home from that fair with a souvenir or a sunburn.
Karl came home with something else entirely — a deep and abiding respect for vaudeville. The man had found his calling. He did not let the grass grow.
By 1905 he had founded the Interstate Amusement Company and was already opening theatres in Dallas, Fort Worth, Waco, and San Antonio. That's four cities before most entrepreneurs finish their second cup of coffee. And he kept going.
Before long he had theatres stretching from Texas all the way to Alabama — a string of stages and curtains and gaslit marquees running across the South like a promise. His headquarters for many years was the Majestic Theatre. Around 1920, he turned his eye toward moving pictures, and when the industry was fumbling around trying to figure out sound and ventilation, Karl Hoblitzelle wasn't fumbling — he was pioneering.
He was among the first to wire his theatres for sound. He was air-conditioning his houses while other exhibitors were still fanning their audiences with programs. He didn't follow national trends.
He set them. But here's the thing about Karl — the showman had a heart that ran just as wide as his ambitions. He was prominent in planning the 1936 Centennial of Texas Independence, and then he came back around to head the 1945 to 1946 celebration of a Century of Texas Statehood.
Two big Texas milestones, and this Missourian was right there at the center of both of them. He also organized a foundation specifically for promoting knowledge of Texas history. The man was not just entertained by this state — he was devoted to it.
In 1942, Karl and his wife Esther — born Esther Thomas — chartered a philanthropic foundation together. They channeled those funds into schools, hospitals, agriculture, and other endeavors. And because Karl Hoblitzelle believed deeply that entertainment itself deserved to be understood and preserved, he collected widely — circus, cinema, opera, puppetry — topics as diverse as the crowds that had ever filled his seats.
In 1956 he gave that entire archive to the University of Texas at Austin, and it became the nucleus of the Hoblitzelle Theatre Arts Library. And Pope Pius XII? He awarded Karl the Medal of Good Merit for his works in education and charity.
Not bad for a young man who got his start helping run a world's fair. Karl St. John Hoblitzelle died March 8, 1967.
He had built a theatre empire, shaped two Texas anniversaries, funded hospitals and schools, and handed down a library. The curtain came down — but the house he built is still standing.
What the marker says
(October 22, 1879 - March 8, 1967) A young Missourian, Karl Hoblitzelle in 1904 helped produce the St. Louis World's Fair, where he gained respect for vaudeville. In 1905 he founded Interstate Amusement Company and opened theatres in Dallas, Fort Worth, Waco, and San Antonio. Soon he had theatres from Texas to Alabama. The Majestic Theatre was his headquarters for many years. About 1920 he began showing motion pictures. A pioneer in wiring for sound and in air-conditioning his theatres, he set national trends as an exhibitor. Prominent in planning the 1936 Centennial of Texas Independence, he also headed the 1945-46 celebration of a Century of Texas Statehood. Later he organized a foundation for promoting knowledge of Texas history. In 1942 he and his wife, Esther (Thomas), chartered a philanthropic foundation and channeled funds to schools, hospitals, agriculture, and other endeavors. Seeking to improve entertainment, he collected widely on topics as diverse as circus, cinema, opera and puppetry. In 1956 he gave his archives to the University of Texas at Austin as the nucleus for the Hoblitzelle Theatre Arts Library. The Medal of Good Merit was awarded to him by Pope Pius XII for his works in education and charity.