River Oaks Theatre

Cinemark, thanks for the compiment. I remember seeing “Flashdance” and “Cocoon” there and saw “Temple of Doom” at the late Tuesday night premiere in which they showed it on both #1 and #4.

JRS40, thanks to your knowledge about how the ads for River oaks were set up, I’ve been able to find out through some of the microfilm I have that the following movies played at RO 1 at one point or another. Here it goes:

4/23/82- DEATH WISH II (why?)
6/4/82- STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN (Of note, Poltergeist was in 5&6)
6/11/82- E.T
9/3/82- AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN (Of note, it may have opened here earlier)
12/8/82- FIRST BLOOD (may have opened here earlier)
4/15/83- FLASHDANCE
5/25/83- RETURN OF THE JEDI
5/11/84- FIRESTARTER
5/23/84- INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM
4/26/85- STICK
5/22/85- RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II
6/7/85- THE GOONIES(?)
6/21/85- COCOON

More will follow.

Okay, but the movies aren’t set up like the old Plitt directories, it’s just top-to bottom. BTW, I looked at the Plitt directory from this day 25 years ago, and I know Blade Runner was in 2. The ad was like this

ET 70MM Star Trek II 70MM
Blade Runner.

I’m gonna go through more old stuff. This is fun.

Thanks JRS40. I never knew that. Now the River Oaks ad/movie directory from 8/5/87 is set up/arranged just like this

Stakeout [R] 70MM dolby
The Lost Boys [R] 70MM dolby
Full Metal Jacket [R]
The Living Daylights [PG]
La Bamba [PG-13]
Robocop [R]
Adventures in Babysitting [PG-13]
Dragnet [PG-13}

So does this mean that Stakeout was in 1, with Lost Boys being in 4? I’m gonna go through the Plitt directories from the early 80s to practice this. Again, thanks.

Wow, So does this mean River Oaks 2-3 was equipped for 70MM?

Another question for anyone who can remember. Which River Oaks screen played Stakeout in 70MM? I have a microfilm ad from 8/5/87, which is Stakeout’s opening day, and it’s showing in 70MM. Also, The Lost Boys was showing at RO in 70MM too.

I also remember in 1986, the River Oaks played the sequel “Aliens” in 70mm Dolby at the same time as “Top Gun” in 70mm Dolby on another screen.

Now that I really look at that list, did Alien ever play on the big screen when it came out?

Actually there are a few Wednesday openings along the way (Close Encounters is another) but I always wrote them down on a Friday. Thanks for the compliments.

As looking at the dates from opening in 1969 through 1981, the movies ran from two weeks to several months (depending on how popular the movie was) especially the time gap of “Star Wars” and “The Empire Strikes Back”. Too bad today’s megaplexes would not keep a movie for several months.

Also, do you know of a way you can get a list of films that played at River Oaks from 1982-1992?

Here is a listing of what played in this large, beautiful theater from its opening thru 1981:

5/30/1969 – 100 RIFLES
6/06/1969 – THE LONGEST DAY
6/13/1969 – ROMEO AND JULIET
6/27/1969 – WHERE EAGLES DARE
7/18/1969 – GOODBYE COLUMBUS
8/08/1969 – WINNING
8/22/1969 – THE APRIL FOOLS
9/05/1969 – THE LOST MAN
9/12/1969 – THE WILD BUNCH
9/19/1969 – ROMEO AND JULIET
9/26/1969 – DADDY’S GONE-A-HUNTING
10/3/1969 – WHATEVER HAPPENED TO AUNT ALICE?
10/17/1969- SWEET CHARITY
10/31/1969- CHARLY
11/14/1969- MIDNIGHT COWBOY
12/26/1969- BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID
2/06/1970 – EASY RIDER
2/27/1970 – THE REIVERS
3/13/1970 – CACTUS FLOWER
3/27/1970 – BOB AND CAROL AND TED AND ALICE
4/24/1970 – ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE
5/15/1970 – THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN
5/29/1970 – JOHN AND MARY
6/12/1970 – PAINT YOUR WAGON
7/03/1970 – THEY SHOOT HORSES DON’T THEY?
7/24/1970 – MAS*H
8/28/1970 – THE OUT OF TOWNERS
9/18/1970 – GETTING STRAIGHT
9/25/1970 – WOODSTOCK
10/9/1970 – Z
10/23/1970- 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
10/30/1970- CATCH 22
12/11/1970- THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE
12/18/1970- SCROOGE
1/08/1971 – THE BABYMAKER
1/15/1971 – ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER
1/29/1971 – JOE
2/19/1971 – FIVE EASY PIECES
3/12/1971 – THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT
4/09/1971 – MY FAIR LADY
4/16/1971 – AIRPORT
5/07/1971 – THE PRIEST’S WIFE/THE 12 CHAIRS
5/21/1971 – RYAN’S DAUGHTER
6/25/1971 – LOVE STORY
8/20/1971 – SUMMER OF 42
9/10/1971 – PLAZA SUITE
10/01/1971- MCCABE AND MRS. MILLER
10/15/1971- BILLY JACK
10/29/1971- THE MARRAIGE OF A YOUNG STOCKBROKER
11/05/1971- CARNAL KNOWLEDGE
12/10/1971- DOCTOR ZHIVAGO
12/24/1971- KOTCH
2/04/1972 – THE BOYFRIEND
3/03/1972 – X,Y AND ZEE
3/31/1972 – THE COWBOYS
4/14/1972 – POCKET MONEY
4/21/1972 – DIRTY HARRY
5/12/1972 – THE HOSPITAL
5/26/1972 – CABARET
6/23/1972 – THE WAR BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN
7/14/1972 – THE GODFATHER
9/15/1972 – THE OTHER
9/29/1972 – FRENZY
10/13/1972- BLUEBEARD
10/20/1972- THE CANDIDATE
11/03/1972- BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE
11/17/1972- THE NEW CENTURIANS
12/15/1972- DOCTOR ZHIVAGO
12/22/1972- FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
2/16/1973 – STEELYARD BLUES
3/09/1973 – DELIVERANCE
3/16/1973 – THE THIEF WHO CAME TO DINNER
3/30/1973 – AVANTI
4/06/1973 – PETE N TILLIE
4/13/1973 – CLASS OF 44
5/11/1973 – THE HEARTBREAK KID
5/25/1973 – THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE
6/22/1973 – SLEUTH
6/29/1973 – THE SOUND OF MUSIC
7/27/1973 – THE MAN WHO LOVED CAT DANCING
8/17/1973 – PAPER MOON
9/14/1973 – DAY OF THE JACKAL
10/5/1973 – SCARECROW
10/12/1973- THE EMIGRANTS
10/19/1973- A TOUCH OF CLASS
11/9/1973 – JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
12/21/1973- THE SEVEN UPS
1/18/1974 – THE WAY WE WERE
2/08/1974 – MAGNUM FORCE
2/22/1974 – PAPILLON
4/05/1974 – THE GREAT GATSBY
6/07/1974 – THE CONVERSATION
6/21/1974 – THE PARALLAX VIEW
7/12/1974 – CHINATOWN
9/20/1974 – DEATH WISH
10/18/1974- AIRPORT 1975
12/20/1974- THE GODFATHER PART 2
3/21/1975 – THE PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE
5/02/1975 – ALICE DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE
5/23/1975 – THE EIGER SANCTION
6/20/1975 – BENJI
6/27/1975 – FUNNY LADY
8/01/1975 – TOMMY
8/29/1975 – PART 2 WALKING TALL
9/19/1975 – NASHVILLE
10/10/1975- MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS/ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH
10/17/1975- THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR
12/26/1975- LUCKY LADY
2/20/1976 – THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES' SMARTER BROTHER
4/09/1976 – THE BAD NEWS BEARS
6/25/1976 – LOGAN’S RUN
8/13/1976 – RETURN OF A MAN CALLED HORSE
9/10/1976 – THE OMEN
9/24/1976 – THE SAILOR WHO FELL FROM GRACE WITH THE SEA
10/01/1976- BANANAS
10/15/1976- MARATHON MAN
12/17/1976- KING KONG
2/18/1977 – THE ENFORCER
3/25/1977 – THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN
4/01/1977 – BLACK SUNDAY
5/20/1977 – WIZARDS
5/27/1977 – STAR WARS
12/16/1977- CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND
3/17/1978 – THE FURY
4/28/1978 – THE TURNING POINT
5/19/1978 – THE GREEK TYCOON
6/16/1978 – GREASE
9/15/1978 – SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT
10/06/1978- WHO IS KILLING THE GREAT CHEFS OF EUROPE?
11/10/1978- THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL
11/17/1978- MAGIC
12/15/1978- SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE
5/11/1979 – MANHATTAN
6/22/1979 – THE MAIN EVENT
8/03/1979 – THE MUPPET MOVIE
10/05/1979- APOCALYPSE NOW
11/09/1979- THE ROSE
12/07/1979- STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE
2/01/1980 – AMERICAN GIGOLO
3/21/1980 – COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER
4/04/1980 – LITTLE DARLINGS
5/02/1980 – APOCALYPSE NOW
5/09/1980 – THE NUDE BOMB
5/23/1980 – THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
9/26/1980 – ORDINARY PEOPLE
11/21/1980- SONG OF THE SOUTH
12/05/1980- FLASH GORDON
1/16/1981 – AMERICAN GIGOLO/URBAN COWBOY
1/23/1981 – ALTERED STATES
3/13/1981 – GALAXINA
3/20/1981 – THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE
4/10/1981 – THIEF
5/01/1981 – LION OF THE DESERT
5/22/1981 – TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT
6/12/1981 – RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
7/03/1981 – SUPERMAN II
7/31/1981 – RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
10/2/1981 – CONTINENTAL DIVIDE
11/6/1981 – THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT’S WOMAN
12/4/1981 – REDS

Hasn’t one of the River Oaks now re-opened? I believe it was done by the same company that has the Lansing.

River Oaks 1-6 actually had a 70 MM projector. Inside Theater #1, I remember when I used to work there…the only 70 MM film that every played was Gettysburg. It was 4 hours long…….yikes! The only movie that I ever worked that ever had an intermission.