The year is 1947: America is done with the war, and movie fans again have leisure time and a little pocket money. Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor and John Wayne are marquee names. Where better to build an Art Moderne movie masterpiece than on Dallas’ popular Lovers Lane?
Seventy years ago, the Inwood Theatre, in what was then the city’s trendy northern suburbs, debuted its first films. The theater’s elegant interior featured an under-the-sea theme with glass panels, neon-backlit carvings and a mural depicting nude water nymphs painted by Perry Nichols, a member of the Dallas Nine, a group of local artists in the 1930s and early ’40s known as Regionalists.
THE PLACE TO BE The Inwood Theater opened in 1947 and drew impressive crowds, as the ticket line attests.
The Inwood was, according to Cinema Treasures, “the most modern and well-appointed theatre in Dallas at the time.” Over the years it would delight audiences with first-run studio productions, roadshows of Broadway hits (The Sound of Music had a reserved-seat run of 91 weeks start- ing in March 1965), foreign films, art films and cult favorites like The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Though the theater’s fortunes had waned by the 1970s, in 1981 its owners sought to appeal to
a new, more sophisticated adult crowd. By adding alcoholic libations to their concession-stand offerings, they could reach deeper pockets. After discovering, however, that such a move would rule out any patrons younger
than legal drinking age, management hit upon the idea of the Inwood Lounge, with its own separate entrance to meet Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code requirements.
Craig Wilde of Architexas ensured that the new bar’s design would integrate seamlessly into the historic structure. He separated the lounge from lobby by an eight-foot-tall glass-block and ceramic-tile wall with a water fountain trickling below.
The Inwood Lounge was a hit from the start. Bohemian and creative types as well as the elite of Dallas society were drawn to the lavish venue’s cool vibe. “We had too much fun,” recalls Lu Smith, an investor in the bar and one-time manager. “And it didn’t always end at 2 a.m.”
Following purchase by the Landmark Theatres chain in 1984, the Inwood underwent a $50,000 renovation aimed at restoring the theater to its 1940s glory. In 2005, another restoration helped preserve its historic cachet while updating amenities for 21st-century patrons. Today, it’s still one of the coolest places to meet in town. And thanks to changes in liquor laws, moviegoers can walk directly from the bar into the theater lobby to enjoy the show.
COOL AND CHILL An aquatic theme — including an under- the-sea mural — decorates the lobby.
The Inwood’s drink menu offers an array of wine and beer, in addition to a smooth selection of single malt Scotches and mellow martinis. At the top of the list of the house’s specialty cocktails are the Lounge Classic Martini and the Classic Gimlet, passports back to the height of the silver screen. For more adventurous types, options include the Peach Press, the Chocolate Orange Martini, the Chocolate Cake or the Double Cross French Martini — just to name a few. (The lounge also serves well- known drinks if you have something else in mind.)
The tale of two venues continues into the Inwood’s 70th year, with new owners and new recipes. For movie buffs looking to relax, commune, and be a part of Dallas history, the Inwood’s still the scene to see and be seen.
