Inwood Theatre

5458 W. Lovers Lane,
Dallas, TX 75209

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Related Websites

Landmark Theatres(USA) (Official)

Additional Info

Operated by: Landmark Theatres (USA)

Previously operated by: Interstate Theatres Inc. & Texas Consolidated Theaters Inc.

Functions: Movies (Foreign), Movies (Independent)

Styles: Streamline Moderne

Phone Numbers: Box Office: 214.352.5085

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News About This Theater

Inwood Theatre© Dallas TX / Don Lewis

The Inwood Theatre opened on May 16, 1947 with Red Skelton’s “The Show Off”, and was an immediate success, the most modern and well-appointed theatre in Dallas at the time.

It cost its original owners, the Interstate Theatres Inc. over $200,000 to build, and featured an opulent Art Moderne décor, including stencilled glass panels with carvings of realistic fish and marine life which were backlit by neon. Also, terrazzo marble and stainless steel decorated the lobby. The mezzanine level featured a vast mural of nude water nymphs. There was originally even a shell-shaped payphone in the lobby.

After declining in the 1960’s and 1970’s, the Inwood Theatre suffered a devastating fire in 1980. Though heavily damaged, the theater reopened a year later as a twin, and the following year, a third auditorium was created from the old balcony area. In 1983, the Inwood Lounge, in the lobby of the theater, opened, and was soon one of Dallas' most popular gathering places and filled before and after screenings.

The Landmark Theatres chain purchased the Inwood Theatre in 1984 and it went from first-run features to art and foreign films. Landmark Theatres spent over $50,000 restoring the theatre to its late-1940’s appearance, including restoring the theater’s murals and adding a new lighting layout to highlight both the murals and the lobby’s etched glass.

Contributed by Bryan Krefft

Recent comments (view all 24 comments)

Don Lewis
Don Lewis on March 20, 2009 at 4:22 pm

An old movie theater ad from 1949 for the Inwood Theatre.

matt54
matt54 on June 21, 2010 at 12:00 am

Saw the original roadshows of Sound of Music and Hawaii here, as well as Dallas 1st run exclusive of Jaws – and many more, too numerous to list – beautiful theater.

Marcel
Marcel on September 7, 2011 at 10:54 pm

The essential classic theatre…this place is priceless. Just Go!

Driveintheatre2001
Driveintheatre2001 on January 17, 2012 at 11:44 pm

A few photos I took of the Inwood Theatre from 2007.. Enjoy..

Randy A Carlisle – Historical Photographer

rivest266
rivest266 on October 23, 2013 at 4:35 pm

Grand opening ad uploaded here.

Coate
Coate on March 24, 2015 at 12:26 pm

It was 50 years ago today that “The Sound of Music” premiered at the Inwood. With a reserved-seat run of 91 weeks, it’s almost certainly the long-run record holder for this venue. (Anyone know of something that ran longer?)

“The Sound of Music” also was, I believe, the first of two consecutive long-running Julie Andrews movies to play this venue between 1965-67. That 26-month period must’ve been bliss or hell for local moviegoers depending on whether or not they were a fan of Julie!

Also, on a related note, I would like to mention my new 50th anniversary retrospective for “The Sound of Music” can be read here. It includes a film historian Q&A and a list of the film’s roadshow engagements. I hope fans of the movie and/or theater buffs enjoy the article.

DavidZornig
DavidZornig on March 26, 2017 at 9:34 pm

1954 photo added via Gianni Corso‎.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters on March 7, 2019 at 10:09 am

The Inwood hired Architexas, a historic preservation architectural specialist in Dallas in 1983, to bring the theatre its bar and multi-screen operation.

cinecism
cinecism on November 9, 2020 at 5:35 pm

I love the Inwood! I visited Dallas a lot when I was younger and saw a lot of indies here like “Talk to Her,” “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon,” “In the Company of Men,” “The Opposite of Sex,” and “The Spanish Prisoner.”

I visited more recently and saw the seats had all been removed and replaced with beanbags and sofas when I saw “Hello, My Name is Doris.” It was weird.

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