Quick Snaps: 'Blood Simple' Rolling Roadshow

in

Rolling Roadshow: Blood Simple at Dessau Hall

The Alamo Drafthouse creative team and programmers have come up with some exciting and memorable Rolling Roadshow locations throughout the years. Whether watching Jaws on Lake Travis while floating on innertubes or enjoying Strange Brew with local microbreweries and Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewing (my interview with Sam) -- audiences can count on a memorable experience. Through partnerships with local sponsors, the Alamo Drafthouse has offered free screenings every summer in locations such as Republic Park, Fiesta Gardens and Central Market's patio lawn. This summer the Alamo Drafthouse has been hosting the first all-Texas Rolling Roadshow in collaboration with Texas Monthly.

Alamo Drafthouse CEO/founder Tim League was one of five experts who debated the ten greatest Texas movies of all time for the Texas Monthly "No Country for Bad Movies" feature. After much debate, the panel came up with a list that fills the bill of the 2011 Rolling Roadshow to celebrate film in Texas. Austin was selected as one of the iconic locations to host the Rolling Roadshow screening for Joel and Ethan Coen's directorial debut, Blood Simple. Their "redneck noir" film was shot on location in Texas, including Houston, Austin, Hutto and Round Rock.

The landmark Austin music venue Dessau Hall was the set for Marty's bar in the movie and was the location of the Blood Simple screening in early June. Now known as El Gran Mexicano Club, the hall has hosted musical legends over its long history, including Glen Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Hank Williams and a young Elvis Presley.

Despite hitting triple-digit degrees in early June, the Austin audience enjoyed a brief respite from the heat with cooler temperatures for the show. The screening also debuted the "Don't Talk" Alamo Drafthouse bumper, which has gone viral to the point of international recognition. An afterparty featuring the well-known local band The Derailers took place immediately following the screening. Were it not for the Mexicano banner on the stage wall, it was not hard to imagine Ernest Tubbs or Hank Williams onstage. See more photos from the event after the jump.

Rolling Roadshow: Blood Simple at Dessau Hall

Audience settling in with their camp chairs and bug spray before the movie begins, a perfect setting for the seaminess of Blood Simple.

The Derailers

The Derailers onstage at Dessau Hall/Mexicano for the Blood Simple afterparty.

You can view more photos from the Rolling Roadshow at Dessau Hall in my Flickr set. In addition, Alamo has their own Flickr set of photos from the event.

[Photo credit: Debbie Cerda]