Brewster McCloud is a 1970 American black comedy film directed by Robert Altman .
81-557: The film follows a young recluse ( Bud Cort ) who lives in a fallout shelter under the Houston Astrodome , where he is building a pair of wings in order to fly. He soon becomes a chief suspect in a series of bird-related murders. The film opens with the usual MGM logo, but with a voice-over by René Auberjonois saying "I forgot the opening line" instead of the lion's roar. As the opening credits roll, wealthy Houstonian Daphne Heap begins to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" on
162-532: A rainout on June 15, 1976. The Astros ' scheduled game against the Pittsburgh Pirates was called when massive flooding in the Houston area prevented all but a few fans from reaching the stadium. Both teams had arrived early for practice, but the umpires were several hours late. At 5 pm that day, with only a handful of fans on hand and already several hours behind, the umpires and teams agreed to call
243-542: A $ 105 million renovation plan on February 13, 2018. This plan keeps the parking garage from the Revitalization Project. Construction was set to start in October 2018 and would be completed sometime in 2020. The construction start date was later moved to early 2019 and was expected to finish in 2020. However, as of September 2019, the plan was put on hold with no word when construction might take place. It
324-428: A Cheerleader , Pollock , The Twilight Zone , The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud and The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou . Cort's voice-over roles include Edgar the computer in the movie Electric Dreams ; Toyman , a Superman villain, over the course of various DCAU series including Superman: The Animated Series , Static Shock , and Justice League Unlimited ; and Josiah Wormwood in an episode of
405-494: A campaign manager for Johnson in the 1940s, just as the second inning got underway. He and Lady Bird watched the opening night game from behind the glass in Judge Hofheinz's private box high in the right field just to the right of the giant scoreboard. LBJ ate hors d'œuvres and chicken and ice cream while watching the game. "Roy, I want to congratulate you; it shows so much imagination", he was heard to say. Later, he called
486-482: A comic strip, but never enough wit to sustain more than a few isolated sequences." Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times believed that the film was "not in a class" with M*A*S*H , but opined that "I doubt that the new year will give us a more startling, bizarre and rowdy piece of business." John Simon wrote, Brewster McCloud is a pretentious, disorganized, modishly iconoclastic movie which, in
567-407: A concussion and a fractured skull. His face was severely lacerated and his lower lip nearly severed. The accident resulted in plastic surgeries, substantial hospital bills, a lost court case, and the disruption of his career. He has since appeared in a number of film, stage and TV roles: Endgame , Sledge Hammer! , The Chocolate War , The Big Empty , Theodore Rex , Dogma , But I'm
648-569: A major turning point for the dome, as some feared if the plan wasn't approved the building would be demolished. On January 27, 2017, the Texas Historical Commission voted unanimously to designate the dome a State Antiquities Landmark. Under the designation, the Astrodome may no longer be removed, altered, damaged, salvaged, or excavated without a permit from the commission. The Harris County Commissioners voted to approve
729-400: A mood than a story. This rarely works, but it does for him." Variety called the film "a sardonic fairy tale for the times. Extremely well cast and directed, Lou Adler's made-in-Houston production demands an intellectual audience which is satisfied with smiles instead of belly-laughs." Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote that the film "... has more characters and incidents than
810-521: A publicity stunt than a serious match, it made national headlines and stands as a milestone in the progress of women's sports. Scenes were filmed in the Astrodome for the 2017 film Battle of the Sexes which starred Emma Stone and Steve Carell , who played King and Riggs, respectively. The Astrodome held several motorsports events throughout its lifetime. The AMA Grand National Championship held events starting in 1968 and running for 18 years, utilizing
891-511: A sell-out crowd during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Selena y Los Dinos performed two consecutive times before at the Astrodome, breaking previous attendance records each time. This was Selena's last televised concert before she was fatally shot on March 31, 1995, by her fan club president . The Astrodome was joined by a new neighbor in 2002 , the retractable-roofed Reliant Stadium (now known as NRG Stadium ), which
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#1732794480806972-442: A string of unexplained murders, the work of a serial killer whose victims are found strangled and covered in bird droppings. The victims are all authoritarian or overtly racist figures, including Daphne Heap and the aged, wealthy and vicious landlord Abraham Wright. Haskell Weeks, a prominent figure in Houston, pulls strings to have the Houston police call "San Francisco super cop" Frank Shaft to investigate. Shaft immediately fixates on
1053-802: A year after the ceremonial groundbreaking, and it officially opened in 1965. It served as home to the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1965 until 1999 , and the home to the Houston Oilers of the American Football League (AFL)/ National Football League (NFL) from 1968 until 1996 , and also the part-time home of the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1971 until 1975. Additionally,
1134-516: The 2012 Summer Olympic Games were held in London , Great Britain by the IOC . Plans to convert the Astrodome into a luxury hotel were rejected. A proposal to convert the Astrodome into a movie production studio was also considered but rejected. Regardless of the type of renovation, all renovation plans must deal with the problem of occupancy code violations that have basically shuttered the Astrodome for
1215-542: The Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome , was the world's first multi-purpose , domed sports stadium , located in Houston , Texas , United States. It sat around 50,000 fans, with a record attendance of 68,266 set by George Strait in 2002. It was financed and assisted in development by Roy Hofheinz , mayor of Houston and known for pioneering modern stadiums. Construction on the stadium began in 1963, more than
1296-473: The "Astrolite", was designed by Fair Play Scoreboards of Des Moines, Iowa . Having designed the scoreboard for Dodger Stadium several years prior, team owner Roy Hofheinz was not impressed with the initial proposal for a much more generic type of scoreboard. Project designer Jack Foster teamed up with a creative professional based in Kansas City to create the first animated scoreboard. Its reported cost
1377-432: The 1970s rainbow uniform pattern were installed to bring seating capacity to almost 60,000 for football. On September 6, 1988 , a final celebration commemorating the scoreboard occurred prior to expansion renovations commencing. The playing surface was originally Tifway 419 Bermuda grass , bred for indoor use. The dome ceiling contained thousands of semi-transparent Lucite panes. Players soon complained that glare from
1458-471: The Astrodome featured the "Astrolite", which was the first animated scoreboard. The stadium was renovated in 1988–1989, expanding seating and altering many original features. By the 1990s, the Astrodome was becoming obsolete. Unable to secure a new stadium, Oilers owner Bud Adams moved the team to Tennessee after 1996 , and became the Tennessee Titans in 1999 . The Astros played at
1539-525: The Astrodome on a temporary 1 ⁄ 4 -mile dirt oval—which was called the Eighth Wonder International Motor Speedway. Gary Bettenhausen and Lee Kunzman won the feature races in 1969, while Tom Bigelow won the overall event championship. The event returned for 1970, hometown favorite A. J. Foyt won the feature race. Bettenhausen won the final edition in 1972. With the opening of NRG Stadium in late 2002,
1620-633: The Astrodome was the primary venue of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo from 1966 until 2002. When opened, it was named the Harris County Domed Stadium and was nicknamed the " Eighth Wonder of the World ". After the original natural grass playing surface died, the Astrodome became the first major sports venue to install artificial turf in 1966 , which became known as AstroTurf . In another technological first,
1701-469: The Astrodome, played by the cast of the film costumed as clowns, strongmen and other circus performers. The ringmaster announces the names of each cast member, finishing with Brewster, who remains crumpled on the floor. Scenes and characters often allude to other films, some of which include the following: This film marks the first feature produced by Altman's Lion's Gate Films. It was produced in association with Lou Adler - John Phillips Productions. Adler
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#17327944808061782-544: The Astrodome. The new concept centered around leaving the Dome's roof intact and converting the Astrodome's vast central space into a covered semi-climate-controlled city park that could have flexible uses for both public recreation and gatherings such as festivals and concerts. The remainder of the complex would have been redeveloped over time using a combination of public and private funds and include elements such as an educational exploration area to encourage students to learn about
1863-530: The Houston Astrodome and dreams of creating wings that will help him fly like a bird. His only assistance comes from Louise, a beautiful woman who wants to help. Wearing only a trench coat, Louise has unexplained scars on her shoulder blades, suggestive of a fallen angel. She warns Brewster against having sexual intercourse, as it could kill his instinct to fly. While Brewster works to complete his wings and condition himself for flight, Houston suffers
1944-734: The Last Time: Live from the Astrodome . On August 31, 2005, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina , the Harris County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the State of Louisiana came to an agreement to allow at least 25,000 evacuees from New Orleans , especially those that were sheltered in the Louisiana Superdome , to move to the Astrodome until they could return home. The evacuation began on September 1, 2005. All scheduled events for
2025-528: The National League agreed to add two teams. The Houston Colt .45s (renamed the Astros in 1965) were to begin play in 1962, along with their expansion brethren New York Mets . Roy Hofheinz , a former mayor of Houston , and his group were granted the franchise after they promised to build a covered stadium. It was thought a covered stadium was a must for a major league team to be viable in Houston due to
2106-612: The November 8, 2007, episode of Ugly Betty as the priest officiating at Wilhelmina Slater's ill-fated wedding. In 2010, he guest-starred on Criminal Minds in the episode "Mosley Lane", playing elderly pedophile Roger Roycewood who, along with his wife, kidnapped and killed young children. In 2012, he appeared as the artist "Gleeko" in the "Exit Wound the Gift Shop" episode of the second season of Eagleheart . Astrodome The NRG Astrodome , formerly and also known as
2187-563: The Short Track and TT Steeplechase track configurations in their visits. The AMA Supercross Championship held its first ever indoor Supercross at the Astrodome in 1974, won by Jim Pomeroy . In the mid-1980s the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group held several Stadium Off-Road Racing Series events, showcasing such drivers as Ivan Stewart , Robby Gordon , and Walker Evans (racing driver) . Beginning in
2268-470: The area's subtropical climate and hot summers. Game-time temperatures are usually above 97 °F (36 °C) in July and August, with high humidity and a likelihood of rain. Hofheinz claimed inspiration for what became the Astrodome from a tour of Rome, where he learned that the builders of the ancient Colosseum installed a giant velarium (fabric awning) to shield spectators from the sun. The Astrodome
2349-642: The bases. This "sliding pit" configuration was introduced by Cincinnati with the opening of Riverfront Stadium on June 30, 1970. It was then installed in the new stadiums in Philadelphia in 1971 , and Kansas City in 1973 . The artificial turf fields of Pittsburgh , St. Louis , and San Francisco , all installed in 1970, were traditionally configured like the Astrodome and later changed to sliding pits. San Francisco converted in 1971 , Pittsburgh in 1973 , and St. Louis in 1978 . Rogers Centre in Toronto
2430-443: The bird droppings and soon finds a link to Brewster. Brewster eludes the police with the apparent help of Louise but he eventually drives her away — and dooms himself — when he ignores her advice about sex by hooking up with Astrodome tour guide Suzanne Davis. Suzanne saves Brewster by evading Shaft in her stolen Road Runner . Severely injured after losing Brewster, Frank kills himself. Brewster eventually confesses his responsibility in
2511-493: The building, and until somebody brings such a plan to fruition, there's a chance," according to Willie Loston, executive director of the Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation. "The proposal was rejected by the voters. We're back to where we were. Square one," according to Steve Radack, Harris County commissioner. Three exterior pedestrian ramp towers were demolished on December 8, 2013. Around that time,
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2592-586: The city of Houston refused to fund it. After years of threats, Adams moved the team to Nashville, Tennessee after the 1996 season. Around that time the Astros also threatened to leave the city unless a new ballpark was built. The retractable-roofed Enron Field (now known as Minute Maid Park) opened for the 2000 season in downtown Houston. One of the largest crowds in the Astrodome's history, more than 66,746 fans, came on Sunday, February 26, 1995, to see Tejano superstar Selena and her band Los Dinos perform for
2673-569: The course of various series in the DC Animated Universe , including Superman: The Animated Series , Static Shock , and Justice League Unlimited . Cort was discovered in a revue by director Robert Altman , who subsequently cast him in two of his movies, M*A*S*H and Brewster McCloud . In the latter, he played the title role. Cort went on to his best-known role as the suicide-obsessed Harold in Harold and Maude . Though it
2754-484: The dense development that today closely surrounds it. Numerous renovation/refurbishment plans for the dome have been presented over the years. Houston's plan to host the 2012 Summer Olympics included renovating the Astrodome for use as an Olympic Stadium hosting the ceremonies, athletics and soccer finals. Houston became one of the USOC 's bid finalists, but the organization chose New York City as its candidate city, and
2835-438: The design work on the dome roof structural goes to Dr. G. R. Kiewitt and Mr. Louis O. Bass of Roof Structures, Inc. It was constructed by H. A. Lott, Inc. for Harris County . It stands 18 stories tall, covering 9.5 acres (3.8 ha). The dome is 710 feet (220 m) in diameter and the ceiling is 208 feet (63 m) above the playing surface, which itself sits 25 feet (7.6 m) below street level. The air conditioning system
2916-529: The dome through 1999 , then relocated to Enron Field (now Minute Maid Park ) in 2000 . The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo continued to be held at the Astrodome until the opening of the adjacent NRG Stadium in 2002 (which coincided with the debut of the Houston Texans , the team that replaced the Oilers). Although the Astrodome no longer had any primary tenants, it regularly hosted events during
2997-598: The earlier DCAU production Batman: The Animated Series . He can also be heard as The King in the English-language version of the feature film The Little Prince (2015), which premiered out of competition at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and won the César Award for Best Animated Film in February 2016. It was made available to U.S. audiences through Netflix in 2016. Cort made a guest appearance on
3078-693: The early 1980s, both TNT Motorsports and the United States Hot Rod Association held events showcasing mud bogging, truck and tractor pulling, and monster trucks in the Astrodome. After a buy-out of TNT Motorsports, the USHRA continued holding events that would later transform into the current Monster Jam events. USAC held the Astro Grand Prix as part of the National Midget Championship in
3159-564: The early 2000s. It was used as a shelter for residents of New Orleans affected by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The Astrodome was declared non-compliant with fire code by the Houston Fire Department in 2008 and parts of it were demolished in 2013 after several years of disuse. In 2014, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Major League Baseball expanded to Houston in 1960, when
3240-408: The enclosed air-conditioned environment might have on the delivery of breaking balls , Satchel Paige , in full Astros uniform, threw the first pitches at the Astrodome on February 7, 1965. He later concluded that it was a "pitcher's paradise", as the lack of wind allowed for sensitive pitches to maneuver more easily. Hofheinz had an opulent apartment in the Dome, which was removed when the facility
3321-456: The events held in early 2002 by AMA Supercross and Monster Jam would be their last in the Astrodome before moving next door for 2003, where they continue to hold events every year. Domecoming On April 9, 2018, the Astrodome was used as a museum for the event known as "Domecoming". The Astrodome was renowned for its four-story "Astrolite" scoreboard, composed of thousands of light bulbs that featured animation. After every Astros home run,
Brewster McCloud - Misplaced Pages Continue
3402-645: The failed plans of past years, the Astrodome Revitalization Project was proposed in September 2016. This plan would turn the dome into a massive underground parking garage. Specifically, the first step would raise the dome floor and use the space underneath that as parking, leaving the floor above for other uses. On September 27, 2016, the Harris County Commissioners approved the first part of the plan. This marked
3483-432: The field of the Astrodome, but stops the band, insisting that it's off-key. The band and Daphne start again, while the credits begin again as well. Daphne, who has been off-key herself, insists that this take is much better, but she is surrounded by the young Black band members as we hear Merry Clayton singing an upbeat version of " Lift Every Voice and Sing ". All this time, a woman in a trench coat has been watching from
3564-590: The film's original release, but have grown more positive over time. Brewster McCloud has a score of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 22 reviews, with an average grade of 7.3 out of 10. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three and a half stars out of four and, comparing it to M*A*S*H , wrote that it was "... just as densely packed with words and action, and you keep thinking you're missing things. You probably are. It's that quality that's so attractive about these two Altman films. We get
3645-507: The final four months of 2005 at the Astrodome were cancelled. Overflow refugees were held in the surrounding Reliant Park complex. There was a full field hospital inside the Reliant Arena , which cared for the entire Katrina evacuee community. The entire Reliant Park complex was scheduled to be emptied of hurricane evacuees by September 17, 2005. Originally, the Astrodome was planned to be used to house evacuees until December. However,
3726-466: The first ball for the first indoor MLB game. Dick "Turk" Farrell of the Astros threw the first pitch. Mickey Mantle had both the first hit (a single) and the first home run in the Astrodome, but the Astros won 2–1 in twelve innings. President Johnson stopped at the Astrodome that evening en route to his home in Johnson City and paid his respects to baseball and Astros president Roy Hofheinz,
3807-536: The frustrations of his experience. Discovered in Texas, Shelley Duvall was cast in her first film role as Brewster's love interest Suzanne. She later co-starred in several of Altman's other films as well as playing memorable characters in films by other directors. The film's premiere was at the Houston Astrodome on December 5, 1970. An audience of 35,000 was anticipated. Critical reviews were mixed upon
3888-607: The game off. Tables were brought onto the field and the teams ate dinner together. Although the Astros still had a home series with Pittsburgh in August, this game was made up in Pittsburgh in July. In 1989, four cylindrical pedestrian ramp columns were constructed outside the Dome for accessibility . This enabled the Astrodome to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 . The 1992 Republican National Convention
3969-422: The grounds crews cleaned up the playing surface. The solution was to install a new type of artificial grass on the field, ChemGrass , which became known as AstroTurf , named after the stadium. Because the supply of AstroTurf was limited, only a small amount was available at the start of the 1966 season. There was not enough for the entire outfield, so the first phase covered only the traditional grass portion of
4050-399: The hotel where Frank Shaft stays was once part of the Astrodome complex, and has undergone several significant changes since the making of the film. Although Doran William Cannon is given credit for the screenplay, most of the film was rewritten by Altman and close associates or improvised during filming. After the film's release, Cannon wrote a column for The New York Times detailing
4131-637: The infield and foul territory, at a cost of $ 2 per square foot. It was installed in time to test out during exhibition games against the Dodgers in March. The outfield remained painted dirt until after the All-Star Game . The Astros completed a seven-game home stand on Wednesday, July 6, then went on a road trip on both sides of the All-Star break. The installation of the outfield portion of AstroTurf
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#17327944808064212-402: The killings to Suzanne, who betrays him to the police. A small army of Houston policemen enter the Astrodome but fail to nab Brewster before he takes flight using his completed wings. However, as a human, he cannot overcome his inherent unsuitability for flight. Exhausted by the effort, he falls out of the air, crashing in a heap on the floor of the Astrodome. The film ends with a circus entering
4293-576: The manner of its Icarus-like hero, aspires to fly high and merely drops dead." Stanley Kauffmann of The New Republic wrote, "A fairly promising comedy-fantasy is bumbled because the script idea lacks theme and clarity and point and the cast the ability to battle poor material". Bud Cort Walter Edward Cox (born March 29, 1948), known professionally as Bud Cort , is an American actor known for his unorthodox starring roles in Robert Altman 's Brewster McCloud (1970), for which he
4374-433: The measure on November 5, 2013. On November 5, 2013, voters in Houston turned down a $ 213 million referendum to renovate and convert the Astrodome into a state-of-the-art convention center and exhibition space known as "New Dome Experience". Until a final disposition is made, Harris County commissioners will not approve demolition of the dome. "The building's still there. There's no formal plan or authorization to demolish
4455-495: The near future. In June 2013, a comprehensive plan was unveiled that would have seen the aging structure undergo an almost $ 200 million renovation into a multi-purpose event/convention facility. The measure would have to have been approved first through a bond election in Harris County for the publicly funded project to go forward or else, officials warned, the iconic structure would be demolished. Voters ended up rejecting
4536-449: The news media, kept calling the new county facility by the wrong name. "The county built it and the county paid for it," he loudly complained to a packed hearing room, "and, dammit, the county owns it!" Growing purplish, the commissioner blustered that "People by God ought to start calling it by its right name: The Harris County Domed Stadium !!" "Well," soothed the agreeable Judge, "you can call it whatever you wanta call it." With
4617-660: The one show, Garland appeared on stage at 10 p.m. and sang for forty minutes, with her set of songs including: "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands"; "Just in Time"; "My Kind of Town, Houston Is"/"Houston"; "As Long As He Needs Me"; "Joey, Joey, Joey"; "Do it Again"; "What Now My Love?"; "By Myself"; "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby"; "San Francisco"; "Chicago"; and "Over the Rainbow." Mort Lindsey conducted. The Astrodome suffered
4698-472: The panes made it hard for them to track fly balls; to solve the problem, two sections of panes were painted white in April. Unfortunately, within a few months the grass died from lack of sunlight. For most of the 1965 season, the Astros played on green-painted dirt and dead grass. Even before then, the grass tended to hold, then release moisture. The resulting condensation often forced games to be delayed while
4779-483: The ramp bridges were disconnected from the main structure and the surrounding grass berms were lowered. The ticket booths were also removed along with the interior seats. The demolition was planned prior to the referendum. After the failed bond election of 2013, the county went back to the drawing board and in August 2014 the County Commissioners Court announced a new plan to save and rejuvenate
4860-402: The remaining Katrina evacuees were relocated to Arkansas due to Hurricane Rita . In 2008, the facility was cited for numerous code violations. Since then, only maintenance workers and security guards have been allowed to enter the stadium while it is brought up to code. The city council rejected demolition plans on environmental grounds, over concerns that demolition of the Dome might damage
4941-601: The sciences and engineering and possibly meeting, exhibition, and restaurant areas that would not only serve the general public, but could also add value to the Houston Texans' Game Day Experiences and be used by the Rodeo. A key element of this proposal centered around the ability for the county to proceed with the initial phases of the project using existing funds without having to seek voter approval for an expensive bond referendum. However, this plan failed as well. After
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#17327944808065022-429: The scoreboard played a minute-long animated celebration of pistols, bulls, and fireworks. The scoreboard remained intact until 1988, when Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans ) owner Bud Adams suggested its removal to accommodate increased capacity for football, baseball and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Harris County spent $ 67 million of public funds on renovations. Approximately 15,000 new seats resembling
5103-542: The sense of a live intelligence, rushing things ahead on the screen, not worrying whether we'll understand." Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune awarded three out of four stars and wrote, "Once again Altman has taken a story (this time a rather weak one) and given it a distinctive spirit and flavor thru casting, cinematic devices and odd juxtapositions. An Altman film, if two can make a genre, appears to be more of
5184-706: The stadium "massive" and "beautiful." Although the president's visit overshadowed all others, dignitaries swarmed through the "Eighth Wonder of the World" during the three days of the exhibition series and for opening night against the Phillies on April 12. Chris Short of the Phillies shut out the Astros on four hits, with 12 strikeouts. The first artist to play the Astrodome was Judy Garland on December 17, 1965; The Supremes were her opening act, and tickets were priced $ 1.00 to $ 7.50. The dome seated 48,000, and another 12,000 seats were added for this show. Paid $ 43,000 for
5265-449: The stands. As the credits end, we see Brewster in an Astrodome fallout shelter, where a pet raven defecates on a newspaper headline about a speech by then–Vice President Spiro Agnew . Scenes are interspersed throughout the film of a lecturer who regales an audience including an enthusiastic young woman with a wealth of knowledge of the habits of birds, as he becomes increasingly birdlike himself. Owlish Brewster lives hidden and alone under
5346-469: The surrounding parking lots were needed for the first Houston Texans home game. Arrangements were made to help Katrina evacuees find apartments both in Houston and elsewhere in the United States. By September 16, 2005, the last of the hurricane evacuees living in the Astrodome had been moved out either to the neighboring Reliant Arena or to permanent housing north of Houston. As of September 20, 2005,
5427-454: The temperate grace of a statesman he smiled amicably, puffed his cigar and added, "But the World is gonna know it as the Astrodome." "An Astrofable" (April 1975), Texas Monthly The Astrodome was designed by architects Hermon Lloyd & W. B. Morgan, and Wilson, Morris, Crain and Anderson (Morris Architects). Structural engineering and structural design were performed by Walter P Moore Engineers and Consultants of Houston. Credit for
5508-426: Was $ 2.1 million. The Dome was completed in November 1964, six months ahead of schedule. Many engineering changes were required during construction, including the modest flattening of the supposed "hemispherical roof" to cope with environmentally induced structural deformation and the use of a new paving process called "lime stabilization" to cope with changes in the chemistry of the soil. The air conditioning system
5589-470: Was announced in November 2019 that the Revitalization Project has been scrapped by Commissioners Court Judge Lina Hidalgo . Hidalgo explained that "The plan that had been designed wouldn't have yielded truly a usable building". As of November, there have been no new plans for the Astrodome. The Battle of the Sexes tennis match occurred on September 20, 1973, aired on ABC with Billie Jean King defeating Bobby Riggs in three straight sets. While more of
5670-551: Was built to house Houston's new NFL franchise, the Houston Texans . The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo moved to the new venue in 2003, leaving the Astrodome without any major tenants. The last concert at the Astrodome was George Strait & the Ace in the Hole Band during the 2002 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, before a record crowd of 68,266; the performance was recorded in For
5751-414: Was completed for the three-game series with the Phillies starting on Tuesday, July 19, finally covering the entire field. Groundskeepers dressed as astronauts kept the turf clean with vacuum cleaners between innings. The infield design had the same large dirt arc and running paths as a traditional natural grass field. In 1973 , the Astros installed an all-AstroTurf infield, except for dirt patches around
5832-526: Was conceived by Hofheinz as early as 1952, when he and his daughter Dene were rained out once too often at Buffalo Stadium , home of Houston's minor league baseball team, the Houston Buffs . Hofheinz abandoned his interest in The Galleria , and set his sights on bringing major league baseball to Houston. The county commissioner was positively indignant at the way everybody, particularly
5913-414: Was decided to set the film in Houston. During the opening credits, shots of the downtown Houston skyline (with One Shell Plaza under construction) zoom toward the Houston Astrodome and Astrohall, with the emerging Texas Medical Center in the background. It was the first film shot inside the Astrodome. The film records landmarks and streetscapes that later were demolished or radically changed. For instance,
5994-941: Was designed by Houston mechanical engineers Israel A. Naman and Jack Boyd Buckley of I. A. Naman + Associates. The multi-purpose stadium, designed to facilitate both football and baseball, is nearly circular and uses movable lower seating areas. It also ushered in the era of other fully domed stadiums, such as the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans , as well as the all now-demolished Pontiac Silverdome near Detroit , Georgia Dome in Atlanta , Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis , Kingdome in Seattle , and RCA Dome in Indianapolis . To test what effect
6075-495: Was designed by I. A. Naman; other aspects that were considered included visibility (which could be reduced by cigarette smoke), light admittance, and acoustics (requiring approximately 1 ⁄ 2 the roof area to be covered with sound-absorbing materials), the air handling units were designed to move 2,500,000 cu ft/min (1,200 m /s) of air, with approximately 10% of that being fresh air from outside to limit carbon dioxide buildup. The scoreboard, eventually known as
6156-530: Was from the music business and had previously produced the recordings of The Mamas & the Papas . John Phillips from The Mamas & the Papas co-produced the film and wrote the songs. The film was originally called Brewster McCloud's (Sexy) Flying Machine . The film was shot on location in Houston, Texas for eight weeks from May 22 to July 15, 1970. The original story was set in New York City but it
6237-522: Was held at the Astrodome in August of that year. The Astros accommodated the convention by taking a month-long road trip. A manually operated scoreboard debuted that season. On August 19, 1995, a scheduled preseason game between the Oilers and the San Diego Chargers had to be canceled due to the dilapidated condition of the playing field. Oilers owner Bud Adams demanded a new stadium, but
6318-403: Was nominated for a Golden Laurel Award , and Hal Ashby 's Harold and Maude (1971), for which he was nominated for both a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award . He also had supporting roles in films such as M*A*S*H (1970), Electric Dreams (1984), Heat (1995), Dogma (1999), Coyote Ugly (2000) and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004). He also voiced Toyman over
6399-542: Was not particularly successful on release, it gained international cult status and is now considered an American classic, ranking Number 69 on the American Film Institute 's 100 Best Romantic Comedies. In 1979, Cort nearly died in a car accident on the Hollywood Freeway where he collided with an abandoned car blocking a lane into which he was turning. He broke an arm and a leg and sustained
6480-577: Was remodeled in 1988. The seven-floor apartment was adjacent to the right field bleachers and included a shooting gallery, a bowling alley, a chapel, and a presidential suite . The stadium's opening day took place on April 9, 1965. A sold-out crowd of 47,879 watched an exhibition game between the Astros and the New York Yankees . President Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife Lady Bird were in attendance, as well as Governor John Connally and Mayor Louie Welch . Governor Connally tossed out
6561-414: Was the last park in the majors to have sliding pits; it opened in 1989 and switched to a traditional dirt skin infield in 2016 . Throughout its history, the Astrodome was known as a pitcher's park . The power alleys were never shorter than 370 feet (113 m) from the plate; on at least two occasions they were as far as 390 feet (119 m). Over time, it gave up fewer home runs than any other park in
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