Omaha Exploration

The last remaining single screen neighborhood movie theater in Omaha, the Dundee Theater became popular amongst the younger set when it began showing midnight movies in 2001. The theater located at 4952 Dodge St drew large crowds when it played such cult classics as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Princess Bride, The Big Lebowski and Pulp Fiction in the wee hours. 

The theater itself dates back to 1925 when it opened with the silent comedy The Trouble with Wives and the short film The Fighting Dude. The theater adapted to changing times in 1929 when they added sound equipment. Movies with dialogue called “talkies” made their debut just two years earlier when The Jazz Singer premiered. The following decade saw a major renovation which included new projection and sound equipment in addition to new seats and a new marquee to catch the attention of drivers heading to and fro downtown from Dodge. 

In 1958 the Cooper Foundation which operated 15 other theaters including Indians Hills starting in 1962 took control of Dundee. After undertaking yet another significant renovation of the theater, they played The Sound of Music for a staggering 118 weeks in a row. At the time it was second only to a London theater for the longest first run of any film. 

The focus of the programming of the theater changed over the course of the next couple of decades. It went from showing art and foreign films to showing family films after its ownership changed. It wasn’t until Denny Moran took over in 1980 that it began to include wider releases and eventually the midnight movies that were beloved by film goers of young and old.

The theater closed in 2013 with plans to renovate it in order to return it to its former glory. As time went by and it failed to reopen, it was threatened with demolition. That is until the Sherwood Foundation stepped forward to save it from the wrecking ball. Inspired by the success of Film Streams theater downtown, it was donated to the foundation whose mission was to enhance the cultural environment of the Omaha-Council Bluffs area through the presentation and discussion of film as an art. 

When it finally reopened in 2017, the theater looked vastly different. Only major structural elements and historically significant pieces were left intact. The entrance was reconfigured so that instead of facing the fast moving traffic along Dodge, it faced north towards the neighborhood. Windows which had long been bricked up were opened to allow for more light into a shared lobby. The lobby included a new ticket counter, concession stand in addition to a small book and video store. Lola’s Cafe which had taken over the space that had formerly occupied the Old Dundee Bar and Grill and the Dundee Dell before that was also accessible from the lobby. 

The main theater had new blue fabric seats installed that were reminiscent of those from the 1960’s when The Sound of Music played at the theater. Even though a new screen, projection and sound equipment was installed, the owners didn’t abandon the traditional 35mm film. In fact, Film Streams has made it a part of their mission to continue to play 35mm films for their historic and archival value allowing theater goers to see the films as their creators intended. A much smaller micro-theater was also added allowing it to play historic media such as 16mm as well as experimental films. The most noticeable change to passersby along Dodge street is the large 1930’s inspired marquee spelling out both the name of the neighborhood and its namesake theater.  

The renovation and reopening of the 100+ year old theater is a win for the historic preservation of the Dundee neighborhood which saw many of its grand homes that used to sit along Dodge demolished over the years. It’s also a win for theater goers as the theater recently brought back its popular midnight movies.

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