Metropolitan Theatre

What a waste. I can't tell you how many times, as a boy, I saw movies at the Metropolitan and Loew's State. Both were beautiful and well maintained. I saw THE ROBE in Cinemascope at the Metro in 53 or 54. I can't recall the date. What a presentation. It also ran most of the early Fox Cinemascope pictures. (HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE, BENEATH THE 12-MILE REEF, KING OF THE KHYBER RIFLES, PRINCE VALIANT, RIVER OF NO RETURN, NIGHT PEOPLE, HELL AND HIGH WATER etc.) They used many a false front at the Metroploitan. I remember THE EGYPTIAN and how they decorated the entire front of the theater and boxoffice. I'm sure Fox paid for it. It's sad that this beautiful theater didn't even last 50 years and the people of Houston even didn't care enough to save their movie history. They can save an old 1900 house that someone lived in 100 years ago, but NOT the movie palaces that played GONE WITH THE WIND and CASABLANCA. What's wrong with this picture.

The 1928 Film Daily Year Book claims 2,500 seats for the Metropolitan; the 1949 edition says 2,293. But floor plans in "American Theatres of Today, Volume I" show 1,700 seats, divided between 1,000 on the orchestra floor and 700 in the balcony. It's possible that more seats were added after the plans were drawn, but I doubt that the capacity was ever 3,000. The auditorium was behind a hotel, and reached from the street via a long and narrow lobby that cut through that building. R.E. Hall & Company were consulting engineers to architect A.C. Finn.

When I was a small boy I saw the 10 Commandments there. Having only gone to either drive-ins or neighborhood theatres, I was stunned by its size and architecture.

Being a little guy, I foolishly thought the Egyptian motiff decor was done just for the movie. I also remember hearing a elderly gent saying that he had been at the Metropolitan for the original version of the 10 Commandments.

Some years later, I saw "House on Haunted Hill" there with Wm. Castle's gimmick called "Emergo".

There are marquee and interior shots here
http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/lofiversion/index.php/t1574.html

Well, Ennis--we've awakened from our slumber. We're rallying behind efforts to save the River Oaks Theatre AND the art deco shopping center. Weingarten's Realty is rumored to be considering demolishing the theatre to build a highrise--using the theatre's facade.
We need to draft stronger preservation laws in Houston. They suck here!

Couldn't agree with you more, Roger. Houston is one of those cities that has never been preservation minded. Do they even have preservation laws? I've already joined the fight to save not only the River Oaks, but the Alabama, Tower, Garden Oaks, and any other art deco theater that's still standing.

According to the 8/3 Chronicle, "with the River Oaks Theatre threatened, more are joining the drive to change preservation laws.".
US Rep Sheila Jackson Lee was in attendance @ the 8/2 City Council meeting, voicing her support for preservation.

I just returned from my first trip to Houston. I was there for a suburban wedding, but had a chance to drive around the downtown area and was shocked to see so little historical buildings remaining in this 4th largest city in America. The streets were pretty desolate. I thought that all of the old movie palaces had been demolished. This doesn't surprise me as I know that Houston has little interest in preservation, and to add insult to injury, doesn't care much for zoning laws. Nonetheless, I was driving down a street close to what I think was the old city hall and saw a theater marquee that looked like an old palace. The marquee bore the name "METRO". This theater is not listed on CT under this name. I assumed it would be listed so I didn't note the address. Does anyone recognize this theater? Is it possible that it was (is) strictly a legit theater?

p.s. I think it was out by Texas Avenue or at least in that part of town.

I've looked in several Film Daily Year Books and couldn't find a Metro Theatre for Houston. However, the last annual is dated 1957, so the Metro Theatre could have been built after that, or was a new name adopted after 1957.

My guess is that it is a more recent name. It was definitely an old theater and the "Metro" name was in really big letters. I'm hoping that a local Houstonian will read this and solve the mystery. Thanks Warren!

You are referring to the Majestic Metro. I have no idea if it ever was a movie theater. It is now a special events space for receptions, galas and such...

http://www.majesticmetro.com/

Here is a 1955 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/5683ce

This is the first I ever heard of "Thrillarama Adventure" which opened here.
http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen/thrillarama_premiere.htm

This tells the whole story
http://widescreenmovies.org/Highlights/thrillarama.htm

Here is a website with some photos of this theater.

Here are some interior photos:
http://www.houstondeco.org/1920s/metro.html

A view from 1970 of the Met and Loew's in Houston.

The Metropolitan's premier feature was “Stranded in Paris” with Bebe Daniels and James Hall.

Interesting that the Metro and Loews were designed by the same people.

From the 1940s, a vintage picture postcard view of the Lowe's State, the Metropolitan and a nice view of downtown Houston on Main Street.