The Dundee Theater

December 22, 2023

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 Street drew large crowds when it played such cult classics as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The 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 from downtown along Dodge.

1925 Durham Museum photo of the Dundee Theater.

In 1963 the Cooper Foundation, which operated 15 other theaters including Indian Hills, also took over the Dundee Theater. Upon finishing a significant renovation, it played The Sound of Music for a staggering 118 weeks in a row. Only a theater in London had a longer first run of a film.

1941 Durham Museum photo of the renovated Dundee Theater.

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 and finally wider releases and midnight movies after Denny Moran took it over in 1980. The midnight shows were particularly popular for filmgoers of all ages.

1946 Durham Museum photo showing people entering the theater from its original entrance along Dodge.

The theater closed in 2013 with plans to return it to its former glory following a renovation. It remained closed, however, and after a few years was threatened with demolition. It was saved from the wrecking ball by the Sherwood Foundation. Inspired by the success of Film Streams’ theater at 1340 Mike Fahey Drive in North Downtown, it donated the theater to the nonprofit whose mission was to enhance the cultural environment of the metro area through the presentation and discussion of film as an art.

2013 photograph of the Dundee Theater when it reopened under ownership of Film Streams.

The Dundee Theater finally reopened four years later and looked vastly different. In fact, only the major structural elements and historically significant pieces were left intact. The entrance was reconfigured so that it faced the north side of the building towards a parking lot adjacent to the neighborhood rather than the fast-moving traffic cruising along Dodge Street. The windows which had been bricked up long ago were reopened to allow for more light into a shared lobby. The lobby included a new ticket counter, concession stand, bookstore, and a small video store.

The Dundee Theater shares the lobby with Lola’s. The cafe operates in a space that was once occupied by the Old Dundee Bar and Grill and the Dundee Dell. Lola’s Collective is a woman-owned hospitality group that aims to bring people together through food. The group also operates Fig. in the Kiewit Luminarium.

Photo of the renovated Dundee Theater courtesy of Nebraska Public Media.

The updated main theater has blue fabric seats that are reminiscent of those from the 1960s when The Sound of Music played at the theater. While a new screen, projection, and sound equipment were installed, it still has its traditional 35mm film. Film Streams has even made it a part of their mission to continue to play films in this format for their historic and archival value, allowing theatergoers to see the films in the way their creators intended. Dundee includes a micro-theater that allows it to play historic media such as 16mm and experimental films.

The most visible change from Dodge Street is the large 1930s-style marquee spelling out both the name of the neighborhood and its namesake theater. Outside of the main entrance, the biggest draw from the north is the patio space connected to Lola’s.

The newly reconfigured entrance in the back of the building which faces the neighborhood rather than Dodge.

The renovation and reopening of the 100-plus-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 theatergoers, as the theater brought back its midnight movies.

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