cinemahouston.info
Cinema Houston
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Visit the author's website at DavidWelling.com. Recipient of the 2009. Society of Architectural Historians Downing Award. The Society of Architectural Historians website is www.sah.org. Friends of the Texas Room Julia Ideson Award. On October 27, 2008, the Friends of the Texas Room awarded David Welling with the Julia Ideson Award for the book, Cinema Houston. The first winner of what is to be an esteemed roster of recipients.
cinemahouston.info
Cinema Houston - Drive-in Theatres
http://www.cinemahouston.info/driveins.shtml
Visit the author's website at DavidWelling.com. June 10, 1950. Perhaps more so than any other aspect of the cinema, the drive-in reflected the American values of its time. Its beginnings, rise in popularity, and eventual decline paralleled the times and preferences of a nation, and perhaps its innocence as well. Then there was the massive Loews Sharpstown Drive-in, with an oversized concession stand and childrens play area, including a miniature train ride. In 2005, the owners of the Crossroads Drive-I...
cinemahouston.info
Cinema Houston - Alvin
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Visit the author's website at DavidWelling.com. Photo by Ray Boriski. In the early nineties. For residents of the small towns neighboring Houston, watching a movie meant either driving into the city, or attending their local theatre. Many of the smaller towns had a movie house nearby, often located in the downtown district. This was the case with the first theatres constructed in Alvin. The Alvin Theatre in 1987. Photo courtesy Parker Riggs. By the sixties, the Alvin Theatre was a pale ghost of the past&...
cinemahouston.info
Cinema Houston - Silent / Classic film sites and links
http://www.cinemahouston.info/silentLinks.shtml
Visit the author's website at DavidWelling.com. Silent Film DVD Sites. A company founded in 1977 that offers outstanding releases in silent and world cinema. An excellent company whose goal is to contribute to the ongoing interest in film heritage through the creation of new, high-quality digital editions for broadcast and through home video distribution. A company dedicated to discovering and distributing films of enduring artistry from both yesterday and today. The Silent Movie Multiplex. American Sile...
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Cinema Houston - Alabama Theatre
http://www.cinemahouston.info/alabama.shtml
Visit the author's website at DavidWelling.com. November 2, 1939. The 1984 commemorative Bookstop poster, created by Houston illustrator Mike Dean. From the collection of David Welling, illustration 1984 Mike Dean. The Alabama Theatre and the River Oaks Theatre; the two go hand in hand. Both were built in 1939, less than a month apart. The Alabama ceased operations as a movie theatre in 1983, although the structure still operates as a retail space. 149; . Competition from multicinemas, cable televisio...
cinemahouston.info
Cinema Houston - Lost Theatres
http://www.cinemahouston.info/lost.shtml
Visit the author's website at DavidWelling.com. Nov 28, 1934. David Welling, 2002. To fully list all of the Houston theatres that are now lost would take a whole website to itself. The sad fact is that most all of the historic theatres that the city once possessed are now gone. While a few still stand, they are mostly abandoned buildings that have long since been used to run a motion picture. The ones intact and in use can be counted on one hand: The 1926 Ritz Theatre. Photo courtesy Alvin Guggenheim.
cinemahouston.info
Cinema Houston - Neighborhood Theatres
http://www.cinemahouston.info/neighborhood.shtml
Visit the author's website at DavidWelling.com. 2009 W Gray St. Nov 28, 1939. Houston Metropolitan Research Center. Geography played a part as well; as the city continued to expand, the distance to the downtown hub also increased. The culmination of Houstons growth gave rise to theatre construction in the Houston suburbs the neighborhood theatre. More about Interstate Theatres. More about the independents.
cinemahouston.info
Cinema Houston - River Oaks Theatre
http://www.cinemahouston.info/riveroaks.shtml
Visit the author's website at DavidWelling.com. 2009 W Gray St. Nov 28, 1939. Houston Metropolitan Research Center. The Alabama Theatre and the River Oaks Theatre; the two go hand in hand. Both were built in 1939, less than a month apart. The River Oaks film schedule, 1980. From the collection of David Welling. By the mid-eighties, the popularity of cable television and home video killed the repertory forum. Attendance dwindled and the theatre turned increasingly to first-run films. In addition, ...The R...
cinemahouston.info
Cinema Houston
http://www.cinemahouston.info/index.shtml
Visit the author's website at DavidWelling.com. From the early nickelodeons and movie palaces to the modern megaplex cinema, these are the venues where Houstonians sought out their movie entertainment. We sell tickets to theatres, not movies. Marcus Loew. NOW SHOWING AT YOUR FAVORITE BOOKSTORE. Friends of the Texas Room. Downing Award, 2009. Society of Architectural Historians.
cinemahouston.info
Cinema Houston - The Picture Palaces
http://www.cinemahouston.info/palaces.shtml
Visit the author's website at DavidWelling.com. Dec 25, 1926. Photo courtesy Houston Metropolitan Research Center. Karl Hoblitzelles 1923 Majestic. This trio of theatres represented the zenith of opulence in movie theatre design during the twenties. Whereas the Metropolitan went for an over-the-top Egyptian theme, the State was more restrained, yet ornate, with lobby antique furniture brought in from the Vanderbuilt estate. From the collection of David Welling. Photo by David Welling, 2000. When the ori...
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