Hampton, Dallas Anderson, John Davenport and Mable More. In 1939, the theater showed Gone With the Wind in two different showings because of Jim Crow laws in El Paso. The first showing was whites only, but a civil rights activist, Betty Mary Goetting, prevailed on the Plaza Theatre to show a midnight screening which African Americans could attend. The midnight show of Gone With the Wind was reported to be "packed." In 1949, the Plaza hosted the world premier of the film "El Paso," which drew a capacity and star-studded crowd, and also showed Tom Lea's "The Brave Bulls." Decline By the 1950s, two major influences factored into a slow decline in the Plaza Theatre's patronage. The advent of television and the rise of suburban neighborhoods located farther and farther away from downtown served as major challenges to the Plaza Theatre in addition to other downtown establishments. At the same time, a new source of competition arose with the advent of drive-in theaters in the late 1940s. By the early 1970s, the theater had fallen into disrepair, and was sold. Many of its impressive amenities, including furnishings, artwork, and the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ were auctioned off. The Dipp family, owners of several downtown properties at that time, including the nearby Plaza Hotel, purchased the theater. The Plaza closed on May 31, 1974. In 1985, the state of Texas declared the Plaza Theatre to be a Historical Landmark. It was briefly reopened in 1970 and 1980, only to finally close its doors in 1989. In 1989, after years of infrequent programming, the Dipp family sought to demolish the Plaza Theatre in order to make way for a parking lot. Spurred by a groundswell of community support, the El Paso Community Foundation began negotiations to raise the required $9 million to save the theater from demolition. With only six weeks to raise the funds, fundraising events were held across the community with the most visible effort being staged by actress Rita Moreno the day before the deadline. It was announced that evening that enough money had been raised to save the Plaza Theatre. After the El Paso Community Foundation placed a new roof on the theater, it was donated to the City of El Paso in 1990. Even though this theater was falling, it was still trying to pull itself up. Reopening One of the few remaining theaters of its kind in