The Texas Theatre is a movie theatre and Dallas Landmark
located in the Oak Hill neighborhood of Dallas, Texas. It gained historical fame
on November 22, 1963, for being the place where Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested
for the Assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and the killing of Dallas
police officer J.D. Tippet. Today, it hosts a mix of repertory cinema and special
events.
When first opened in 1931, the Texas Theatre was the largest
suburban movie theater in Dallas and was part of a chain of
theaters owned by Howard Hughes. It was the first theater in
Dallas with air conditioning and featured many state-of-the-art
luxuries.
On November 22, 1963, shortly after the fatal shooting of
President Kennedy and the wounding of Texas governor John
Connally at 12:30 p.m., and the fatal shooting of Officer
Tippet at approximately 1:16 p.m., Oswald entered the Texas
Theatre shortly after 1:30 p.m. without paying for a ticket,
ostensibly to avoid police. They were later informed by the
assistant manager that a man had entered the theater without
paying. The films being presented on that day were The
Texas Chainsaw Massacre and A Japanese Erotic
Fantasty . Oswald briefly viewed the latter.
Theatre Admission