Byham Theatre

Forgot to add the following link to see pictures of this venue.
http://www.pgharts.org/venues/byham.cfm

As the Fulton, this theatre was host to the world premiere of George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead".

Below is a list of the motion pictures that played at the Fulton Theater from Jul. 2, 1958 to Decemnber 31, 1963. Films from 1964 to 1975 will be listed in later posts due to space consideration. Research is from microfilms of Variety and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Pittsburgh Press. The dates listed are the Wednesday of the week that the film opened, as in those days new films opened on Wednesdays, rather than the Friday openings we have today.
07/02/58 A Time to Love, A Time to Die
07/16/58 Kathy O
07/23/58 Twilight for the Gods
08/06/58 Sierra Baron
08/13/58 A Certain Smile
08/27/58 Raw Wind in Eden
09/03/58 The Law and Jake Wade
09/10/58 Dunkirk
09/17/58 A Tale of Two Cities
09/24/58 Harry Black and the Tiger
10/01/58 Villa
10/08/58 The Barbarian and the Geisha
10/22/58 Secret Conclave
10/29/58 The Blob/I Married a Monster from Outer Space
11/05/58 Tom Sawyer
11/12/58 Torpedo Run
11/19/58 Mardi Gras
12/10/58 The Restless Years
12/17/58 The World in His Arms/Bend of the River
12/24/58 The Roots of Heaven
01/07/59 The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw
01/21/59 No Name on the Bullet
01/28/59 The Perfect Furlough
02/18/59 The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker
02/25/59 Never Steal Anything Small
03/04/59 A Night to Remember
03/18/59 The Night of the Quarter Moon
03/25/59 Stranger in My Arms
04/01/59 Imitation of Life
05/27/59 Compulsion
06/10/59 A Woman Obsessed
06/17/59 The Man Who Could Cheat Death/Tarzan's Greatest Adventure
06/24/59 This Earth is Mine
07/22/59 Holiday for Lovers
08/05/59 The Mummy
08/12/59 Go Johnny Go
08/19/59 Blue Denim
09/16/59 Tamango
09/30/59 Five Gates to Hell
10/14/59 Pillow Talk
11/25/59 Beloved Infidel
12/16/59 No Way Out
12/23/59 Operation Petticoat
02/17/60 Masters of the Congo Jungle
03/02/60 The Story on Page One
03/09/60 Dog of Flanders
03/23/60 The Glenn Miller Story
04/06/60 The Snow Queen/Circus Stars
04/20/60 Wake Me When It's Over
05/04/60 Flame Over India
05/11/60 Crack in the Mirror
05/25/60 Wild River
06/01/60 The Cossacks
06/08/60 David and Bathsheba
06/15/60 Operation Amsterdam
06/22/60 Brides of Dracula
06/29/60 Portrait of Black
07/27/60 The Lost World
08/10/60 From the Terrace
09/14/60 Carousel
09/21/60 September Storm
10/05/60 Desire in the Dust
10/12/60 Key Witness/The Day They Robbed the Bank of England
10/19/60 The Secret of the Purple Reef
10/26/60 The Miracle Fatima
11/02/60 Midnight Lace
11/16/60 North to Alaska
12/07/60 Esther and the King
12/21/60 The Grass is Greener
02/01/61 Flaming Star
02/08/61 Circle of Deception
02/15/61 The Great Imposter
03/29/61 All Hands on Deck
04/12/61 Sanctuary
04/26/61 The Secret Ways
05/03/61 The Right Approach
05/10/61 Question 7
05/17/61 The Big Show
05/24/61 Five Golden Hours/Mad Dog Coll
06/07/61 The Last Sunset
06/28/61 Snow White and the 3 Stooges
07/05/61 Master of the World
07/19/61 Tammy Tell Me True
08/02/61 Spartacus
08/23/61 Come September
10/04/61 The Hustler
11/01/61 Back Street
12/06/61 Mr. Sardonicus
12/13/61 Mysterious Island
12/27/61 The Second Time Around
01/10/62 Sail A Crooked Ship
01/17/62 Bachelor Flat
02/06/62 CLOSED - REMODELING
02/28/62 El Cid
06/13/62 Lisa
06/20/62 Advise and Consent
07/04/62 Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation
07/18/62 The Notorious Landlady
08/08/62 Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man
08/22/62 The Interns
10/03/62 Marco Polo
10/10/62 Pressure Point
10/24/62 Requiem for a Heavyweight
11/14/62 The Manchurian Candidate
12/19/62 The Longest Day
03/20/63 Love is a Ball
04/03/63 The Miracle of the White Stallions
04/17/63 My Six Loves
04/24/63 I Could Go on Singing
05/01/63 Lawrence of Arabia
06/19/63 Bye Bye Birdie
07/24/63 The Great Escape
08/21/63 Irma La Douce
10/23/63 Twilight of Honor
11/06/63 Shock Corridor
11/13/63 Under the Yum Yum Tree
12/18/63 The Cardinal

Below is Part II of the list of films which played at the Fulton Theater in downtown Pittsburgh. As in the posting above, research is from microfilms of Variety and The Pittsburgh Press and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Again, the dates are the Wednesday of the opening week. This posting contains films from Janaury 1, 1964 to December 31, 1971.
01/01/64 The Cardinal
01/22/64 Kings of the Sun
02/05/64 The Victors
03/04/64 Soldier in the Rain
03/11/64 One Man's Way
03/18/64 Flight from Ashiya
04/01/64 Some Like it Hot/Irma La Douce
04/15/64 Paris When it Sizzles
04/22/64 Lilies of the Field
05/13/64 From Russia, With Love
06/03/64 The Pink Panther
07/01/64 Good Neighbor Sam
07/22/64 McHale's Navy
08/05/64 A Shot in the Dark
09/16/64 Woman of Straw
09/30/64 Behold a Pale Horse
10/14/64 Where Love Has Gone
10/28/64 Topkapi
11/25/64 Fail-Safe
12/16/64 Lili
12/23/64 Goldfinger
02/24/65 Strange Bedfellows
03/10/65 Mary Poppins
04/07/65 The Train
05/12/65 Fluffy
05/26/65 Mirage
06/09/64 Marriage, Italian Style
06/23/65 Von Ryan's Express
07/14/65 Lord Jim
07/28/65 Shenandoah
08/25/65 A Very Special Favor
09/15/65 That Funny Feeling
09/29/65 The Reward
10/06/65 It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
10/13/65 Return From the Ashes
11/10/65 The Ipcress File
12/22/65 Boeing Boeing
12/29/65 Never Too Late
01/19/66 The Slender Thread
01/26/66 The Heroes of Telemark
02/09/66 Moment to Moment
02/23/66 Made in Paris
03/09/66 The Spy With My Face/To Trap a Spy
03/16/66 Inside Daisy Clover
03/23/66 The Flight of the Phoenix
03/30/66 Madame X
04/13/66 The Trouble With Angels
05/11/66 Promise Her Anything
05/18/66 The Oscar
06/01/66 North by Northwest
06/08/66 Lost Command
06/22/66 Arabesque
07/20/66 The Glass-Bottom Boat
08/17/66 Walk, Don't Run
09/14/66 The Wild Angels
10/05/66 Mister Buddwing
10/19/66 The Appaloosa
10/26/66 Way...Way Out
11/02/66 Texas Across the River
11/23/66 The Professionals
12/21/66 Gambit
01/11/67 Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die
01/25/67 A Fistful of Dollars
02/15/67 The 25th Hour
03/01/67 Deadlier Than the Male
03/15/67 The Russians are Coming.../The Fortune Cookie
03/22/67 A Countess from Hong Kong
04/12/67 Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding!
04/26/67 Casino Royale
05/31/67 Devil's Angels
06/07/67 Triple Cross
06/21/67 You Only Live Twice
07/05/67 El Dorado
07/12/67 Banning
07/19/67 Divorce, American Style
08/16/67 The Honey Pot
08/23/67 Luv
09/13/67 Murderers Row/The Silencers
09/20/67 The Flim-Flam Man
09/27/67 Beach Red
10/04/67 Hour of the Gun
10/18/67 The Happiest Millionaire
11/29/67 To Sir, With Love
12/20/67 The Ambushers
01/24/68 The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz
02/07/68 Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
05/22/68 Guns for San Sebastian
05/29/68 Wild in the Streets
06/19/68 Villa Rides!
06/26/68 Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?
07/17/68 Boom
07/24/68 The Detective
08/21/68 The Secret Life of an American Wife
09/18/68 Deadfall
09/25/68 Anyone Can Play
10/02/68 From Russia, With Love/Thunderball
10/16/68 Funny Girl
12/25/68 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
02/26/69 Rachel, Rachel/The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
03/05/69 The Night of the Following Day
03/19/69 Sam Whiskey
03/26/69 Sinful Davey
04/02/69 Support Your Local Sheriff
04/23/69 The Illustrated Man
04/30/69 Hannibal Brooks
05/07/69 3 in the Attic
05/28/69 Hard Contract
06/11/69 Once Upon a Time in the West
06/18/69 True Grit
07/09/69 The April Fools
08/06/69 The Bridge at Remagen
08/13/69 Midnight Cowboy
12/17/69 Topaz
01/21/70 Goodbye, Mr. Chips
02/25/70 Gaily, Gaily
03/04/70 Anne of the Thousand Days
03/25/70 Marooned
04/08/70 The Ballad of Cable Hogue
04/15/70 In Search of the Castaways
04/22/70 The Kremlin Letter
04/29/70 The Liberation of L. B. Jones
05/13/70 A Walk in the Spring Rain
05/27/70 One More Time
06/03/70 The Grasshopper
06/17/70 Ned Kelly
06/24/70 The Hawaiians
07/15/70 They Call Me Mister Tibbs
07/29/70 Two Mules for Sister Sara
08/19/70 El Condor
08/26/70 Move
09/09/70 Darker Than Amber
09/16/70 The Professionals/In Cold Blood
09/23/70 Hotel
09/30/70 Watermelon Man
10/07/70 Doctor Zhivago
10/14/70 Lovers and Other Strangers
12/23/70 Tora! Tora! Tora!
02/10/71 Cromwell
02/24/71 Cold Turkey
04/07/71 Pretty Maids All in a Row
04/21/71 THX 1138
05/05/71 The House That Dripped Blood
05/12/71 The Beguiled
05/26/71 Cat O'Nine Tails
06/09/71 What's the Matter With Helen?
06/23/71 Plaza Suite
07/21/71 The Last Run
07/28/71 Shaft
08/25/71 The Omega Man
09/29/71 The Todd Killings
10/06/71 The Clay Pigeon
10/13/71 Kotch
11/17/71 Catlow
11/24/71 Man in the Wilderness
12/22/71 $

Films from January 1, 1972 on will be provided in later postings.

Does anyone have any information on the Byham Theatre, particularly the Byham Family?

Lots of marquee photos of the Byham theater are here:
http://www.wagnersign.com/byham01.html

Click on each photo to expand it.

I attended the premiere of "Land of the Dead" at the Byham last night. The house was packed with Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez and of course George A. Romero in attendance. It was a great thrill watching the movie on a big screen in a grand old theater. Can't wait for the Summer Film Series in August.

This website has some history on the Byham Theater. Seating for this theater is given as 1349 seats.

Here is a photo of the Byham Theater.

This is a circa 1937 photo of the Fulton Theater.

If anyone has anything relating to the premiere of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD at the Fulton in October, 1968, please email me at MURDERHAPPYCHARACTERS.com. Marquee photos, ads, flyers - anything. Original items or copies.

Various sources list the capacity for the Gaiety/Gayety and the later Fulton as 1,727, 1,532 and, later still, 1,475. Capacities tended to shrink as newer, wider, more-legroom seats were installed.

The Fulton for decades played nearly all first-run Universal/Universal-International pictures. It shared 20th Century Fox films about 50-50 with the nearly adjacent John P. Harris (later Gateway) Theatre.

With a tip of the hat to Ron3853 for listing the Fulton's films from mid-1958 onward, big hits from the 1949-58 period included "Wake of the Red Witch," "I Was a Male War Bride," "Sands of Iwo Jima," "Broken Arrow," "Harvey," "The Quiet Man," "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," "Hans Christian Andersen," "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," "The Moon Is Blue," "How to Marry a Millionaire," "The Glenn Miller Story," "Three Coins in the Fountain," "The Egyptian," "The Seven Year Itch," "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," "To Hell and Back," "Carousel," "The King and I,"
"Written on the Wind" and "The Young Lions."

The present Byham includes not only the original Fulton Theatre but its 235-seat sibling, a shoebox auditorium whose identity mainly was the Fulton Mini but which sometimes was called Fulton II and finally the Fulton Annex.

It was located at 101 Sixth Street (the main Fulton was at 103 Sixth Street) and opened in March 1970 with a six-week moveover engagement of "Anne of the Thousand Days." The bill of fare was a mix of moveover runs, frequently from the Fulton, of hits such as "M*A*S*H," "The Stewardesses" and "Joe" to a mix of lower-profile films, softcore porno, reissues, exploitation films and the occasional distinguished first run such as "Sounder" (18 weeks) and "Claudine."

Eventually the Fulton Mini became the Downtown venue of Pittsburgh Filmmakers, which used what it called the Fulton Annex for foreign and independent American art fare, including Three Rivers Arts Festival screenings.

Since losing the Fulton Annex, the front part of which became the Byham's interior box office, Pittsburgh Filmmakers has been running movies at three venues: Regent Square Theatre, Melwood Screening Room in North Oakland and a Downtown theater long known as the Art Cinema and later rechristened the Harris.

Ron3853, if you want to backdate your files on Downtown theater bookings from January 1949 through mid-1958, I can help.

Can anybody out there confirm for me whether "Thief" starring James Caan opened at the smaller Fulton Mini (and not the main Fulton) in late March, 1981? I've had conflicting reports on this.

I have that info at home - will look up & let you know tomorrow

Ron,

Do you by any chance have a list of the films that played at the Fulton and Fulton Mini from 1979 until closing in the mid-'80s?

Yes, I have information through December 1981. However, in later years they were just called Fulton I and Fulton II. One can assume that Fulton I was probably the larger auditorium, but, like the twin Bank Cinemas, and especially the Manor in Squirrel Hill which became a quad, it's not always possible to be totally certain of which auditorium a film played in each week just from looking at newspaper listings.

Ron,

I'm really only interested in what played at the Fulton I, (which had 1,500 to 1,700 seats) versus what played at The Fulton Mini (aka Fulton II, which only had 235 seats). My first question was to find out whether of not "Thief" with James Caan opened at Fulton I or II in late March, 1981? If you could also give me the information of what was playing on Fulton I vs. Fulton II from the beginning of 1979 thru 1981, I would greatly appreciate it. Many of the films that started their runs in the much larger Fulton I, were moved to Fulton II after a while to make room for a new picture (this was common). Another thing I'm wondering about if there's any record of films that might have opened in the small Fulton II that overperformed and were moved up to the main Fulton I (which was probably much less common)? It really doesn't matter to me in the case of the twinned Bank Cinemas or the Manor because in each case both screens were nearly identical and had about the same capacities.

What I meant was that in the Cinemette or Cinemagic or Carmike listing of "Downtown Theaters" they would just put Fulton I & II and list two film titles and you really aren't sure which film was in which auditorium.

But I will try to do the best I can.

"Thief", with James Caan, Tuesday Weld and Robert Prosky, opened the week of March 25, 1981 at the Fulton I, where it played one week. It then moved over to the Fulton II beginning the week of April 1, 1981 where it played another two weeks.

(I still list weeks as beginning with a Wednesday date as was done in the 60s & early 70s, although the actual opening date may have been March 27, 1981 - a Friday, such as they do now.)

1978 Films at Fulton I & Fulton II (Wednesday Dates)

Fulton I
01/01/78 The Gauntlet
01/25/78 Which Way is Up?
03/01/78 High Anxiety
04/26/78 An Unmarried Woman
05/31/78 Capricorn One
06/28/78 Convoy
07/19/78 Hooper
08/23/78 Who'll Stop the Rain?
09/13/78 The Sound of Music
09/27/78 Death on the Nile
11/08/78 Magic
12/13/78 Superman-The Movie

Fulton II
01/01/78 Liz (X)
01/25/78 The Gauntlet (moveover)
03/01/78 Which Way is Up? (moveover)
04/12/78 The Medusa Touch
04/26/78 FM
05/10/78 The Evil
05/17/78 The French Quarter
05/24/78 The Tempter
05/31/78 An Unmarried Woman (moveover)
06/07/78 Alice, Sweet Alice
06/14/78 The End (moveover from Gateway)
06/28/78 The Great Smokey Roadblock
07/05/78 Virgin Dreams
07/12/78 The Swarm
07/26/78 Madame Bouquet (X)
08/02/78 Corvette Summer
08/09/78 Harper Valley PTA
08/23/78 The Fruit is Ripe
08/30/78 Duchess & Dirtwater Fox/Mother, Jugs, and Speed
09/06/78 The Hills Have Eyes
10/04/78 National Lampoon's Animal House (moveover from Fiesta)
12/13/78 Magic (moveover)
12/20/78 Force 10 from Navarone

1979-81 to be posted separately

1978 Films at Fulton I & Fulton II (Wednesday Dates)

Fulton I
01/01/78 The Gauntlet
01/25/78 Which Way is Up?
03/01/78 High Anxiety
04/26/78 An Unmarried Woman
05/31/78 Capricorn One
06/28/78 Convoy
07/19/78 Hooper
08/23/78 Who'll Stop the Rain?
09/13/78 The Sound of Music
09/27/78 Death on the Nile
11/08/78 Magic
12/13/78 Superman-The Movie

Fulton II
01/01/78 Liz (X)
01/25/78 The Gauntlet (moveover)
03/01/78 Which Way is Up? (moveover)
04/12/78 The Medusa Touch
04/26/78 FM
05/10/78 The Evil
05/17/78 The French Quarter
05/24/78 The Tempter
05/31/78 An Unmarried Woman (moveover)
06/07/78 Alice, Sweet Alice
06/14/78 The End (moveover from Gateway)
06/28/78 The Great Smokey Roadblock
07/05/78 Virgin Dreams
07/12/78 The Swarm
07/26/78 Madame Bouquet (X)
08/02/78 Corvette Summer
08/09/78 Harper Valley PTA
08/23/78 The Fruit is Ripe
08/30/78 Duchess & Dirtwater Fox/Mother, Jugs, and Speed
09/06/78 The Hills Have Eyes
10/04/78 National Lampoon's Animal House (moveover from Fiesta)
12/13/78 Magic (moveover)
12/20/78 Force 10 from Navarone

1979-81 to be posted separately

Ron,

A million thanks. This information makes my week.

Ron,

I don't mean to be a pain, but I'm really looking forward to the listings of what played at Fulton I vs. Fulton II from 1979-1981. Your answer about "Thief" solved a 27-year-old mystery for me.

Fulton I
01/01/79 Superman - The Movie
02/14/79 The Warriors (moveover from Fulton II)
04/04/79 Ashanti
04/11/79 Hurricane
05/02/79 Psychic
05/16/79 Dawn of the Dead (moveover from Gateway)
05/23/79 Good Guys Wear Black
06/13/79 Prophecy
06/27/79 Escape from Alcatraz (moveover from Fulton II)
07/25/79 The Amityville Horrror
09/19/79 The Exorcist
10/03/79 Starting Over
11/07/79 The Onion Field
12/05/79 Star Trek-The Movie

Fulton II
01/01/79 Force 10 from Navarone
01/17/79 Sasquatch
02/07/79 The Warriors
02/14/79 The Soul Brothers of Kung Fu
03/14/79 Agatha (moveover from Chatham)
03/21/79 The Real Bruce Lee
04/11/79 Ashanti (moveover from Fulton I)
05/02/79 Invasion of the Body Snatchers
05/09/79 Richard Pryor in Concert
05/30/79 Cemetery Girls
06/06/79 Walk Proud
06/13/79 When the Screaming Stops
06/20/79 Escape from Alcatraz
06/27/79 Prophecy (moveover from Fulton I)
07/11/79 Phantasm
08/01/79 The Wanderers
08/08/79 Americathon
08/15/79 Star Wars
09/12/79 City on Fire
09/19/79 Wanda Nevada
09/26/79 The Hitter
10/03/79 The Exorcist (moveover from Fulton I)
10/10/79 Another Richard Pryor (earlier concert film retitled)
10/17/79 Avalanche Express
10/31/79 When a Stranger Calls
11/07/79 Starting Over (moveover from Fulton I)
12/19/79 Roller Boogie

This is the best I can figure out - there might be some switches of films back in May, but i can't see them switching the Chuck Norris "Good Guys Wear Black" back and forth between the two for three weeks, plus "Cemetery Girls" seems like a smaller theater horror in for a one-week quickie. Ditto "Walk Proud," whatever that was??? I'm guessing the newspaper had an error in the listings.

PS - I'll get these in as I can for you - I do not currently have the web at home & must do this at work & time is at a minimum right now here.

Im glad that Ive had the pleasure to experience seeing movies in great landmark non-multiplex theaters like this. There's no movie going experience like it!

Ron,

"Walk Proud" was a dopey drama with Robby Benson cast as a Hispanic tough who falls in love with a Caucasian girl, which, of course, rattles both of their worlds. That definitely seems like a Fulton Mini film if there ever was one.

ChuckC, you're so right. Moviegoing today is infinitely more boring than it was back then (both in terms of the theaters and films themselves). I was lucky enough to be born in 1971 and start going to Downtown Pittsburgh theaters as a little kid in late 1975, so I was lucky enough to catch the tail end of that era. I cherish those experiences and often wish I could travel back in a time machine to see hundreds of more movies that way. I will check out your site.

Ditto on the time machine idea!

Ron,

Can you please post what was playing at the Fulton vs. Fulton II (Mini) in 1980? Thank you greatly in advance.

1980 for the Fulton I & II is a real mess...lots of switching back and forth, so here goes.

Fulton I
01/01/80 Star Trek - The Motion Picture
01/30/80 American Gigolo
03/05/80 Windows
03/12/80 And justice for All/The China Syndrome
03/19/80 Windows
03/26/80 Little Darlings
04/30/80 The Return of the Tiger
05/07/80 The Nude Bomb
05/21/80 Mad Max
05/28/80 A Force of One
06/04/80 Tom Horn
06/11/80 The Shining
07/16/80 Honeysuckle Rose
07/30/80 Dressed to Kill
08/13/80 Prom Night
08/20/80 Smokey and the Bandit II
09/03/80 The Octagon
09/17/80 Smokey and the Bandit II
09/24/80 The Big Brawl
10/01/80 Terror Train
10/22/80 Motel Hell
11/05/80 The Awakening
11/12/80 The Exterminator
11/26/80 The Last Days of Bruce Lee
12/10/80 Flash Gordon
12/24/80 Any Which Way But Up

Fulton II
01/01/80 Roller Boogie
01/30/80 The Prize Fighter
02/06/80 Guyana: Cult of the Damned
02/13/80 Penitentiary
03/05/80 The Godsend
03/12/80 Windows
03/19/80 Little Darlings
03/26/80 When Time Ran Out
04/09/80 Humanoids from the Deep
04/16/80 ffolkes
04/30/80 Love at First Bite
05/07/80 The Return of the Tiger
05/21/80 The Nude Bomb
05/28/80 Mad Max
06/04/80 A Force of One
06/18/80 Don't Answer the Phone
06/25/80 The Silent Scream
07/09/80 Zombie
07/23/80 Dressed to Kill
07/30/80 The Final Countdown
08/06/80 Prom Night
08/13/80 Smokey and the Bandit II
08/20/80 The Children
08/27/80 The Octagon
09/03/80 Smokey and the Bandit II
09/17/80 The Big Brawl
09/24/80 Boogey Man
10/01/80 The Big Brawl
10/08/80 Caligula
10/29/80 The Awakening
11/05/80 The Exterminator
11/12/80 Borderline
11/19/80 Mother's Day
11/26/80 Mother's Day/The Awakening
12/03/80 Flash Gordon
12/10/80 The Last Days of Bruce Lee
12/17/80 Any Which Way You Can
12/24/80 Flash Gordon

I used the "Downtown Theaters" listing in Friday and Saturday editions of The Pittsburgh Press for each week. Whatever was listed first I considered to be Fulton I and what title was second was Fulton II. Unfortunately, I'm not 100% sure that what was printed was exactly accurate as witness the shifting back and forth of "Smokey & the Bandit II," "Prom Night," and others. Perhaps the management of the theater would start a new film in the bigger Fulton I auditorium and then shift it the next week for another one and if that one didn't pan out, move the first film back into the Fulton I if it was still doing business. Your guess is as good as mine. Ed???

Ron,

I remember from my childhood that the much-smaller Fulton Mini (barely over 200 seats) was often used as a moveover auditorium for films that opened at Fulton 1 and other Downtown theaters. A former manager at the Fulton once told me a story of the new "Death Wish II" and the week-old "Fighting Back" flipping back and forth at least one time in May, 1982. Looking forward to the final year, 1981.

Ron,

I remember from my childhood that the much-smaller Fulton Mini (barely over 200 seats) was often used as a moveover auditorium for films that opened at Fulton 1 and other Downtown theaters. A former manager at the Fulton once told me a story of the new "Death Wish II" and the week-old "Fighting Back" flipping back and forth at least one time in May, 1982. Looking forward to the final year, 1981.

I don't believe management of the two Fultons waited a full week to switch films back and forth. Not only could they do so from day to day as they examined box-office figures, but they could make an adjustment even the first day as it suited them. Newspaper ads were locked in days in advance, so they're not a significant issue here.
Also, though it was in a losing cause, the film distributors tried to keep track of which auditoriums their pictures were playing in because technically each move could generate new booking "terms" for the engagement. But the fast-growing world of multiplexes, with movies jumping freely to larger or smaller auditoriums from day to day or even mid-day, made the tracking of such things virtually impossible in cities where the film companies no longer maintained offices. And they were willing to hire "checkers" only in selected circumstances. Chuck, I sincerely think it will be impossible for you to know which films were in which Fulton auditoriums most weeks. The information never officially existed even on paper. Changes could occur on the basis of verbal instructions, and no one who wasn't working on the premises from day to day would be the wiser.

Thanks, Ed, for the excellent input, as always. I'll still put 1981 in when I can, it'll give people some idea of what was there.

And here's 1981 - the last year I kept records for...

Fulton I
01/01/81 Any Which Way You Can
01/14/81 Scanners
02/04/81 Fort Apache - The Bronx
02/25/81 Maniac
03/11/81 The Fun House
03/25/81 Thief
04/01/81 Fear No Evil
04/08/81 Nighthawks
04/29/81 Friday the 13th II
05/20/81 The Legend of the Lone Ranger
06/03/81 The House by the Lake/The House That Dripped Blood/Last House on the Left
06/10/81 Clash of the Titans
06/24/81 For Your Eyes Only
07/15/81 Escape from New York
07/29/81 Blow Out
08/12/81 Deadly Blessing
08/19/81 Comin' at Ya in 3-D
09/16/81 Snake Fist Fighter
09/23/81 Mommie Dearest
10/21/81 The Boogens
10/28/81 Halloween II
11/18/81 Nightmare
12/02/81 Demonoid
12/16/81 Sharky's Machine

Fulton II
01/01/81 Flash Gordon
01/14/81 Any Which Way You Can
02/04/81 Scanners
02/11/81 My Bloody Valentine
02/25/81 Fort Apache - The Bronx
03/25/81 Fear No Evil
04/01/81 Thief
04/15/81 Sphinx
04/22/81 Galaxina
04/29/81 DARK - REMODELING
05/13/81 Hardly Working
05/20/81 Alligator
05/27/81 Girls USA
06/03/81 Smokey Bites the Dust
06/10/81 On the Right track
06/17/81 Texas Chainsaw Massacre
06/24/81 Clash of the Titans
07/08/81 Escape from New York
07/15/81 For Your Eyes Only
07/22/81 Blow Out
07/29/81 Victory
08/12/81 Blow Out
08/19/81 Deadly Blessing
09/02/81 Under the Rainbow
09/02/81 Night School
09/23/81 Kill and Kill Again
09/30/81 Friday the 13th I/Friday the 13th II
10/07/81 Final Exam
10/14/81 The Boogens
10/21/81 Mommie Dearest
10/28/81 The Boogens
11/04/81 Carbon Copy
11/11/81 Prince of the City
11/18/81 Halloween II
11/25/81 Eye of the Dragon/Jaws of the Dragon
12/02/81 Nightmare
12/09/81 Time Bandits
12/23/81 Body Heat

In all, I can now remember why I did NOT patronize the Fulton much that year - mostly low grade horror flix. The only decent films to play there all year were "Thief," "For Your Eyes Only," and "Prince of the City," which was moved over from a two-week engagement at the Warner, and I must confess the cinematography & score sort of brightened up the average cop story that was "Sharky's Machine."

In a few years there would be no first-run theaters downtown.

Ron,

Bless you. This information means a lot to me. I have Ed's records of what played in Downtown Pittsburgh from the 1950s thru the late '70s. That's why I'm looking for what played Downtown from 1979-1986. I'm pretty sure the last two movies I saw Downtown were "Psycho III" and "Aliens" at the Fiesta in July/August of 1986. Sadly, by the summer of 1987, all were closed (except the Fulton Mini, which reopened for another 8 years or so as an art house called Filmmakers at the Fulton. I saw a bunch of films there too, but it just wasn't the same by then. Gosh, 1981. That was a golden time for me. That's the last full year my grandmother was alive and still living with us, and I remember seeing "For Your Eyes Only" at the main Fulton in the summer of '81 and "Scanners" and "Fort Apache, The Bronx" at the Mini earlier that year. By that time, however, we had discovered the suburban theaters and the convenience of free parking. Now I just wish I would have seen more of the films I saw Downtown in those final years. I liked all of those 1981 films you mentioned, plus "Nighthawks," "Blow Out" and "Escape from New York."

Keep an eye out on the other Pittsburgh first-run theaters and I will add what I can at various times. My research only runs from 1958 to 1981, however. Plus, I will get 1972-1977 in here as well.

January-June 1982:

01/01 Sharky's Machine; Body Heat
01/08 Sharky's Machine; Dead & Buried
01/15 Sharky's Machine; Windwalker
01/22 Windwalker; Vice Squad
01/29 Watcher in the Woods; Vice Squad
02/05 Vice Squad; Raiders of the Lost Ark
02/12 House of Wax; The Border
02/26 The Seduction; Cathy's Curse
03/05 The Seduction; Hell Night
03/12 Parasite; The Seduction
03/19 Parasite; Fighting Mad
03/26 Parasite; Absence of Malice
04/02 Cat People; Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip
04/09 Cat People; Silent Rage
04/16 Penitentiary II; Cat People
04/23 Penitentiary II; A Stranger Is Watching
04/30 The Beast Within; Penitentiary II
05/07 AC/DC: Let There Be Rock; The Beast Within
05/14 AC/DC: Let There Be Rock; Swamp Thing
05/21 Fighting Back; The Iron Dragon Strikes Back
05/28 Fighting Back; Death Wish II
06/04 Poltergeist; Death Wish II
06/18 Poltergeist; Visiting Hours
06/25 Poltergeist; Grease 2

July-December 1982:

07/02 Poltergeist; Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl
07/09 Rocky III; Zombie/Boogey Man
07/16 Rocky III; Firefox
07/23 Rocky III; Raiders of the Lost Ark
07/30 Sword and the Sorcerer; Rocky III
08/06 Sword and the Sorcerer; Forced Vengeance
08/13 Friday the 13th Part 3; Summer Lovers
08/20 Friday the 13th Part 3; Things Are Tough All Over
08/27 Friday the 13th Part 3; Emanuelle's Daughter
09/03 The Beastmaster; Midnight
09/10 House Where Evil Dwells; Midnight
09/17 Deadly Silver Ninja; The Soldier
09/24 Amityville II: The Possession; Slumber Party Massacre
10/01 Amityville II: The Possession; The Challenge
10/08 Body and Soul; Giselle
10/15 Body and Soul; Blood Tide
10/22 Halloween III; Blood Tide
10/29 Halloween III; Not a Love Story
11/05 Halloween III; Conan the Barbarian
11/12 Aunt Peg's Fulfillment; Creepshow
11/19 Creepshow; The Missionary
11/26 Creepshow; Fist of Fury/Chinese Connection
12/03 The Concrete Jungle; Creepshow
12/08 48 Hrs.; Creepshow
12/22 48 Hrs.; Officer and a Gentleman

71dude,

Thank you for the Fulton/Fulton II listings. Do you have 1983-1985/86? I can't recall when exactly the main Fulton closed -- I know "City Heat" played there in December, 1984 before moving over to the Mini a couple weeks later -- but I'm pretty sure Cinemette kept the much smaller Fulton II open a while longer. I know the final movies played Downtown Pittsburgh around August 31, 1986. The Bank Cinemas and the Fiesta were the last two to go at the same time. I'm trying to piece together as accurate a record as possible about what played in the 1,500-seat Fulton I vs. the 220-seat Fulton II in those final few years. It especially interests me when two new titles opened at the Fulton on the same day, and which film got the big house and which film was relegated to the small house. The disparity in seating is something I find really unique - at least for this area. When something opened new at the 220-seat Fulton Mini (aka Fulton II), there was usually lower expectations for that particular film. I realize you can't always tell from the advertising, but I plan to double back and check the Pittsburgh grosses from Variety, local film reviews and columns to try to confirm as much as possible. Moveovers from Fulton I and other theaters, and low-budget exploitation usually went to the Mini, but there are some cases where the bookings are less clear. For instance, the re-release of 1953's "House of Wax" in 3-D opened at the Fulton the same day in February, 1982 as "The Border" with Jack Nicholson. Both played two weeks. In an instance such as that (and a handful of others), I'm trying my best to at least find out which film opened in which house. Again, thank you greatly for your help.

There are also some instacnes from my own childhood where I can correct the record by knowing from having seen it there that "Creepshow" opened at Fulton I while "Aunt Peg's Fulfillment" (whatever that was?) opened in the Mini. However, it's quite possible that "Creepshow" switched to the Mini at the start of its 3rd week when the women-in-prison "Concrete Jungle" opened. It's weeks like that I'm trying to figure out. Common sense tells you that "48 Hrs." got the main house while the month-old "Creepshow" occupied the Mini.

I meant to say, "Creepshow" at the beginning of its 4th week (not 3rd), possibly being switched to the Mini.

I've already listed the first year of Bank and am working on upgrading the Chatham and Warner listings and covering the Fiesta from around 1977 to 1986.

"Aunt Peg," "Emmanuelle" and "Not a Love Story" were X-rated. "Concrete Jungle" was a moveover - possibly from Warner - that played various other suburban theaters for two weeks before that.

More Fulton on the way...

January-June 1983:

01/01 48 Hrs.; Officer and a Gentleman
01/28 48 Hrs.; One Down, Two to Go
02/04 The Entity; 48 Hrs.
02/11 The Entity; Let's Spend the Night Together
02/18 The Sting II; Let's Spend the Night Together
02/25 The Sting II; The Last American Virgin
03/04 The Sting II; Videodrome
03/11 Coed Teasers; The House on Sorority Row
03/18 High Road to China; The House on Sorority Row
03/25 High Road to China; One Dark Night
04/01 High Road to China; E.T.
04/08 E.T.; Frightmare
04/15 They Call Me Bruce?; E.T.
04/22 Bad Boys; Mother Lode
04/29 Something Wicked This Way Comes; The Hunger
05/06 Dr. Detroit; Something Wicked This Way Comes
05/13 Dr. Detroit; Warlords of the 21st Century
05/20 Spacehunter 3-D; Alone in the Dark
05/27 Spacehunter 3-D; Alone in the Dark/Piranha II: The Spawning
06/03 Blue Thunder; Spacehunter 3-D
06/10 Trading Places; Mausoleum
06/17 Trading Places; Sulka's Wedding
06/24 Trading Places; Twilight Zone

July-December 1983 (September is currently unknown):

07/08 Trading Places; Octopussy
07/15 Trading Places; Hot Dreams (X)
07/22 Jaws 3-D; Trading Places
08/05 Gates of Hell; Jaws 3-D
08/12 Gates of Hell; Man Who Wasn't There 3-D
08/19 Metalstorm 3-D; Yor
08/26 Metalstorm 3-D; Hercules

09/30 Brainstorm; Revenge of the Ninja
10/21 Brainstorm; Valley Girls (X)
10/28 Never Say Never Again; The Evil Dead
11/11 Challenge of the Ninja; Stryker
11/18 Amityville 3-D; Richard Pryor Here and Now
11/25 Amityville 3-D; Wavelength
12/02 Amityville 3-D; Never Say Never Again
12/09 Never Say Never Again; 48 Hrs./Trading Places
12/16 D.C. Cab; The Keep
12/30 D.C. Cab; Christine/The Keep

71dude,

I really look forward to your Fulton I & II postings. Once again you've made my day.

Hi - Does anyone have any paper from the 1968 premiere of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD ? Newspaper ads, theater material, schedules, flyers, marquee photos. Writer/collector/archivist seeks almost anything for ongoing project.

I don't have anything personally, but if you're in/near Pittsburgh, you can view the microfilm from The Pittsburgh Press and Post-Gazette at Hillman Library and Carnegie Library in Oakland. I viewed a lot of microfilm from 1968 at Hillman Library about a decade ago. At Hillman, you can now make a copy of something and send it to your own e-mail. If I can be of help, let me know. I'm currently doing my own microfilm project to complete my records of what played all Downtown Pittsburgh theaters from 1979 to 1986.

January-June 1984 (March unavailable):

01/06 Mortuary; D.C. Cab
01/13 Hot Dog; Mortuary
01/20 Hot Dog; Fist Full of Talons
01/27 Eagle's Shadow; Hot Dog
02/03 Reckless; Sudden Impact
02/10 Scarface; Reckless
02/17 Lassiter; Zelig
02/24 Lassiter; Preppies

03/30 Romancing the Stone; Ice Pirates
04/06 Romancing the Stone; Where the Boys Are '84
04/13 Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter; Iceman
04/27 Weekend Pass; Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
05/04 Breakin'/Steeler Highlights; Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
05/11 Night of the Zombies/Hardbodies; Breakin'/Steeler Highlights
05/18 Pieces/Night of the Zombies; Breakin'/Steeler Highlights
05/23 Indiana Jones 2; Breakin'/Steeler Highlights
06/01 Indiana Jones 2; Chattanooga Choo Choo
06/08 Indiana Jones 2; Blind Date
06/15 Indiana Jones 2; Beat Street
06/29 Indiana Jones 2; Conan the Destroyer

July-December 1984:

07/13 Conan the Destroyer; Texas Chainsaw Massacre/Drive-In Massacre
07/20 Revenge of the Nerds; The Neverending Story
07/27 Purple Rain; Revenge of the Nerds
08/03 Purple Rain; Menage a Trois 3-D
08/10 Purple Rain; The Natural
08/17 Tightrope; Purple Rain
09/14 City of the Walking Dead/Scalps; Purple Rain
09/21 7 Doors of Death; Purple Rain
09/28 Purple Rain
10/26 Terror in the Aisles
11/09 Silent Night, Deadly Night
11/21 Body Rock
11/30 C.H.U.D.
12/07 City Heat
12/19 City Heat; Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo

September, 1983:

9/2 Hercules/Strange Brew at 10 p.m. only; Deathstalker
9/9 Prison Girls (X) in 3-D; Deathstalker
9/16 Revenge of the Ninja; Prison Girls (X) in 3-D
9/23 Revenge of the Ninja; Angel Cash (X)
9/30 Brainstorm; Revenge of the Ninja

March, 1984:

3/2 Against All Odds; Strange Invaders
3/9 Against All Odds; Children of the Corn
3/16 Ice Pirates; Children of the Corn
3/23 Ice Pirates; Blade Master
3/30 Romancing the Stone; Ice Pirates

01/11 House by the Cemetery
01/18 Chained Heat
01/25 The First Turn-On
02/01 Out of Control
02/08 Brother From Another Planet
02/15 Fast Forward
02/22 Night Patrol
03/01 Tuff Turf
03/08 Tomboy/Tuff Turf
03/15 Midnight Caller/Tomboy
03/22 The Last Dragon
03/29 Police Academy 2

Chuck, I don't have April and May so if you do please post them and I will pick up from June.

Those are 1985.

I'll get April and May of 1985 the next time I get to the library microfilm, which will hopefully be within the next week. From what I've been able to gather, the Fulton stopped using the Fulton II for several months after "City Heat" completed its run in January, 1985. The Fulton I remained open, playing first-run movies until mid- November, 1985, when Pittsburgh Filmmakers took over -- "To Live and Die in L.A." might have been the final first-run mainstream release to play Fulton I. Then the Fulton II reopened and resumed playing first-run films from mid-Nov., 1985 to Jan. 6, 1987 -- closing with "The Golden Child." At some point thereafter, Pittsburgh Filmmakers began using the smaller Fulton II most of the time to show art/specialty films. If I got any of this wrong, please feel free to correct the record.

71 dude,

Let me know if there are any other months of Fulton listings (in addition to April/May, 1985) from 1985-1986 that you don't have and I'll get them.

June-November 1985:
06/01 Brewster's Millions
06/07 Superstition/House by the Cemetery
06/14 The Mutilator
06/21 Lifeforce
06/28 Rambo: First Blood Part II
07/03 Red Sonja
07/10 Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
08/02 Weird Science
08/16 The Bride
08/23 Teen Wolf
09/06 9 Deaths of the Ninja
09/13 Burial Ground/9 Deaths of the Ninja
09/20 Game of Survival
09/27 Invasion USA
10/04 Commando
11/01 To Live and Die in L.A.
11/15 Once Bitten
11/22 Godzilla 1985
11/27 Krush Groove

Need December...

April-May, 1985:

04/04/85 Police Academy
04/12/85 Cat's Eye
04/19/85 A Company of Wolves
04/26/85 Just One of the Guys
05/03/85 Just One of the Guys/Avenging Angel
05/10/85 Rappin'
05/17/85 Rappin'
05/22/85 Brewster's Millions
05/31/85 Brewster's Millions

December, 1985: Fulton Mini

12/01/85-12/10/85 Krush Grove
12/11/85-12/19/85 CLOSED
12/20/85 Ememy Mine
12/27/85 Enemy Mine

The daily listing was for the Fulton Mini only starting in mid-November, 1985.

That April 4, 1985 listing should read "Police Academy 2."

January - June 1986:
01/01 Enemy Mine
01/10 Day of the Dead
01/24 Hot Target/The Zoo Gang
01/31 Eliminators
02/14 The Delta Force
02/28 House
03/21 Police Academy 3
04/11 Band of the Hand
04/25 The Toxic Avenger

06/01 Top Gun
06/06 Raw Deal
06/27 Poltergeist II

Need May...

July 1986 - January 1987:
07/02 Under the Cherry Moon
07/18 Vamp
07/25 Maximum Overdrive
08/01 Friday the 13th Part 6
08/22 Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
09/02 Born American
09/03 The Fly
09/12 In the Shadow of Kilimanjaro
09/19 No Retreat, No Surrender
09/26 "Crocodile" Dundee
10/10 Deadly Friend
10/24 Trick or Treat
10/31 Sky Bandits
11/07 Tai-Pan
11/14 Bloody Birthday/Tai-Pan (3:40 only)
11/21 Firewalker
12/05 Jumpin' Jack Flash
12/12 - 01/06/87 The Golden Child
THE END

Fulton Mini, May, 1986:

05/01/86 Toxic Avenger
05/02/86 Blue City
05/09/86 Blue City
05/16/86 Top Gun
05/23/86 Top Gun
05/30/86 Top Gun

I must correct something I posted earlier. Upon further investigation, I've discovered that the 1,475+ seat Fulton I went dark in late September, 1984 with "7 Doors of Death" and "Purple Rain, only reopening for a few weeks around Christmas, 1984 for "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo." According to the records on Variety, "City Heat" only played at the Fulton Mini. From early-mid January, 1985 until Jan. 6, 1987 only the 200+ seat Fulton Mini remained open.

Where do you get the Variety records and what info is in there?

From the microfilm at Hillman Library in Oakland. The only problem is that the Pittsburgh movie grosses aren't included in Variety every week. Sometimes Pittsburgh is included for three or four weeks in a row, then might disappear for two or three weeks. I'm doing the best I can from that, personal memories, old reviews and listings in the Pittsburgh Press Weekender section (appeared every Thursday) to determine which films played in which Fulton auditorium from 1979-1984. I think after I'm done I can probably get it to about 90 percent accurate. Of course, there's always the chance the two films switched auditoriums during the week, but at least it will be a semi-accurate record of which films were in which auditorium at the start of a week. I'm also trying to get a record of what played at the other Downtown Pittsburgh, Oakland and Squirrel Hill theaters (Warner, Fiesta, Gateway, which closed in 1980, Bank Cinemas, Chatham, Kings Court, Manor and Squirrel Hill) from 1979 thru 1986.

I have the films that played in PGH First-Run theaters from 11/26/1957 through 12/31/1981. My problem is finding the time to post it, plus I used the Friday editions of the Pittsburgh papers and looked at the listings which may or may not be totally accurate in the case of multiplex cinemas, such as the Bank Cinemas, Fulton, and Manor, etc.

Do you guys know how I can find free archives of Greensburg theater listings from the late 70's and the 80's?

Since Greensburg was a city for which I had an interest of the theaters and films they played for the mid-60s, I can tell you that I believe the Greensburg Public Library has from 1967 on. If you attempt to get the information from the Tribune-Review, they will make you pay for it. If you can't find it there, you will have to go to Harrisburg (as I did) and use the microfilms at the Pennsylvania State Library.

I know that the Manos is now the Palace Theater, but I don't know the location or eventual fate of the Cinema, which opened in 1965.

Robbery foiled in June 1950:
http://tinyurl.com/7gp3q3

Not important enough to risk eye strain reading it.

Even if you enlarge the print it is still blurred.

Renewing link.

This picture is from Nov. 1983:
http://americanclassicimages.com/DesktopModules/CATALooKStore/MakeThumbImage.aspx?ID=%2fPortals%2f0%2f1%2fM%2fM092.jpg&PORTALID=0

http://www.americanclassicimages.com/DesktopModules/CATALooKStore/MakeThumbImage.aspx?ID=%2fPortals%2f0%2f1%2fP%2fPA422.jpg&PORTALID=0

http://www.americanclassicimages.com/DesktopModules/CATALooKStore/MakeThumbImage.aspx?ID=%2fPortals%2f0%2f1%2fP%2fPA425.jpg&PORTALID=0

I ran Natalie Woods brainstorm in 70mm here, and I remember running Purple Rain here also. I was one of the main projectionist at the Warner for 5 days a week the other 2 days I would the Fulton all these shifts were open to close. I also worked the Fulton Mini. The main booth had as number one projector a Simplex X-L and a peerless magnarc lamp Projectors 2&3 where Norelco AAII's with Ashcraft Mighty ninety lamps, later replaced with strong 2500 watt bulbs. Wasv always one of my favotite theatres.