The history of The Clock, located in the Lyric Theater in Harrison, Arkansas (Boone County).
As a child, I used to go tothe Lyric theater in Harrison for all the movies. The Hopalong Cassidy Club was a popular place every Saturday afternoon for .25 cents. Located on the square on Rush Street. Easy walking distance from my parents’ flower and gift shop, Lena Frances Flower and Gift.
The Lyric was built in 1929 as the first cinema in the area to show talking pictures and operated under the same family’s ownership until 1977, though as a franchise of different chains.
The Design and Building
Designed and constructed by J.W. of Detroit. It is adorned with murals by J.W. Zelm. The mythology became prevalent in the area where the murals had been painted by an unknown hobo.
What’s known of the Murals
The murals that line the walls of both sides of the theater, as years went by were covered to provide better acoustics for the movie-goer, and the paintings were lost until rediscovered when the renovations first began.
I remember the heavy red curtains that hung in the theater and the crying room in the back on the left-hand side, where crying children could be taken into this soundproof room so as not to disturb other theater goers. The projection room in the center of the theater on the 2nd floor, where the reels of film were loaded. And The Clock that hung on the wall. To this day, that clock still hangs on the wall.
Today you can see the murals. He did them kind of like windows, and there’s a painted curtain rod across the top and you can see the tops of the curtains as if you were looking out your windows.
The Clock
Recently, a descendant of Lena Frank Barron, Ann Barron Lamley, contacted me to ask if I knew more about The Clock’s history. Unfortunately, no one we can find knows its history.
Why was The Clock so important to have lasted the changing times of The Lyric? And why was it so meaningful to me? Well, it was advertising the Lena Frances Flower and Gift Shop. My parents’ business. Named for Lena Frank Barron and Frankie Cotton. The Cottons were my godparents,s and my parents purchased the business from them.
Unfortunately,y neither Ann nor I could ask those who placed the clock there, as all the original owners have passed away. I suggested that maybe the local museum might have more information. It seems little is known about why The Clock was hun,g but apparently for advertising the shop.
The Closing and ReOpening
Following the closure due to an inability to compete with the larger movie theaters. In the 1970’s, the theater was scheduled for demolition, but after more than two decades of disuse, the Lyric reopened in 1999 as a live performance venue. Purchased my Glenna Regan, a personal friend of my family to save the building from being torn down. Purchased for $164,000 by the Ozark Arts Council. Renovations focused on updating the space for modern use without losing the historic character, including the murals and The Clock. These were recognized by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.
The theater was lauded as the “Roots Music Palace of the Ozarks”. Since 1999, the Lyric has been operated by the Ozark Arts Council and hosts plays, concerts, movies, and cultural/educational events. The council has invested $425,00 for renovations. New light and sound system, building the annex, restoring seats, adding a new roof, and restoring the balcony. And The Clock that hangs on the wall in the same location throughout the years. The initial restoration process took over two years to make the Lyric operational and remains an ongoing process with over 100 volunteers who help with everything. The Ozarks Arts Council is a non-profit organization that relies on membership, patrons, and community support. People come knowing they will pay because it takes a lot of money to heat, cool, and light a venue this big. Several membership organizations hold events and productions there.
Why Is It Important for the Lyric To Be Here?
This is an icon of the historic square and the history of Harrison. The architecture is in the downtown historic district. The local people love it, and personally, the memories and seeing The Clock hanging on the wall where it has been for as long as anyone can remember. No one knows why it is there or how or why it has survived in the same place on the wall over time. So many buildings like this are torn down for parking lots in America today. But for now, at least the history of The Clock will remain a mystery, and we can only assume it was for advertisement when first hung on the wall.
But the love and memories of The Lyric are important to the history of this small Arkansas town, Harrison, Arkansas, to those of us who were lucky enough to grow up there.
If you want more information, please contact me.