Cinema Houston Explained

Cinema Houston: From Nickelodeon to Megaplex is a 2007 book by David Welling and published by the University of Texas Press. It, with 256 pages, discusses historic movie theaters, of multiple varieties, in the city of Houston.[1] According to Ron Briley, a teacher at Sandia Preparatory School who wrote a review for the Southwestern Historical Quarterly, the book is "essentially a nostalgic volume in which Welling laments that in its rapid urban development Houston destroyed many of the lavish movie palaces which once dotted the city's downtown landscape."[2] According to Aaron Carpenter, an undergraduate student at Duke University who wrote a review published in , the author shows his passion for the subject and that the book does not always have a tone of melancholy.[3]

Welling had the following steps in his research: he checked opening and closing dates and variations of names in directories published by the city government, then consulted newspapers-the Houston Chronicle and Houston Post-to clarify particular dates.[1] Welling went to branches of the Houston Public Library to get copies of photographs of the theaters.[2] Welling stated that the majority of the information he received came from the latter and that establishing the exact dates that a theater opened and/or closed was "the most time consuming" aspect of his research.[1]

The book has some discussion of theaters catering to arthouse cinema while most of the space is devoted to facilities for mainstream films.[2]

Briley wrote that by providing a chronology for the "thumbnail sketches", the author had "[made] a good effortto place the cinema of Houston in historical context".[2] Briley added that the work "is more descriptive than analytical".[2]

The now-demolished Metropolitan Theatre is on the cover.[3]

Reception

Carpenter concluded that the book "is fascinating, providing so much material for nostalgic reminiscences it is almost overwhelming."[3]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gonzales, J.R.. A conversation with David Welling. Houston Chronicle. 2008-02-04. 2019-08-09.
  2. Briley, Ron. Cinema Houston: From Nickelodeon to Megaplex. Southwestern Historical Quarterly. Texas State Historical Association. 112. 4. April 2009. 456–458. 10.1353/swh.2009.0047.
  3. Web site: Carpenter, Aaron. Cinema Houston. . Rice University School of Architecture. 2009-07-22. 2019-08-09.