Walthall Theatre

dallasmovietheaters on May 7, 2020 at 10:20 am

The Walthall Theatre was an African American Theatre which opened in 1940. Always having a loyal patron base, the Walthall stuck to its double-feature policy generally spotlighting African American stars and films. In the porno chic era, it also procured double-feature X-rated films for an urban audience in the 1970s as midnight screenings on weekends. On July 16, 1976, for instance, the regular features were “J.D.’s Revenge” starring Glynn Truman and “Friday Foster” with Pam Grier. The evening shows were the adult films, “Black Como” and “Slip of the Tongue.”

Its last advertised show was June 10, 1985 with “Warriors of the Wasteland” and the classic, “Dolemite.” Reports say the theatre may have closed in September of 1985 but it seems more likely that the Walthall would like to be remembered for screening “Dolemite” as its last film. In 1986, the theater was disassembled and converted into an apartment building with commercial laundromat.