Owen Theatre

dallasmovietheaters on January 9, 2022 at 1:16 pm

Wesley Shean opened the new Seymour Theatre on April 2, 1934 with Lee Tracy in “Washington’s Merry-Go-Round.” George W. Owen, whose movie and vaudeville career started in 1907, later took on that theatre and decided to build an entirely new theatre due to weaknesses of the existing building. Ground was broken in December of 1940 for Owen’s new building. People were encouraged to send small stones and he would incorporate them in the construction. (The Seymour Theatre completed its run on June 3, 1941 with “The Great Dictator.”)

The new theatre opened under the banner of the new Owen Theatre at Seymour launching June 6, 1941 seating 400 with 150 of the seats in the balcony. The first film was Jane Withers' “Golden Hooves” supported by the Three Stooges short, “From Nurse to Worse,” the Pete Smith short, “Third Dimensional Murder, and Allan Lane in the first episode of the “King of the Royal Mounted” serial. (Originally announced by scratched was Jimmy Stewart in “Pot o' Gold” and “Boobs in Arms.”) That was the warm-up for the Jun 8-10th showings of “Gone with the Wind.”

The theatre was still operating in the 2020s.

Joe Vogel on September 19, 2014 at 7:58 pm

Counting the number of lots up the block from Don’s Pizza (110 W. Washington) to the Police Department (entrance at 124 W. Washington, but also occupying the adjacent building at 122) I’d surmise that the correct address of the Owen Theatre is 120 W. Washington Street. Maybe Google Maps can find that, because the sure haven’t been able to find the Square.