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by David Welling
256 pp., 226 b&w photos, University
of Texas Press
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The Queen lobby, constructed
1913. Photo courtesy Houston Metropolitan Research Center
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The Granada auditorium, constructed
1949. Photo courtesy Houston Metropolitan Research Center
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Cinema Houston celebrates a vibrant century of movie theatres
and moviegoing in Texas's largest city. Illustrated with more than two
hundred historical photographs, newspaper clippings, and advertisements,
it traces the history of Houston movie theatres from their early twentieth-century
beginnings in vaudeville and nickelodeon houses to the opulent downtown
theatres built in the 1920s (the Majestic, Metropolitan, Kirby, and Loew's
State). It also captures the excitement of the neighborhood theatres of
the 1930s and 1940s, including the Alabama, Tower, and River Oaks; the
theatres of the 1950s and early 1960s, including the Windsor and its Cinerama
roadshows; and the multicinemas and megaplexes that have come to dominate
the movie scene since the late 1960s. While preserving the glories of
Houston's lost movie palacesóonly a few of these historic theatres still
surviveóCinema Houston also vividly re-creates the moviegoing experience,
chronicling midnight movie madness, summer nights at the drive-in, and,
of course, all those tasty snacks at the concession stand. Sure to appeal
to a wide audience, from movie fans to devotees of Houston's architectural
history, Cinema Houston captures the bygone era of the city's movie houses,
from the lowbrow to the sublime, the hi-tech sound of 70mm Dolby and THX
to the crackle of a drive-in speaker on a cool spring evening.
David Welling, a Houston resident who attended many of the theatres in
this book, is a graphic artist and writer whose projects have ranged from
corporate magazines to album covers and fantasy illustrations. He has
written articles about film and theatres for such publications as theHouston
Post and the Houston Press. His lifelong interest
in movies (and the places that show them) served as the genesis for to
this book. Active research for Cinema Houston began in 1991.
A native Texan – he was raised in Alvin – David lives in Houston
with his wife and two children.
Cinema Houston is now available at most
regional major and independent bookstores. Click
here for a partial list of retailers.
Additional information as available at the University
of Texas Press Cinema Houston page.
Read the Houston Chronicle article by Louis Parks on Cinema
Houston. Click
here.
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