Texas Theater

The Texas Theatre's website is: www.texas-theatre.org

The Texas Theatre is located at 231 W. Jefferson Street and when it was a movie theatre it seated 1737 people.

An Article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Sunday Feb. 8, 2004
New Life for Texas Theatre
Like the School Bool Depository Building, the Texas Theatre fell on hard times; it closed as a movie theatre in 1989. The Texas Theatre Historical Society bought it in 1990 and allowed director Oliver Stone to remodel the exterior facade for the 1991 movie "JFK."
The historical society, however, was unable to keep up payments, and the theatre faced demolition. One business man, then another, came to the rescue, while a fire nearly destroyed the building in 1995. In 2001, with a grant from the city of Dallas, the Oak Cliff Foundation bought the shuttered theatre and is now in the midst of a $3.5 million renovation. The target for opening is 10 to 18 months.
When it's finished, the theatre will offer movies and live entertainment; the foundation also hopes the Texas Theatre will be a "crown jewel" that helps to revitalize the largely Hispanic working-class area of Oak Cliff.
Although the theatre was a gem when it opened in 1931, it will be remodeled to look the way it did in 1963. The reason, says the Oak Cliff Foundation's executive director, Beverly Mendoza, is that a 1931-style restoration would be cost-prohibitive.
Mendoza says the new theatre will probably have a small display of photos related to Oswald's capture there, asyet she's not sure whether the specific seat location will be marked in any way. The same sensitivity that lingers in Dealy Plaza is at work in Oak Cliff, too.
"We really have to be careful about how we postiion ourselves in this restoration," Mendoza says. "We're not celebrating the fact that Oswald was captured there, or the Kennedy assassination, but we can't ignore the fact. It's part of history."

Does anybody know what was playing there the day Oswald was captured?

Hi Quixote... The theater had 2 war movies in a double feature on November 22, 1963 when Oswald was captured ... "Cry of Battle" with Van Heflin and "War is Hell." Both were first run films and made in 1963.

Here is a photo of the Texas Theater in Dallas.

Architect was W. Scott Dunne. This is a vintage photo of the Texas Theater.

I visited the Texas Theater in August 2005 and was able to tour the interior which is under renovation. The upper balcony seats have been removed, the first level seats including the seat Lee Harvey Oswald was captured in are still in place. The whole place is rather dusty and appears to have been vacant for quite some time.

The exterior sign (in place during the 60's) is in bad shape. Hopefully, the restoration will proceed.

Photo of the Texas Theatre.
http://www.exithere.net/theaters/c68_texas3.html

There was a shoe store next to the theater in 1963. The store manager saw LHO enter the theater without buying a ticket and called the police. To date, the manager has not been linked with the Mafia, CIA, Cubans, Freemasons, PTA or any other shadow groups.

There are photos of the Texas theater here and here and one more is here.

Here is a vintage photo of the Texas theater.

I recently saw a program on the History Channel about the assassination of President Kennedy and had forgotten that Oswald had been captured in a movie theatre. I didn't catch the name of the theatre so decided to go through the list of theatres in Dallas and by chance found the correct one, the Texas Theater! The May 19th vintage photo is really interesting to view...sorry to read that the cost would not allow the restoration of the exterior to be returned to the 1930's look! Interesting to read that the LHO seat is still intact and that the manager of the nearby shoe store saw LHO enter the theatre without paying for a ticket!

The vintage photo shows a beautiful marquee and vertical TEXAS sign which was sadly changed!

Here are some photos from my August 2005 visit to the Texas Theater.
http://webusers.warwick.net/~u1011178/DSCN0120.JPG
http://webusers.warwick.net/~u1011178/DSCN0122.JPG
http://webusers.warwick.net/~u1011178/DSCN0125.JPG
http://webusers.warwick.net/~u1011178/DSCN0129.JPG

Really a great place. Hope they get the restoration right.

I was by this theatre just this past Monday (26JUN06). It still isn't open. I wonder what happened to all the money?

This theatre should be restored and open as it is part of very important history that took place in November of 1963.

After the June 5th photos I can't believe that the City of Dallas wouldn't have saved this theatre and at the very least made it into a museum/theatre.

And after reading about the restoration plans and money amounts, I, too, wonder what happened to all of the money that was slated for the renovation project? Perhaps the person who posted this theatre, Dan Pierce, might know.

I was in the movie theatre business for twenty-nine years. I looked in the doors of this theatre and I'm pretty sure that nowhere near $1.6 million worth of work has been done in, on or to this theatre.

I visited the website indicated above by Mark Krefft. They're claiming that a million dollars has already been spent on this house. !!!??? I don't think so. No way. Like I said, I was in the movie theatre business for 29 years; I know what a million dollar theatre looks like, believe me. This house? There's just no way. Where did that 1.2 million dollars that was left over after the initial purchase disappear to? There's nothing in this house; it's an empty shell. A million dollars? No way.

My photographs of the TEXAS and TEXAS sign www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/224125426/
www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/224127947/ before the classic neon and what was almost certainly porcelain enamel covered steel marquee was done away with. Also note the same irreverant treatment fot the stars in TEXAS sign, neon gone and paint over wonderful artwork and colors. This is Dallas at its best. If there aint money in it, they aint in to it. Dallas is much more into paving than preservation. See another good example, CASA LINDA THEATER.

And by the way if anyone out there beleives that the picture from one of the previous postings is of the actual theater seat that Lee Oswald sat in, please get in touch with me I have some of his stuff for sale.

When were those sign photos taken?

I think the seat is to indicate the location of LHO when captured. It is obvious the material is different from the adjacent seats.

This photo of the Texas theater is dated March of 1964.

Here is a photo of the exterior taken on November 22, 1963, only hours after Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested at the Texas Theatre on suspicion that he had assassinated President John F. Kennedy:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/daltex.jpg

Has it been proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated President Kennedy? I think that the second sentence of the first paragraph of the introduction to this listing needs to be re-worded.

How could it be proven beyond a reasonable doubt when there was no trial? Maybe it should be reworded:

It is best known as the place where Lee Harvey Oswald was captured after "allegedly" assassinating President John F. Kennedy.

This is a photo of the Texas Theater entrance that Lee Harvey Oswald might have used to enter and exit the theater.

A theatre with much infamous Oswald history!

I'd still like to know what happened to the 1.2 million restoration dollars left over from the $1.6 million grant after the theatre was purchased.

Added to the National Register of Historical Places in 2003

Texas Theatre *** (added 2003 - Building - #03000187)
231 W. Jefferson Blvd., Dallas
Historic Significance: Event
Area of Significance: Entertainment/Recreation, Politics/Government
Period of Significance: 1925-1949, 1950-1974
Owner: Private
Historic Function: Recreation And Culture
Historic Sub-function: Theater
Current Function: Recreation And Culture
Current Sub-function: Theater

Address: 231 W Jefferson Blvd

A purchased photo of the TEXAS THEATER probalby taken around Christmas 1932.

www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/353318620

Here are 1991 & 2000 photos of the Texas with the marquee missing!

http://homepage.mac.com/sdorn/dallas_shots/PhotoAlbum59.html

Here is another photo of the Texas:
http://tinyurl.com/23lkce

This theatre has historical value and should be restored though it is sad history resulting in the death of President Kennedy.

The Texas Theatre was an atmospheric designed inside. It had sillouettes of Spanish looking buildings all around the sides and a "sky" above. When you first went in, the "sky" would begin to darken, then turn to twilight then dark. Stars would appear and a machine called a Brenograph would project clouds across the sky. When the theatre first opened, a 2 keyboard/6 rank (72 pipes in each rank) Barton Theatre Pipe organ was installed in 1931 from the Midway Theatre down the street. The organ was finally taken out and sold to a individual and is now gone. More than 10,000 theatre organs were in theatres just in the United States alone. Now only about 200 are left in the US and most not in a theatre. Also still on the roof of the Texas is the #1 Hughes air conditioning system. It was manufactured by Howard Hughes' father's company. Weldon Flanagan, the Palace Theatre organist for 20 years, also played the Barton in the Texas in the 1950s some. He showed the present owners where the "Spanish village" buildings were behind the stuccoed walls on the sides of the theatre. It still isn't restored and there are more money problems. Doubtful if it will ever be a movie theatre, mostly it will be a community theatre setting, so I've been told.
Nettie in Dallas.

If there are money problems it's most likely because what money there was has been stolen. I repeat again, there is NO way that a million dollars was spent on this building. Not even if every single wire and every single pipe in the whole place had been replaced in the so-called "bare bones" restoration. I guarantee you that it was stolen. I bet the ONLY money that was spent on the place was the money Oliver Stone spent on it himself when he used the building to film "JFK".

Correct me if I am wrong. Didn't Howard Hughes build this theater when he owned RKO studio's? Or was it another theater he built?

The first site just claims that Hughes owned this theater but the second site claims that he built it.

City of Dallas, Texas website:

"This theater, when opened in 1931, was the largest suburban theater in Dallas. This Spanish Eclectic Theater was part of a chain of theaters once owned by Howard Hughes. In November of 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald was apprehended here after the Kennedy Assassination".

From the Famous Texans website:

"It was in the '30s that Hughes built the Texas Theater, the movie house in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas in which Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested in 1963. The closeness of both men to the CIA makes it all but certain that the Texas Theater would have become a clandestine meeting place for spies. Such use of movie theaters had long been a staple of espionage tradecraft, and other Hughes properties were put to similar use. Hughes owned the RKO movie studio from 1948 to 1955".

Thanks Lost Memory for the information

Greetings DanW. Having lived in the Dallas metroplex for 10 years and now in a suburb I can confirm that you have figured the Dallas city government out. They cant get anyting done due to numerous internal problems and corruption. They could have even gotten the new stadium that Jerry Jones is building for the Cowboys but would not even talk to him.(They were able to approve a homeless shelter downtown next to a high rise luxury condominium).

There was talk of saving the TEXAS when I first moved here. I suspect the theater will never brought back and we will never know where that money went.

Don

Oh, I had the corruption and theft thing figured out a long time back. It was verified, in my mind, by that preposterous little puff piece at the Oak Cliff website claiming that the 1.2 million left over after the initial purchase was spent on a "bare bones" restoration. That may fool laymen, but not anyone who's been in the movie theatre industry as long as I was. I'm sure that someone now has that new home addition they'd been thinking of, someone else added that new family room they'd been talking about, someone else dug that swimming pool they'd been dreaming of and etc., etc. There should be a complete and thorough investigation made (that is if anyone has the moral backbone for it).

This is the Oak Cliff Foundation website. They have some photos of the Texas Theater and a history page.

thank you Lost...great information

"This Spanish Eclectic Theater was part of a chain of theaters once owned by Howard Hughes."

Now where in the world did that come from ? The theater might have been part of the Robb-Rowley chain (see below)?

A tour of the Texas Theater was made recently March 24, 2007 by a few members of the regular "Message Board Posters" of the Dallas Historical Society. (Unfortunately the Message Board has experienced some difficulties and is no longer in operation on the DHS website, dallashistory.org.) Work was progressing rather slowly...it seems to be on a bit of a shoestring as far as actual work goes . Plans are to restore the interior to the original 1931 appearance and the exterior to the 1963 appearance (a concession to the Lee Harvey Oswald capture connection). The stage has been enlarged and plans are for reconstruction of the balcony to provide better sight lines
for stage productions is part of the restoration program. The Dallas Summer Musicals plans to stage its productions in the Texas Theater
in the future.

PS- Besides the Manager C. R. "Uncle Mack" Mc Henry; Harold B. Robb and E.H. Rowley (probably of the Robb-Rowley Theater chain); W.Scott Dunne, architect; A.J. Rife Construction Company; W.G. Underwood;
and David Bernbaum are listed as "Uncle Mack's partners".

The first movie shown was "'Parlor-Bedroom and Bath'Featuring the great lover, Buster Keaton and numerous other."

"Coming attractions" included.:
"Cimarron", with Richard Dix and Irene Dunne
"Don't Bet On Women", with Edmund Lowe and Jeanette Mc Donald
"The Last Parade", with Jack Holt, Tom Moore and Constance Cummings
....and of course Fox News and Walt Disney's "Silly Symphonies"

I stopped by this theatre early this afternoon. The only thing that's been done since the last time I was there is that the vertical "Texas" sign is now gone. The only way to tell that this is a theatre is because of the box office. Where did that $1.2 million left over after the purchase of the buidling disappear to? I doubt that we'll ever know who stole it. I doubt there's anyone with enough guts to investigate the matter.

This photo gives you a good view of the main portion of the theater building located behind the small stores in front. If you click on "previous" and "next" you will find more photos of the Texas Theater.

In amongst all this hot air would you like an account of actually attending a movie at the Texas?

In 1978 Mark Lamberti (still of local DFW fame I believe) and I attended what I recall was a classic 70s double bill at the Texas: Joe Dante's "Piranha" and Tobe Hooper's "Eaten Alive". It was a Saturday night, the place was packed, and we two were, shall we say, in a condition of "ethnic minority".

Toward the finale of "Eaten Alive" Neville Brand's ravenous pet alligator is developing a taste for his master, egged on, in no uncertain terms, by the Texas' audience. When a guy behind me stood up on his seat and started yelling "Get that honkey!" Mark leaned over and suggested a propitious early exit, to which sound advice I immediately concurred.

Such, such were the days!

Here is a recent photo of the Texas Theater.

They actually did some work!! Great. Looks like the boxoffice is now gone. That's no good.

There was a story on the Los Angeles local news (Channel 9) tonight about the imminent re-opening of the Texas. A fete is planned for next month.

YAWN!!!

Why does reopening the theater rate a yawn?

The shots of the interior looked okay. Is there a problem anticipated with the re-opening?

The city of Dallas can't even restore a pot hole. The rumor of a reopening is several years old.

Take a look a some of the previous comments. Money is going down a black hole somewhere.

Also take a look at the pictures, past and present. The TEXAS has become a mere shell of its former self.

This is a restoration???

Here is a link to WFAATV in Dallas. It discusses the grand reopening of the theatre on November 17th. There is also a short video of the theatre both outside and inside the auditorium. The inside doesn't look like much. Just a square box with white walls and a blue ceiling/

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa071104_wz_texastheatre.1d9399719.html

Here is a link to the Texas Theatre website. The prospectus for the renovation states: "The theater’s proposed rehabilitation consists of first renovating the theater to a live performance venue and then restoring the theater’s interior and exterior to reflect the 1963 period of significance . The restoration includes an expansion to adjacent property to provide additional bathrooms, dressing rooms, balcony use and access, and classroom and office spaces."

http://www.texas-theatre.org/projectOverview.asp

From the video it appears that the original atmospheric ornamentation is completely gone. If they are indeed restoring it to its 1963 condition I imagine much, if not all, of the interior decoration might have been moved prior to 1963 when many theatres did wholesale interior destruction to accommodate Cinemascope

Like I said YAWN!!

Wake up Don. :)

This website has some photos of the Texas Theater.

Oh I am awake lost and have been watching the TEXAS go downhill in person for about 20 years.

I stand by my yawn.

"Renovation" or "restoration" should not be used in same sentence describing the treatment the TEXAS has gotten.

For an example of how a "Restoration" or "Renovation" CAN be done(Using funds from the public and private sectors) I would suggest a visit to The Old Red Museum of Dallas County History and Culture at 100 South Houston Street in Downtown Dallas . This is a combination of a restoration to 1892 architectural details and a museum containing the latest in "high tech" video programs, interactive computer displays, etc. Incidentally ,the bell and clock tower re-construction has been completed and both are now in working order and regularly strike the hours each hour.

http://oldred.org/

Here is a recent close-up.

Saw Tora, Tora, Tora here when I was about 7. Great theater. It had some weird aisle on the side, where you could walk in from the back and walk to the front.

I read that Penitentary was a big hit at this theatre.

I remember the Texas Theater like it was yesterday. Back in the 80's when they use to show movies like Vamp and Desperately Seeking Susan. I must have been 6 or 7 years old. But now as adult, and as someone who has lived in Dallas all my life, I'm not surprised that the Texas Theater renovation has yet to actually come full circle. Every blue moon the Texas Theaer is mentioned in the news. One would have thought that the building would be up and running by now. I hate to be critical but, Dallas has a bad rep for letting historical sites go down.

A 1992 view of the Texas Theater here and here.

This is great news! I grew up in Oak Cliff, and one of my math teachers was also a cashier at the Texas Theatre. I am very happy to see that it's been restored/renovated/whatever!

I seem to remember that prior to about 1990, the Texas Theater had an entirely different sign out front, and it looked like the whole front had some kind of siding on it. When Oliver Stone came to town to film JFK, he restored the facade to the way it looked in 1963. Does anyone remember what the theater looked like before he did that, or am I the only one?

Just saw a 3 minute History.com piece about the Kennedy Assassination.

The old black & white footage used in the establishing shot of the Texas Theater (Oswald's point of capture), showed "Richard Burton's HAMLET" on the marquee. According to IMDB and a subsequent review, this version came out in 1964. And was "essentially a videotape of a Broadway performance". Which Burton allegedly ordered all copies destoyed after a limited theatrical run. (So it's apparently tough to find.)

Two things of note, whoever shot that B/W Texas Theater B-Roll way back when for whatever original Kennedy piece, obviously did it the following year.

Secondly, since Burton's HAMLET was indeed a taped Broadway performance, it was likely re-dubbed to film in order to play at movie theaters. Since it's unlikely however many theaters it ended up playing it's limited run at, would pay the added cost to switch out projection equipment just to play one feature.
Especially since it was likely originally shot/stored on 2-inch videotape or whatever was the norm back then for the original remote shoot.

P.S. In comparing the various photos posted to CT, the extention tower coming off of the roof that supports the "T" & "E" sign portion, has been removed in stages.
First the old gazebo like structure from the very top was removed. Then the square box like support for the gazebo & the top two letters.

The 2007 photo shows that just a flat, upward support has been installed, so the top of the word TEXAS could be supported alone. I only looked back at these because the History.com piece had a full tower as support.

here is a recent med format pic I took of the theater

http://www.flickr.com/photos/barakepstein/2795091628/in/set-72157606932467390/

Thanks for the pic. Your recent marquee close-up looks like it was nicely restored.
I found it worth the time to re-read most of what is currently available on the official website at the top of the page. Including the "Blog" link.
Seems they intend to remove the stucco they claim was put on after Oswald's capture. And return the facade to it's original 1931 appearance. There are a few films scheduled, but it doesn't really say they are AT the Texas Theatre.

A 1939 movie ad promoting a double feature, "Honor of the West" and "Daredevils of the Red Cirlce" along with an episode of a Republic serial, "The Executioner" at the Texas Theater in Oak Cliff.

TCM's daily blog focuses today on the Oswald-Texas connection.

Here's the link:

http://moviemorlocks.com/2009/03/07/oswalds-last-picture-show/#more-7987

Is it me, or does that last picture in the link of Van Heflin with James MacArthur, look like George Kennedy?
Now THERE would have been a conspiracy theory.
Actors sharing names with presidents & generals on the day of the assassination? Oh the drama.

The infamous Texas Theater in 1991. Couldn't quite fit those movie titles onto the same line on the marquee:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34152329@N06/3473523069/in/set-72157617054310351/

A movie theater ad from 1950 for the Texas Theater in Oak Cliff.

My father Reuben White was the projectionist at the Texas theater the day Oswald was arrested there.

Hello Mark W. Would you mind contacting me at your convenience concerning the Texas Theater? Thank you!

Don Lewis...

vanishingtheaters@gmail.com

Here is a photo of the Texas Theater.

There have been some 2005 photos added to the link posted on 2/4/07, cleck each thunbnail for a larger view.

The Texas Theatre should never be known as "Oswalds Theatre" he never owned or leased it.Lee Harvey "maybe" killed our President he should not be honored for it if he did of did not!He was arrested there, that all.