LOCAL Houston | The City Guide APRIL 2015 | Page 36

Local April.qxp_002houston 3/23/15 2:15 PM Page 36

GISH AT THE MOVIES

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR ASTRODOME!

By Sarah Gish

Sarah Gish is an artist, mama, igniter and
connector who has been writing for Local
magazine since 1998. She was one of the
co-founders of Q-Fest, Houston’s only LGBT
festival, and was the publicist and city manager for Landmark Theatres in the 1990s,
overseeing the River Oaks, Greenway and
Saks movie theatres. She owns Gish
Creative (www.gishcreative.com), a personal, family and business enrichment company that she founded in 2000. It’s her joy
to bring the love of movies to Houstonians
and to let people know about all the amazing arts and culture in Houston.

The Astrodome opened with much fanfare on April 9, 1965, so this month marks its big five-oh anniversary. And
what a 50 years they have been! The “Eighth Wonder of the World” was the pioneer in AstroTurf and its fourstory Astrolight scoreboard was the first of its kind. Judy Garland was the first performer on December 17, 1965,
and Tejano star Selena was its last on February 26, 1995. In between, the Dome saw WWF matches, baseball
and football games, Elvis Presley, Evel Knievel, the famed Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs “Battle of the Sexes”
tennis match, and much more. These days, its fate is uncertain – although it’s now listed on the National Register
of Historic Places, there are some that want it torn down and some that want it saved. “I am suggesting that we
explore the concept of creating an indoor park and recreation area inside the Dome for the people of Harris
County,” Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said in a recent statement. The final fate of the Astrodome rests with the
Harris County Commissioners…and nothing has been decided yet.
The Astrodome made a guest
appearance in a few movies –
“Friday Night Lights”; “The Bad
News Bears in Breaking Training”;
and a music video by U2 of the
song “Stuck in a Moment You
Can’t Get Out Of.” And “Brewster
McCloud” was set in the Dome. But
it was the recent maelstrom that
inspired three new documentary
films on the Dome, making it a true
star. Houston natives Chip Rives
and David Karabinas of Texas
Crew Productions are releasing
“The Dome” (www.thedomemovie.com)
this fall, a six-year passion project
featuring countless hours of archival
footage and interviews with
President George H.W. Bush, Bum
Phillips, Nolan Ryan, Dan Rather,

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Dan Pastorini, Larry Dierker, Jimmy
Wynn, Jack Ingram and Judge Roy
Hoheinz’s children, Fred and
Dene.

(http://bechdelfilms.com/pages/default.asp)
through her nonprofit film company,
Bechdel Films – its focus is on the
preservationists behind the scenes.

“Last Seat at the Dome”
(www.preservethedome.com) was also a
labor of love for Rugged Riverside
Media owner Matthew Murphy,
whose short film had its debut last
November, accompanied by a
panel discussion featuring Murphy
waxing nostalgic about the Dome
alongside Stephanie Ann Jones of
Preservation Houston, Beth
Wiedower of the National Trust for
Historic Preservation and Judge
Emmett. And 14 Pews owner
Cressandra Thibodeaux is making
“Astrodome: A Love Story”

No matter its fate, the Dome will
live on in celluloid heaven. And its
50th birthday will be celebrated
this year – Houston Arts and Media
(www.houstonartsandmedia.org) is planning a party and Houstorian
(www.houstorian.org) founder
James Glassman will be selling
memorabilia on his website.
Perhaps Ed Emmett and friends will
celebrate with Astrodome-inspired
cake and the city will scrub the
dome clean. After all, half-century
milestones come only once.

WANT TO SEE MORE ART FILMS?
CHECK OUT THESE VENUES

14 Pews (www.14pews.org)
Alamo Drafthouse (www.drafthouse.com)
Asia Society (www.asiasociety.org/texas)
Aurora Picture Show (www.aurorapictureshow.org)
Blaffer Art Museum (www.blafferartmuseum.org)
Café Brasil (www.cafe-brasil.net)
Contemporary Arts Museum (www.camh.org)
Discovery Green (www.discoverygreen.com)
DiverseWorks (www.diverseworks.org)
Holocaust Museum (www.hmh.org)
Jewish Community Center (www.erjcchouston.org)
Landmark River Oaks Theatre
(www.landmarktheatres.com)
Miller Outdoor Theatre (www.milleroutdoortheatre.com)
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (www.mfah.org/films)
Orange Show (www.orangeshow.org)
Rice Cinema (www.ricecinema.rice.edu)
Sundance Cinemas (www.sundancecinemas.com).