Rolling Hills Theatre
2535 Pacific Coast Highway,
Torrance,
CA
90505
2535 Pacific Coast Highway,
Torrance,
CA
90505
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Showing 126 - 144 of 144 comments
Thanks for the clarification on the location of the theater. I thought it may have been located at PCH & Crenshaw where the Big 5 and Panera’s Restaurant and there is a spa upstairs from the restaurant. There have been many different restaurants that have occupied the Killian’s location that have not been able to stay in business for some reason.
I was the assistant manager on the last day of the theatre closing. The theatre was bought by the Pacific Theatre chain approx 1 year before the theatre closed. Prior owners were SRO (Sterling Recreation Organization based in the Pacific North West. The Local SRO office was located on Wilshire Blvd in the Miracle Mile area.
The restaurant there now is Killians with a break zone pool hall and a teachers supply store.
There is now a 21 screen AMC theatre directly behind the old theatre.
Ed do you remember Roger Premo or Garrett Vander Bend
posted by Nina McCoy (Chirello) 04/10/2005 815pm
Was it where the pool hall is now?
One of these days I’ll take a drive out to Rolling Hills (I live i Orange County… about 45 minutes away) and look for my old movie theatre. It shouldn’t be too hard to find the location of where the theatre once stood, even after 20+ years, which is approximately how long its been since I worked there. When I do I’ll report back the address of the building that is there now, assuming someone else doesn’t beat me to it first.
As to your second question, I have no idea.
It just so happens I am currently working with the young nephew (I think that’s the relationship) of the person who was the manager (I will not mention his name in this forum) at the time of the murders. However, bringing up the whole story to this young man and asking him to look into it is something I am not going to do. (I am curious, though.)
Does anyone know the restaurant that is housed where the Rolling Hills Theater was? Did they ever find out who killed the four employees?
Oh… And the Parasol was an extra special dinnertime treat some Saturday nights when mom and dad picked us up after the movies!
Spent countless wonderful Saturday afternoons at the Rolling Hills during the mid-late ‘60s. Single screen, triple features, band and dance contests, and special guests – including Adam West and Burt Ward, which was REALLY cool! $.60 for admission and me, my little brother and our friends were entertained for HOURS. Used to win those dance contests (can you imagine… the Hula…? Heh), too… $1 prize, plus a free movie pass for another Saturday. They always opened with a short film, too… “Skater Dater” comes to mind. We must have seen “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help” at least a dozen times each over the years… along with “The Time Machine” and loads of teen beach and monster flicks. Fabulous!
Bah. The comment about your memory was not meant as a derogatory one. The addresses of both theatres were given as Crenshaw / Pacific Coast Highway – you’re more likely to find gas stations opposite each other on street corners than theatres. I miss the Parasol, too!
Someone saw that it shared an address with this theatre and expunged it from the record. It seemed like the same theatre, I guess. Unfortunate – with all the negative publicity surrounding this theatre – that we still don’t know its actual street address. Occasionally the board will eat comments – a whole bunch got lost during the board update; I’m just glad that my current mania for southern California theatres drove me to save the comments for each theatre before the board updated!
Well, gee whiz – couldn’t you take that one insular little memory that was mistakenly included under the United Artists theatre entry that just got axed, and put it in here?
Denny’s comment in full was: “Denny > Nov 30, 2002 10:14 PM EST
The murders happened in February 1973. The feature film was Disney’s "World’s Greatest Athlete”. The bodies were taken out on coroner’s wheeled gurneys durning the morning as kids came to line up at the ticket window but a note on the ticket booth window announced that the theatre will be closed until further notice. The story was covered by all the major TV networks and got coverage around the world."
The Stadium theatre was located in downtown Torrance. Also there were a few in Manhattan Beach, Redondo, and Hermosa.
These are south bay too.
Hi Bobby,
My comments were taken from an old SRO newsletter. As it was written, I surmised it was the ONLY theatre in the Southbay area, not just SRO. However, I cannot verify the accuracy of that piece of information and I suppose I should not be surprised if it is not completely accurate. I have little doubt your information is correct. Thanks for the clarification.
Ed, are you saying that the Rolling Hills Theatre was the only SRO theatre in the southbay in 1962, or the only Theatre?
It was definately not the only Threatre in South Bay in 1962 – there were at least two in Downtown Torrance, which is clearly part of South Bay. One of them ended up as a Pussy Cat Theatre eventually – the other a live play house – both are gone now.
The Rolling Hills Theatre was one of SRO’s original California units when it was built in 1962 on the beautiful Palos Verdes peninsula.
At that time, it was designed as a 1,100-seat single screen theatre and was the only theatre in the Southbay area. Opening day ceremonies featured a Gala Grand Opening Celebration with Tab Hunter as honored guest.
In 1974, the single screen theatre became the Rolling Hills Twin. Many years later, in the early 1980s, I arrived there as an assistant manager and worked there for approximately six months, before I was transferred to Hollywood to help manage SRO’s Paramount Theatre. (Now called the El Capitan.)
I looked you up on the internet to find out what is playing. Where is the schedule?
Kurt
The murders happened in Feb. 1973. The feature film was Disney’s Worlds Greatest Athlete. The bodies were taken out on coroner’s wheeled gurneys
The murders happened in Feb. 1973. The feature film was Disney’s Worlds Greatest Athlete. The bodies were taken out on coroner’s wheeled gurneys
The Theatre was operated at that time by SRO Theatres.