I sold the very first ticket at the Ridglea Theatre. I was a cashier for Interstate Theaters Inc. and worked full time at the Parkway (later the Hollywood) downtown. Mr. J.T. Luther Jr (the real estate developer who built the Ridglea) bought the first ticket with a $100 bill. We had to scramble to get his change.
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram article, August 14, 1994
My fondest memory of the beautiful, historical Ridglea Theatre was in 1955 when my wife and I attended the world premiere of Strategic Air Command. I was public relations officer at Carswell Air Force Base and had a part in the movie. Most of the stars of the movie were there -- Jimmy Stewart, June Allyson, Frank Morgan --- along with many celebrities and Fort Worth officials.
This is a show of Cas & Woodbelly that I recorded when they played at Ridglea Theater, in Fort Worth, TX on June 26th, 2004.
A band named Mingo Fishtrap was the headliner, Cas & Woodbelly opened up for them. The show was good. In this show, a trombone player sat in with them (to my surprise), and it just didn't seem to fit with the band. You cant blame Cas for trying something new (He has horns in his band now...and it sounds amazing).
But on this night...the guy seemed to be all over the place, playing during verses, bridges, and choruses. Just didn't feel right. In addition...I never saw him on stage with them again....Thank God.
Also..before any haters start up:
I know...the sound quality of this show, is total shit. I remember getting home and watching it for the 1st time and being disgusted. But I felt that it shows Cas and Woodbelly on a bigger stage, earlier in their careers..and had some decent enough footage to post. So ...im sorry the sound sucks so bad. But maybe it is worth watching....Thanks for the patience.
On Sept. 19th, 2010, I married the most amazing man in the world, with around 200 of our closest friends in attendance.
The Ridglea was a natural choice for us. We're both from the DFW area, we really wanted my dad's band to play, and no other venue had pirate ship murals that complimented our vaguely pirate themed wedding!
I'm glad that it's been saved, we had the most amazing time there, and we really hope it'll be open for our one-year anniversary, so we can go back!
I spent Saturday afternoons at the Ridglea from sixth grade through ninth grade. My most vivid memory of the Ridglea was in 1956, when three girlfriends and I walked from Monnig Junior High to the Ridglea after school to see Elvis Presley in his movie debut, Love Me Tender.
-Fort Worth Star-Telegram article, August 14, 1994
