It’s not unusual to cross-pollinate in the creative arts. Mediums are often blended willy-nilly in the same way as ingredients from a cookbook. A musician brings words to notes in the form of lyrics. A playwright’s endgame is to land that masterwork on the stage with actors at the helm, surrounded by a well-designed set. Movies, of course, are a blend of all the mediums: writing, art, cinematography, costume design, performance, and so forth. One leads to the next, sometimes in the form of sequels or remakes.
So it is with blogs, and in my case, a cross-over to my sister blog, Cinema Houston, a site that honors movies and the places that show them. It is a companion to my book of the same name that chronicles the showplaces in the bayou city. It covers the nickelodeons, the picture palaces, drive-ins, the modern multi-cinemas, and all points in between. Naturally, it touches on the River Oaks Theater.
For those in Houston, the tale of the River Oaks is well known. The 1939 theatre is only vintage cinema still in operation.
Or was. And will be again.
The RO was one of the casualties of the COVID pandemic that closed theaters across the country, some permanently. In this case, the RO lease was not renewed for Landmark Theaters, the company that had operated it since the late seventies. At present, it is still shuttered, but with plans in place for a reopening with a new tenant and a possible restoration. For now, we wait. In the meantime, organizations such as Friends of River Oaks Theater are keeping it in the forefront of people’s minds. Their latest endeavor is a wonderful podcast, Friends on Film.
You can read all about this and other related subjects at https://cinemahouston.wordpress.com.
Keep reading, watching, and supporting the arts in whatever form you prefer.
David Welling 