Plestex Theatre — Local services in Pleasanton

Did you know that the good ol’ Plestex opened in 1950 as the Leon Theatre, and was originally a single screen theater? Well, it was! And did you know that good ol’ Gidney Talley, who had previously owned and operated the good ol’ Hi-Ho Theatre (at 4610 South Presa in San Antonio - the building is still there, go look at it sometime, it’s pretty cool), moved to Pleasanton (after the archdiocese of San Antonio shut down the Hi-Ho for playing dirty movies), and along with his son, Gidney Talley Jr., bought it and converted it to the four screen theater it is today? Well, they did! Gidney Talley was a really interesting dude, one of the original “Forty Thieves,” a real bonified old school roadshow carny type exploitation movie guy, who famously bought and toured with the infamous 1948 sex hygiene film THE STORY OF BOB AND SALLY. Later on, him and his son Gidney Jr. (and some fella named Steve Coulter), started the San Antonio-based (and later, Pleasanton-based) Magus Films, who produced such fine drive-in flicks as THE SENATOR (“catches Washington with its pants down!”), SEXUAL FANTASIES U.S.A. (“the first AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION adult film!”), and (the recently released on blu-ray by AGFA) THINGS TO COME (“a film that gives you a good hard look at the girls of the future!”). Heck, Gidney Jr. even directed a movie of his very own, the super rare 1973 made-in-San Antonio Douglas Sirk’ian amputee love story, PRELUDE TO HAPPINESS - with scenes shot at the ol’ Turtle Creek Country Club! But the thing that tickles me the most about the Talley’s is that when they promoted their big FESTIVAL OF THE UNDEAD triple feature spook-show, they actually drove around the country with a mummy named “Count Demonicus” in their car that they would display in movie theater lobbies (“one look will haunt you forever”) - and who turned out to be an actual for-real embalmed corpse! There is so much cool and weird obscure movie history at the good ol’ Plestex, so please add it to your list of places to visit someday, you...

We went to see the movie Jumanji. We had not gone there for quite some time. The theaters were clean and appeared to be well maintained. The prices were reasonable, slightly lower than theaters in San Antonio. The theaters do not have traditional stadium seating. The seats were comfortable and there was plenty of legroom. The sound system is not up to some other large theater chains but it was adequate to enjoy the movie. I enjoyed the convenience of not having to travel for 30 minutes or longer. The popcorn was fresh and had plenty of butter. We usually buy a large soft drink and share it. Their large was a little too small for this. We definitely plan on attending more movies in the future. This is a May 20 2023 update. I went to an early evening movie. There were quite a few people there, but there was sufficient staff, and there was really no long wait at the ticket window. The concession stand was pretty quick also. They offer a range of sizes in soft drinks and popcorn with varying prices. The prices were reasonable but could be expensive if you have a large family. They also offer the usual assortment of candy. The theater was clean, and the sound system was good. I recommend going there as the prices are lower than the big-name theaters and they show the most...

I took my Grandchildren to see Despicable Me 3 on Sat. The sound decibels were deafening. I sat with my fingers in my ears and the still were hurting. My 2 1/2 yr old grandchild said it was too loud. I thought several times about leaving but stayed for the children's sake. My grandchild told her mom the movie was too loud. Now I wish I'd left to protect their hearing. My ears are still ringing. Otherwise the theater was comfortable, the employees were nice and would like to return to see more movies. I asked an employee after the show if it was always this loud and he said yes. Don't think I can go back unless they adjust the volume. I do believe it exceeded safe levels. I hope...