Why did Oswald go to the movies?

[Wesley Johnson]

On the night before, Oswald had gone to visit his wife in an attempt to restore their relationship. He was fond of his child and had another one coming. Marina rejected the rapprochement. For most people this would have left them emotionally distressed, what appeared to be final breakdown and not seeing his children. I cannot speak to Oswald actual frame of mind but the idea of hanging around work with no work to do for most people with that emotional situation from the night before. Going to the movies to escape how crap he was feeling would for most people make sense.

Thanks for your reply Anthony. Just so you know, his second child had already been born.

[Anthony Clayden]

Thanks for your reply Anthony. Just so you know, his second child had already been born.

Thanks for the correction on his 2nd child.
The other question that is often asked is why did he take his revolver to the movies.
I think given it is not implausible that he was planning to attempt suicide, he had tried previously whilst in the USSR when he had been rebuffed from something he had really wanted. Or he might have been wrestling with deciding  to shot Marina, marital violence during a breakdown is also not uncommon.

[Steve M. Galbraith]

Thanks for your reply Anthony. Just so you know, his second child had already been born.

Marina testified to the following about Lee asking her to move with him into an apartment:

Mrs. OSWALD. I said [to Lee that] it would be better if I remained with Ruth until the holidays, he would come, and we would all meet together. That this was better because while he was living alone and I stayed with Ruth, we were spending less money. And I told him to buy me a washing machine, because two children it became too difficult to wash by hand.
Mr. RANKIN. What did he say to that?
Mrs. OSWALD. He said he would buy me a washing machine.

Marina also said (I can't find the source to cite it) that he told her he was going to stay with her at the Paine residence that weekend but not Friday night because he had visited on Thursday.

There was nothing - from Marina's point of view - indicating their marriage was over. As she said above, she was hoping they would all get together for the holidays. Perhaps he thought differently.

And, of course, nowhere in his interrogation with the police did he mention a breakup with Marina as the cause for him going to the movies; which, apparently he sneaked into despite having about $18 on him.

It's possible but this is speculation based on, as far as I can see, no evidence whatsoever.

And oh yeah, why did he go to the movies?: He was escaping from the police because he had just shot one of their officers. Question: I've been outside when police cars went screaming by. I stood and stared at them and wondered what the hell was going on? Oswald apparently wasn't interested in all of that commotion. Why?

Marina's testimony on the above is here:
http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/russ/testimony/oswald_m1.htm

[Dan DAlimonte]

Hey, Wesley.  A few years back a comedian was making fun of Depends underwear
as to why any person would buy a product with such a name. 

Will this type of underwear be helpful in case I have an accident? 

Depends.

So, why did Oswald go to the movies?

Depends.

Was he the lone gunman and murdered Tippit as well?  Was he involved in a team?  Was he innocent
and afraid for his life?  Was he going to a safe house and he encountered and murdered Tippit?  Was he planning to kill someone else before he encountered Tippit?  Did he have his own escape plan where he would wait in the dark and leave at night?  Was he involved and went to the TT to meet his contact? 
And, on and on ...

Depends.

[John Iacoletti]

First off, I'm not asking this to provoke a fight. I'm just curious as to what some think about Oswald going to the movies, after the President was shot at, from the building he worked in. Some of the TSBD employees left after the shooting, but he was the only one not to return.

That's false.

He went home got his revolver

That's unproven.

and then went to the movies. Just seems like an odd thing to do, after something as historical as the president getting shot at, happened in front of where he worked.

Who knows?  Why did anybody go to the movies that day?  Why did Buell Frazier go visit his step-father in the hospital after something as historical as the president getting shot at, happened in front of where he worked?

The mistake is in assuming that everything that happens must be significant.

[John Anderson]

There's nothing to suggest their marriage was over.
Except she had been trying to get a visa to go back to Russia since February.

[Joe Elliott]

Finally, you're asking a question and a good one at that. I've always wondered about that. It's a conundrum for sure, but then so is him going to a middle of nowhere place like 10th street. What in the world was he doing there, walking along with no obvious place to go, when he could have been on a bus out of town?

Could he have ordered a bus to come by and pick him up at the boarding house or would he have to walk somewhere? When my car is being repaired and I need to use public transportation, my experience is that I have to do a good deal of walking, particularly if I don?t want to wait for a few hours for a bus to come by that is going where I want to go. I have walked over two miles on occasion to pick up a bus I want.

[Joe Elliott]

And that is a good question as well Martin. It just has seemed really odd, his actions. But then Ruby robbed us of ever knowing the answer.

Did it really? Would we have been able to trust implicitly whatever Oswald said? I think that whether Oswald lived or died people would still have to look at the facts to figure out what was most probable.

** Oswald arranged for a unique weeknight ride to where his wife was staying instead of the usual weekend ride.

** Oswald brought to work a long object wrapped in paper (it would be too embarrassing to be seen with curtain rods).

** Oswald was the only one at work who immediately left the Dealey Plaza area. Someone correct me if I am wrong but I understand a few others left the building to check out what happened from other people in the plaza. And then found themselves locked out of the building by the police. Only then did they go home.

** Oswald got on a bus and then immediately off when it was stuck in traffic.

** Oswald ordered his only taxi ride (quite an expense) that we know of during his life.



This seems pretty consistent to me. If Oswald lived and told me a different story, I probably would not believe him.