Wellington, Texas

When you enter Wellington, Texas, one of the first things you see is a large billboard that says: Welcome to Wellington: Great Past, Bright Future.

The paint is chipped, the colors have faded, and the streets that lie beyond -- some paved, some dirt -- are full of boarded storefronts and abandoned cars. But down the road from the billboard is another sign, a large, green, neon marquee, lit up with the letters "R I T Z." This is a story about the Ritz Theater, and the town that once flourished around it.