Texas Theatre
231 W. Jefferson Boulevard,
Dallas,
TX
75208
231 W. Jefferson Boulevard,
Dallas,
TX
75208
13 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 90 comments found
a changeover 35mm system was installed in June of 2011 in the original projection booth
I visited this theater for the first time today for an Our Gang program. The theater is pretty neat because my parents lived near there and attended it frequently when they were young. They currently can only show digital films and 16mm.
The balcony does not have any seats and the 35mm projectors in the booth may not be usable. It’s definitely a work in progress, but it still has a 1930s-1940s atmosphere. The neighborhood is a Hispanic area, but the neighborhood is still an OK place to visit. I hope that they can keep up the work with restoring the theater.
Jan 3, 2011 article & Youtube video of its reopening
View link
This theater has had its official reopening: View link
Hey Don, I do hope you took a look at our press release. We’re hoping for big things with this. I realize that the Texas has been through quite a lot and remained basically dormant for many years but we’re here to change that. We’ll be semi-operational in October and fully operational by the first of the year. Our mission is to maintain the history of the Texas Theatre while improving the movie-goer experience. All of us involved are award-winning filmmakers first. We’re also all big fans of historic theaters and care about what happens to them. We’re seriously a good fit.
You’ve obviously been following the Texas for some time, so if you feel like pinging me directly, I’m happy to discuss further. That goes for anyone else as well.
Opening day ad states “2000 seats, none reserved.”
A news item about the leasing of the Texas to Aviation Cinemas and the plans for it; it is scheduled to reopen at the end of October, 2010: View link
Blah blah blah…..
my company Aviation Cinemas has taken over the lease at the Texas Theatre. We will be doing some upgrades to the lobby and house and then showing movies!
keep up with us at
thetexastheatre.com
facebook.com/textheatre
I went to see one of the movies at the Texas Theatre a couple weeks ago and found the experience both awesome and frustrating. If you wish, you may read my thoughts on the trip RIGHT HERE!
Hello, Mark W! I remember your father fondly! He took me with him on two seperate occassions to both the Palace and the Circle to see how films were projected. I remember having to climb up a narrow ladder on the wall to crawl through a hatch of some sort in the wall of the Palace projection room – if I recall correctly, that was the only way in or out – and looking out the viewing port at that incredible, cavernous auditorium! I had never seen anything so big or lovely as that theater with that huge chandelier! Can’t recall what the Palace was playing, but the Circle, while not so impressive, was certainly easier getting into! Girl Trouble/Afica Texas Style played at Circle.
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.
Here is a photo of the Texas Theater.
Hello Mark W. Would you mind contacting me at your convenience concerning the Texas Theater? Thank you!
Don Lewis…
My father Reuben White was the projectionist at the Texas theater the day Oswald was arrested there.
A movie theater ad from 1950 for the Texas Theater in Oak Cliff.
The infamous Texas Theater in 1991. Couldn’t quite fit those movie titles onto the same line on the marquee:
View link
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.
TCM’s daily blog focuses today on the Oswald-Texas connection.
Here’s the link:
View link
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.
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.
here is a recent med format pic I took of the theater
View link
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.
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.
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?