Shadyside Theater
5518 Walnut Street,
Pittsburgh,
PA
15232
5518 Walnut Street,
Pittsburgh,
PA
15232
3 people
favorited this theater
The Shadyside Theater, in the Shadyside section of Pittsburgh, opened in the early 1940s with 751 seats as a late-run neighborhood playing three double bills a week. That changed to two double bills a week in the late 1940s. In May 1958 it became a first-run art house with 623 new seats, beginning with “The Confessions of Felix Krull”. Sadly, during the final year or so, it was booked mainly with softcore sex films and “soft” versions of “Deep Throat” and “The Devil in Miss Jones”. Closed April 28, 1975 with a late run of “Chinatown”.
Contributed by
Ed Blank
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Recent comments (view all 10 comments)
Although this theater did indeed resort to running soft core sex films as it was near closing, it’s past history as Pittsburgh’s premier art house theater should also be noted. This theater actually gained a reputation for running films that no one else wanted to bring into Pittsburgh. It was noted for the early British comedies, such as the “Carry-On” franchise. It ran such imported features such as “Blow-Up”, “The Night Porter” and Jacques Tati Films. It also ran a unique film subscription series from the American Film Institute. Subtitled movies from all over the globe were the rule rather than the exception at this little gem of a movie house. Along with the Guild Theater, The Forum, and The Pittsburgh Playhouse, Pittsburghers certainly had a unique and viable alternatives to suit their film tastes, too bad these great venues are no more, they are indeed Cinema Treasures.
I was in Shadyside yesterday. Apparently the address matches the Williams Sonmoma store, but it appears to not look like a theater at all. But there is an art gallery (called the Four Winds) next door to WS resembles a movie theater a bit more (that address is 5512 Walnut St.)
this theater was gutted completely to make a mini-mall. It used to be directly across the street from Lou’s bar, I think it was Filbert Street. Hard to tell that a theater was even on Walnut street!
Part of the Morris M. Finkel chain in the early Seventies, along with the Arcade, Chatham Cinema, Echo Drive-In and Mt. Oliver, all in Pittsburgh.
The Shadyside was listed at 5520 Walnut in the 1960 Pittsburgh yellow pages. Click on the second photo on the page for a view of the Pottery Barn at that address today:
http://tinyurl.com/ywf25z
The Williams-Sonoma store is at 5514:
http://tinyurl.com/yqcfc7
I’m looking for first hand accounts of seeing The Night Porter at this theater in connection with film history research I am engaged in. Anyone with memories of The Night Porter, however vague, please feel free to get in touch with me. .co.uk
Renewing link.
When I moved to Pittsburgh the former Shadyside Theater was home to The Balcony, a live music venue and high end restaurant on the top floor of the building, whether it was located in what was once the actual balcony of the theater I don’t know. The first floor of the building at the time was a small shopping gallery which also housed a small restaurant called Hot Licks. The building is still standing and houses Pottery Barn.
The Shadyside Theater had no balcony. The Balcony restaurant, as it was called, was named for the fact it was upstairs. It did, in fact, occupy the area formerly used for the theater’s projection booth plus the (former)air space over the smallish lobby and the back several rows of seats.
For the record, nothing about the floor plan of the theater changed after it ceased being a late-run neighborhood house and started being a first-run art house. The seats were replaced, I seem to recall, but the structure and layout were the same.