Casa Linda Theatre

A sad note.. Richard (Rich) Peterson, who managed the Astro & the Casa Linda Theatre (Dallas Tx) passed away on May 24 2019. Rich was a super nice guy. I first met him during the demolishing of the Astro & closing of the Casa Linda. We’ve stayed in touch on & off ever since. I’m very saddened. Rich battled stage 4 cancer for 13 months, fighting all the way. He was a trouper! Rich will be missed by so many………… R.I.P. my friend.. I’ll remember our IHOP get togethers fondly..

I briefly worked at this theater as assistant manager from July 93 until December 93. And replaced the above Jim Miller as Manager when he left for the West End. After being rudely fired for no reason. I then got hired on back with UA at the Northstar in Garland. Hey Jim. You ever figure out how to pronounce “viscount”? Only new you for a short time. Glad to have met you.

My Father, Howard D. Brown and Carl Martin Brown, my Grandfather owned all the land that was to become Casa Linda Plaza and Casa Linda Estates from before WW2. They had to put in water, electricity and sewer before roads or the shopping center could be started. Barton Mc Lendon was a local attorney and he agreed to lease the theater if they built it and Bart agreed to have his son Gordon over see the management. When the war broke out Dad enlisted in the Army and materials were in short supply so everything was put on hold till the war ended.

Once Dad came home from the war, the Plaza and houses began in earnest and they were on their way. I remember the theater as being a great place to go on Saturday mornings or Friday or Saturday night with my friends as I became a teen. As my family died out, the center was sold by my father in total and Dad retired in 1978. In 1981 Dad died with the Plaza and all the homes he build in Casa Linda area and Garland still being there and to this day the Brown Family legacy lives on in what my Dad and Grandfather dreamed and accomplished.
McLendon lease on the theater was up in the late 1990' s and the theater is now a food store.

I managed the Casa Linda in the early 1990s. it was a very nice theatre that had been “modernized” a few times. The balcony had been converted to a theatre, and it was the best done conversion I had ever seen. In fact that auditorium had the best seats, and the best screen presentation in the place. The big main auditorium had older more basic seating that was too close together. We sacrificed quite a few rows of seats, giving more room between rows, and it made watching a movie in that auditorium much more enjoyable. Both the balcony theatre, and the main auditorium had traveler curtains on the screens. They both had electrically operated masking, too.

There were two small auditoriums that were made from what was originally storage space. One was converted well, with a nice ramp for the seating, giving a nice viewing position. The other had a basically flat floor making it tough to see the screen well if somebody in front of you was tall.

The front sign said “McLendon 3 Theatres” even though we had four screens because the city of Dallas wouldn’t let us change the signage because it was considered historic!

From April 2011 as the theatre was being remodeled as a grocery store.

Another view of the Casa Linda in the early morning sun.

Mixed feelings on that one, Adam – in my heart I know it could never again compete as a movie theater unless the Alamo Drafthouse thing had worked out – but a grocery store? At least the address will be occupied and the deterioration will cease. Hope the new tenants keep the tower.

Oh, one other little point: someone posted that this theater was changed into a multi-screen in the 1960’s – not true. As of summer 1969 it was still in its original single-screen configuration. It was one of several McLendon theaters that hosted the world premiere of “True Grit” with John Wayne being carted around in a McLendon limo to each theater to make his appearance after the film’s showing. The other theaters were (I believe) the Preston Royal, Park Forest, and several McLendon drive-ins. Sometime in the early 1970’s is when the “twinning” or “tripling” took place, just in time for the auditorium in what had been the mezzanine (balcony, sort of) to show the reissue of “Jason and the Argonauts” in a new 35mm print (the Casa Linda had shown “Jason” during its first suburban run in 1963).

I still haven’t found anything else about this and have really seen no more work being done. I’ll try to remember to snag the number next time I’m over there.

I drove by the Casa Linda earlier today and noticed a gate up and the boarded up doors wide open. A worker was walking out to his truck and I quickly pulled over to ask him if they were re-opening. He didn’t know much of anything but that they were changing some of the structure (moving walls) and redoing the floors. He said it was definitely going to be opening as something but not sure if that something would be a movie theater. I forgot to write down the contact number on the lease sign but I’ll try to make it back in the next couple of days and give them a call to see if I can find out any more info.

hello texasvaligirl can you send me the owners phone numbers , i want an apoiment to see tha theater, tk yu

Sorry Cinematic, but “they” have already destroyed the theater’s spirit and identity. It beagn a long sad decline several years ago and the the auction of the theater’s contents was the final nail in its coffin. Click here to view a photo of the Casa Linda’s final night of operation.

Don…

Boxoffice Magazine’s issue of August 4, 1945, published a brief item about the Casa Linda Theatre headlined “De Luxe Dallas House To Open Thursday.” As August 4 was a Saturday, the opening date must have been August 9, 1945.