Hollywood came to Houston. Films shot at the city’s Astrodome then graced the Golden Screen.
In 1970, filmmaker Robert Altman filmed his dark comedy BREWSTER MCCLOUD (1970), starring Bud Cort and Shelley Duvall. This was the first feature film shot in the Houston Astrodome. Shelley Duvall played a teenage girl fascinated by a young man living in the Astrodome who is trying to build wings so he can fly.
The one I remember most fondly was the sequel to the classic Bad News Bears. The film came out in 1977, and it was called BAD NEWS BEARS IN BREAKING TRAINING (1977). The film was a modest hit about the California Bears team being invited to play a major game in the dome. It was the California champions meeting the Texas champions in the Houston Astros.
MURDER AT THE WORLD SERIES (1977) aired as an ABC Movie of the Week. The film is about a rejected baseball hopeful who tries out for the Houston Astros. To get his revenge, he stages a kidnapping when the Astros reach the World Series against the Oakland A’s. His plans hit a snag when he grabs the wrong person in the stadium and bungles parts of the operation. Famous actress Janet Leigh (Psycho) played a supporting role.
NIGHT GAME was a 1989 thriller, starring Roy Scheider, who is a Galveston detective hunting for a serial killer who murders his victims during the Houston Astros games. You can find the film on streaming services like Tubi.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (2004), starring Billy Bob Thornton, is the last film I remember being filmed at the iconic domed stadium.
Of course, the site has hosted several nationally relevant sporting events. Perhaps the most iconic was the BATTLE OF THE SEXES (1973), an internationally famous tennis match between Billy Jean King and Bobby Riggs.
Hats off to what many considered a Wonder of the World: the Houston Astrodome (1965-2008)!
