Texas Theatre to Take Dallas Deeper Into the JFK Assassination This Weekend

When Lee Harvey Oswald ducked into the Texas Theatre after assassinating JFK on Nov. 22, 1963, he likely never even contemplated the idea that he was laying the groundwork for an annual tradition.

Now, more than 60 years later, the Texas Theatre marks the anniversary of the ill-fated day each year with screenings of Cry of Battle and War is Hell, the latter of which is the film Oswald was watching when he was arrested. War is Hell plays at the same time as it did on that day in 1963, and tickets cost the same amount they did then – 90 cents. Cry of Battle, the theater notes, probably did not show the day of the assassination, “but was famously on the marquee.”

This year, the theater is doing something extra to mark the occasion. On Nov. 21, musician and entrepreneur Miriam Linna will take the stage for “Conspiracy Caravan,” during which she will guide guests through pop culture history to learn about heretofore underinvestigated ties between Jack Ruby (who famously shot Oswald), Oswald himself and other figures who have long existed in the margins of JFK assassination conspiracies. Prior to the main event, the scene will be set by DJ Travis Box, who will be playing “rare and obscure hits of 1963.” The night will culminate in a screening of 1959’s Dallas-produced The Giant Gila Monster.

“Every piece of history… you’ve got a point of view,” Linna says, adding that objectivity in history is less prevalent than we might expect.

However, she says, the subjective nature of historical documents can lead to exciting opportunities for exploration and expansion.

“There’s always exciting information to find out that flies in the face of the established information,” Linna says. “And it’s not intentional. It’s just that, well, hey, this is a possibility!”

The connection between The Giant Gila Monster and JFK, and the reason for Linna’s visit? Gordon McLendon. 

McLendon was a widely renowned broadcaster of the era and a man closely connected to several high-profile individuals. He is best known to JFK aficionados because, after Ruby was arrested for shooting Oswald, he asked someone to let McLendon know where he was. McLendon was also involved in film production, serving as a producer on The Giant Gila Monster. And, Linna says, anyone who comes to see the Conspiracy Caravan will learn how the monster movie serves as yet another link in the chain binding Ruby and McLendon.

Linna is a renowned drummer with a career spanning decades. This is in addition to her entrepreneurial work through Norton Records and Kicks Books, through which she and her colleagues find and recover underappreciated or forgotten music from throughout the years. They even released an album in 2013 of songs written in response to JFK’s assassination called Tragic Songs From The Grassy Knoll. 

When speaking with Linna, her depth of knowledge about music and the evolution of the music industry is on full display, even when the topic of the day is JFK. She draws lines between figures like Ruby, McLendon and major musical figures of the day, such as Bob Horn of American Bandstand. Listening to her work through her encyclopedic knowledge of these figures is as informative and entertaining as any film, and a skill sure to be on full display at the Texas Theatre.

Whether she’s promoting a long-lost song or sketching out the interpersonal relations of figures from the Warren Commission Report, Linna finds value in the work because she thinks it’s important to be mindful of the past, and of the way history changes.

“We’re pop culture vultures,” she says. “I think we all are, in a way. I mean, [anyone who] isn’t… I don’t want to know you.”

Tickets for the Conspiracy Caravan are available now. Additionally, Linna will be appearing at Half Price Books (5803 E NW Hwy, Dallas, TX 75231) for a meet-and-greet on Sunday, Nov. 23.