Cass Theatre

dallasmovietheaters on August 7, 2020 at 9:29 am

The Parmele Opera House was built in the year 1900 and opened October 29, 1900 by C.C. and T.E. Parmele with a play starring Clay Clement. In 1901, it was advertised as the Parmele Theatre. G.G. Griffin, who had operated the Ritz Theatre since 1928, took on the Parmele on July 29, 1931 and held a renaming contest.

On August 10, 1931, the Parmele became the Platz Theatre – a nickname some had for Plattsmore. Griffin would close the theatre in 1935 – and would be on hand for the theater’s blaze in 1961. But M.F. Westerlund took on the closed Platz and gave it a streamlined moderne makeover relaunching as the Cass Theatre on February 9, 1936 with “Farmer Takes a Wife.”

On June 22, 1961, the Cass Theatre played “Gold of the Seven Saints” – its last film before the fire that ended operations. It also had the film, “Elmer Gantry” on the premises for June 25-27, 1961 screenings that never took place. On April 26, 1964, the Ritz Theatre in a classy move brought the film, “Elmer Gantry,” back to to town saying, “We had this picture (booked) when the Cass theatre burned!” People could finally see the film that was advertised but never played at the Cass.

Will Dunklin on November 2, 2013 at 12:01 pm

According to David Junchen’s book The Wurlitzer Pipe Organ, an Illustrated History p. 675, Wurlitzer shipped their organ opus 1684 – 2 manuals 4 ranks – to the Parmele Theatre in Plattsmouth, Nebraska in July 1927. Junchen notes that the theatre subsequently was renamed the Cass Theatre. Wurlitzer removed the organ in 1932 and sold it to a hospital in Cincinnati Ohio. It is easy to imagine that the Parmele became the Cass at about that time.

kencmcintyre on November 29, 2008 at 2:31 pm

Here is a 1942 photo from Life Magazine:
http://tinyurl.com/6mwr3d