Yep… Woolco was the anchor store. American Furniture was pretty big, but their product quality was on the same level as Woolco. LOL The mall always had kind of an ‘abandoned’ feel to it… creepy.
What a great site, Steve! Thanks for sharing! Man… Seeing the beautiful interior of the Fox Redondo sure makes us realize what we’re missing today thanks to the cookie-cutter multi-plex syndrome. :–( It’s sad that after our generation, no one has even had the experience.
Joe!! Thanks SO much for confirming “Hi Clyde!” for me! I felt certain that we did holler out to him, but it was tucked so far back in my memory that I really needed to hear it from another Rolling Hills matinee fan! And yes… While we were there, it was TRIPLE features… and the contests occasionally included local bands. Those days were such great fun! They truly did put on a big show for all us kids. Sounds like you’re a year or two older than I am, but in 1968/early ‘69, I was in 5th grade at Fern Elementary School and would have attended Greenwood Middle School and eventually Torrance High (1974/'75 was my Junior year) if my family had stayed in Torrance. And yes… “SkaterDater” did win the Oscar. :–) Wish I could help you with the Fox Redondo Theater. We spent a lot of time at the pier and the beach, but I don’t remember the theater, specifically. My parents took us to the movies a lot, though… They’d definitely remember it.
Hey SoBay… It’s a bittersweet reminisce, that’s for sure. I miss Torrance a lot. Went back for a visit in November to show my husband around – it’s now high on our list as a perfect place to retire in a few years or so. I just ordered “SkaterDater” from the source KimReynolds recommended – can’t wait to see it again… It’s been 40 years! :–)
mooveez and KimReynolds… Thank you, thank you! I definitely remember both the Parasol and the Swedish Smorgasbord restaurants. One night after eating at the smorgasbord, my family and I spotted an abandoned terrier puppy… Took her home and named her “Coco.” And Del Amo Mall was another favorite place for my brother and I (We were young, too… I was probably 9 and he was only 4 or 5 – Torrance was so safe – my mother even let me ride my bike from home – on Teri Ave. – to the library downtown). We’d catch the bus on Torrance Blvd. (I think it stopped at Hickory on both sides) and spend the day just browsing through the stores and have lunch at the cafeteria-style restaurant. You missed a lot of crazy sixties fun, mooveez… The audience participation stuff was amazing! KimReynolds, no doubt in my mind that you and I must have been there on the same Saturday(s) – probably many times. I actually won the dance contests a couple of times – once it was a Hula contest of all things! LOL The prizes were $1 and a free admission pass for another Saturday. And there was this really nice Asian usher (I wish so much that I could remember his name) who would occasionally slip a folded-up pass into my palm as I left the dance floor – after NOT winning. And Skaterdater… Yep! Excellent short. Do you happen to know if it’s available on DVD or VHS? I know we saw it a few times (along with the numerous viewings of “The Time Machine,” “Help!” and “A Hard Day’s Night” amongst all the horror movies with Vincent Price and friends. That skateboarding photo page is great… I haven’t seen any other photos of the Rolling Hills Theater, so I really appreciate it. My brother (he passed away in 2003… I’d love to be able to talk with him now about these old times) and I were there with various friends at least a couple of times per month. As I mentioned in a post above, we were there when Adam West and Burt Ward made a special visit during intermission – too cool! Anyway, I only hope that Clyde and the others knew how much joy they brought to a bunch of silly ‘60s kids who thought nothing of playing hide-and-seek and running the aisles if the movie wasn’t enthralling or it happened to be the sixth or seventh time we saw it. They were such a big part of our childhood experience.
Mooveez… I’m so glad you’ve posted! By chance did you read my post above regarding Clyde the projectionist? Though our timelines for attending the matinees at the Rolling Hills may differ a bit (mine were the mid – late ‘60s,) our experiences may have been identical – my brother and I were two of the “parentless” kids having fun there on countless Saturdays. Do you recall the manager/host of the days’ activities having us kids give a hollered greeting, “Hi Clyde!” up to the booth? I’m still trying to find out if that is a ‘real’ memory of mine or imagined. Your post really means a lot to me. Since my family moved to Las Vegas in 1969, I had no knowledge of the murders until I found this web site/thread. It’s both heartbreaking and haunting for me, as you can imagine. Take good care – Kim.
That answers one of my questions; Clyde Felts was the projectionist. Thank you, Ken Mc. I’m thinking he must have been working there when I frequented the Rolling Hills.
Does anyone remember the ‘60s Saturday Matinees? I was there very often from about 1964 (assuming the theater was built by then) to mid-1969 (my family moved to Las Vegas in July 1969).
Reading about this horrible thing that happened a mere four years later just breaks my heart. All of my memories of Torrance were so wonderful. This is like an end to such an ‘innocent’ time, you know?
How very, very sad… Does anyone know how long Clyde Felts worked there and was he the Projectionist? Seeing his name haunts my memory. As a child in the mid-‘60s, were those of us in the audience for the wonderful Saturday matinees prompted to holler “Hi Clyde!!” ??
I have the same memories as you, Paul, sans the broken windshield, thankfully! Back when it was just four theatres, my girlfriends and I saw “Jaws” on it’s opening night there. Had to stand in line outside through the first entire showing because it was sold out. We didn’t care – we were only 16! Just loved the old-fashioned look the place took on. The buildings (including the old neighborhood bar next door) were all razed earlier this year and a new strip mall has sprung up – looks like the shops will be inhabited any day now. They did a nice job revitalizing the property, but the theaters will always be a fond memory.
Nope, just one on Boulder Hwy. Trust me. :–) It was the Skyway Drive-In. The one you’re thinking of downtown just came to me (I think… LOL) It was The Guild. My mom and I went there a couple of times.
The Sunset was definitely on Cheyenne… I spent a lot of Friday and Saturday nights there. The on at Lamb & Sahara was the Desert 5 Drive-In. It always had five screens. Then it was the Century Desert 5 Theaters when it was converted to a walk-in. Now it’s a pathetic parking lot full of half-dead trees and graffiti. Bummer.
Probably because no one has submitted them… The Parkway Theater began as one screen, then split into three. It was in a strip mall adjacent to the Boulevard Mall and behind Bob’s Big Boy and the Broadway Tire Center on Maryland Parkway. The shopping center included the Boulevard Market that eventually became part of the new, bigger Dillard’s and a TJ Maxx. Not sure what’s there now besides the Dillard’s store. I live on the other side of town now (been in LV for 36 years :–).
The Parkway 1-2-3 didn’t become a BookStar, however. That was the Boulevard Theater located directly ON Maryland Parkway, across from the Target shopping center (which didn’t exist back then). It was a stand-alone on otherwise undeveloped land. The Boulevard began as one theater and was later split into two.
The drive-in you’re thinking of was the Sunset Drive-In and it was located on West Cheyenne, behind the North Las Vegas Airport. It became a swap meet with no theater poles eventually. They used to charge just $5.00 per person for admittance back in the ‘70s. The Nevada Drive-In was located either on Las Vegas Blvd. North or the Old Salt Lake Hwy. near Nellis Air Force Base (I only visited it a couple of times before it closed). This place was HUGE and had a great Western mural painted on the street-side of the screen.
The Cinemas 1-2-3 began as a differently-named, single screen theater YEARS ago, but my memory fails me on the name. I’m trying to remember a downtown theater with a balcony, but I can’t… The name “Main” doesn’t ring a bell. :–)
Yep… It’s in “The Gauntlet.” That movie’s a hoot… More continuity/location errors than any other film made in/about Las Vegas. LOL I’ll have to see it again sometime to remember where they were headed when they show the Cinerama, but I know that when they were driving to Phoenix, it was up West Charleston to Red Rock Canyon. Heh heh heh…
And the house that gets all shot up…? That was on Flamingo Rd. near Pecos/McLeod. When I went to KO Knudson Jr. High in the early ‘70s, our school bus drove past it every day. Just an old abandoned place ready for demolition when they 'took it out’ in The Gauntlet. Pretty cool ending for the place.
My family and I saw the Clint Eastwood trilogy, “Fistful of Dollars,” “For a Few Dollars More” and “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly,” back in about ‘69 or '70. My ex husband and I visited a couple of times after it changed 'format.’ It was the only adult theater that wasn’t a ‘mini’… It was full size, full-screen, and attracted good-size crowds – lots of Japanese businessmen traveling along and with their wives/female partners.
Richard, we may have been there at the same time! LOL I was 14 and loved “Night of the Living Dead” (And you’re right about “Ben” – it was BEYOND excruciating). After seeing it in the theater, my friends and I found that it moved rather quickly to late night TV with “The Vegas Vampire.” We watched it at every opportunity. Guess I was lucky – no nightmares. :–) I do remember, however, being VERY surprised that someone my age, along with my 10-year-old brother, were able to see something so shocking at a theater. One of the previous films we’d seen at the Cinerama Theater was “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory” – yep… MUCH tamer, too!
I moved away in 1969, but I believe the roof was indeed sloped. I know that at the time, it was stand-alone and there were driving aisles both in front and on the left of the building (as you faced it). The ‘emergency’ exit was on the left as you sat in the theater (Adam West and Burt Ward used it as an entrance when they came to a Saturday matinee I attended – we were probably seeing the Batman full-length feature – I remember they conducted a prize drawing and the winner got to visit the TV Batcave. Pretty cool. :–)
Killian’s or any other restaurant/amusement was definitely not part of the original building. It wasn’t a strip mall back then.
Hey Ed! The XXX theater you’re thinking of was The Flick… Don’t ask me how I know. ;–)
Yep… That’s it! Great site, Ken… Thanks!
No nightmares tonight, slim! ;–)
And the property has already changed it’s name to South Point. From what I understand, it’s a stand-alone now… owned by Michael Gaughn.
Yep… Woolco was the anchor store. American Furniture was pretty big, but their product quality was on the same level as Woolco. LOL The mall always had kind of an ‘abandoned’ feel to it… creepy.
What a great site, Steve! Thanks for sharing! Man… Seeing the beautiful interior of the Fox Redondo sure makes us realize what we’re missing today thanks to the cookie-cutter multi-plex syndrome. :–( It’s sad that after our generation, no one has even had the experience.
Joe!! Thanks SO much for confirming “Hi Clyde!” for me! I felt certain that we did holler out to him, but it was tucked so far back in my memory that I really needed to hear it from another Rolling Hills matinee fan! And yes… While we were there, it was TRIPLE features… and the contests occasionally included local bands. Those days were such great fun! They truly did put on a big show for all us kids. Sounds like you’re a year or two older than I am, but in 1968/early ‘69, I was in 5th grade at Fern Elementary School and would have attended Greenwood Middle School and eventually Torrance High (1974/'75 was my Junior year) if my family had stayed in Torrance. And yes… “SkaterDater” did win the Oscar. :–) Wish I could help you with the Fox Redondo Theater. We spent a lot of time at the pier and the beach, but I don’t remember the theater, specifically. My parents took us to the movies a lot, though… They’d definitely remember it.
Hey SoBay… It’s a bittersweet reminisce, that’s for sure. I miss Torrance a lot. Went back for a visit in November to show my husband around – it’s now high on our list as a perfect place to retire in a few years or so. I just ordered “SkaterDater” from the source KimReynolds recommended – can’t wait to see it again… It’s been 40 years! :–)
Thanks William… :–) No worries, my player is only about a year old.
Super… I’ll give him a holler! Thanks again, KimReynolds. :–)
mooveez and KimReynolds… Thank you, thank you! I definitely remember both the Parasol and the Swedish Smorgasbord restaurants. One night after eating at the smorgasbord, my family and I spotted an abandoned terrier puppy… Took her home and named her “Coco.” And Del Amo Mall was another favorite place for my brother and I (We were young, too… I was probably 9 and he was only 4 or 5 – Torrance was so safe – my mother even let me ride my bike from home – on Teri Ave. – to the library downtown). We’d catch the bus on Torrance Blvd. (I think it stopped at Hickory on both sides) and spend the day just browsing through the stores and have lunch at the cafeteria-style restaurant. You missed a lot of crazy sixties fun, mooveez… The audience participation stuff was amazing! KimReynolds, no doubt in my mind that you and I must have been there on the same Saturday(s) – probably many times. I actually won the dance contests a couple of times – once it was a Hula contest of all things! LOL The prizes were $1 and a free admission pass for another Saturday. And there was this really nice Asian usher (I wish so much that I could remember his name) who would occasionally slip a folded-up pass into my palm as I left the dance floor – after NOT winning. And Skaterdater… Yep! Excellent short. Do you happen to know if it’s available on DVD or VHS? I know we saw it a few times (along with the numerous viewings of “The Time Machine,” “Help!” and “A Hard Day’s Night” amongst all the horror movies with Vincent Price and friends. That skateboarding photo page is great… I haven’t seen any other photos of the Rolling Hills Theater, so I really appreciate it. My brother (he passed away in 2003… I’d love to be able to talk with him now about these old times) and I were there with various friends at least a couple of times per month. As I mentioned in a post above, we were there when Adam West and Burt Ward made a special visit during intermission – too cool! Anyway, I only hope that Clyde and the others knew how much joy they brought to a bunch of silly ‘60s kids who thought nothing of playing hide-and-seek and running the aisles if the movie wasn’t enthralling or it happened to be the sixth or seventh time we saw it. They were such a big part of our childhood experience.
Mooveez… I’m so glad you’ve posted! By chance did you read my post above regarding Clyde the projectionist? Though our timelines for attending the matinees at the Rolling Hills may differ a bit (mine were the mid – late ‘60s,) our experiences may have been identical – my brother and I were two of the “parentless” kids having fun there on countless Saturdays. Do you recall the manager/host of the days’ activities having us kids give a hollered greeting, “Hi Clyde!” up to the booth? I’m still trying to find out if that is a ‘real’ memory of mine or imagined. Your post really means a lot to me. Since my family moved to Las Vegas in 1969, I had no knowledge of the murders until I found this web site/thread. It’s both heartbreaking and haunting for me, as you can imagine. Take good care – Kim.
It also had the shortest life of any theater ever built in Las Vegas, I would guess.
That answers one of my questions; Clyde Felts was the projectionist. Thank you, Ken Mc. I’m thinking he must have been working there when I frequented the Rolling Hills.
Does anyone remember the ‘60s Saturday Matinees? I was there very often from about 1964 (assuming the theater was built by then) to mid-1969 (my family moved to Las Vegas in July 1969).
Reading about this horrible thing that happened a mere four years later just breaks my heart. All of my memories of Torrance were so wonderful. This is like an end to such an ‘innocent’ time, you know?
How very, very sad… Does anyone know how long Clyde Felts worked there and was he the Projectionist? Seeing his name haunts my memory. As a child in the mid-‘60s, were those of us in the audience for the wonderful Saturday matinees prompted to holler “Hi Clyde!!” ??
I have the same memories as you, Paul, sans the broken windshield, thankfully! Back when it was just four theatres, my girlfriends and I saw “Jaws” on it’s opening night there. Had to stand in line outside through the first entire showing because it was sold out. We didn’t care – we were only 16! Just loved the old-fashioned look the place took on. The buildings (including the old neighborhood bar next door) were all razed earlier this year and a new strip mall has sprung up – looks like the shops will be inhabited any day now. They did a nice job revitalizing the property, but the theaters will always be a fond memory.
The theaters were unremarkable, but they had great popcorn and VERY cheap prices for all concession stand goodies! :–)
Whoops… The Desert 5 actually became the Century Desert 12. Yowsa!
Nope, just one on Boulder Hwy. Trust me. :–) It was the Skyway Drive-In. The one you’re thinking of downtown just came to me (I think… LOL) It was The Guild. My mom and I went there a couple of times.
The Sunset was definitely on Cheyenne… I spent a lot of Friday and Saturday nights there. The on at Lamb & Sahara was the Desert 5 Drive-In. It always had five screens. Then it was the Century Desert 5 Theaters when it was converted to a walk-in. Now it’s a pathetic parking lot full of half-dead trees and graffiti. Bummer.
Probably because no one has submitted them… The Parkway Theater began as one screen, then split into three. It was in a strip mall adjacent to the Boulevard Mall and behind Bob’s Big Boy and the Broadway Tire Center on Maryland Parkway. The shopping center included the Boulevard Market that eventually became part of the new, bigger Dillard’s and a TJ Maxx. Not sure what’s there now besides the Dillard’s store. I live on the other side of town now (been in LV for 36 years :–).
The Parkway 1-2-3 didn’t become a BookStar, however. That was the Boulevard Theater located directly ON Maryland Parkway, across from the Target shopping center (which didn’t exist back then). It was a stand-alone on otherwise undeveloped land. The Boulevard began as one theater and was later split into two.
The drive-in you’re thinking of was the Sunset Drive-In and it was located on West Cheyenne, behind the North Las Vegas Airport. It became a swap meet with no theater poles eventually. They used to charge just $5.00 per person for admittance back in the ‘70s. The Nevada Drive-In was located either on Las Vegas Blvd. North or the Old Salt Lake Hwy. near Nellis Air Force Base (I only visited it a couple of times before it closed). This place was HUGE and had a great Western mural painted on the street-side of the screen.
The Cinemas 1-2-3 began as a differently-named, single screen theater YEARS ago, but my memory fails me on the name. I’m trying to remember a downtown theater with a balcony, but I can’t… The name “Main” doesn’t ring a bell. :–)
Yep… It’s in “The Gauntlet.” That movie’s a hoot… More continuity/location errors than any other film made in/about Las Vegas. LOL I’ll have to see it again sometime to remember where they were headed when they show the Cinerama, but I know that when they were driving to Phoenix, it was up West Charleston to Red Rock Canyon. Heh heh heh…
And the house that gets all shot up…? That was on Flamingo Rd. near Pecos/McLeod. When I went to KO Knudson Jr. High in the early ‘70s, our school bus drove past it every day. Just an old abandoned place ready for demolition when they 'took it out’ in The Gauntlet. Pretty cool ending for the place.
Yep… And it’s the same one referred to as “Five Star” here. The original poster has the wrong name for it. :–)
This was the FOUR Star Theater. ;–)
My family and I saw the Clint Eastwood trilogy, “Fistful of Dollars,” “For a Few Dollars More” and “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly,” back in about ‘69 or '70. My ex husband and I visited a couple of times after it changed 'format.’ It was the only adult theater that wasn’t a ‘mini’… It was full size, full-screen, and attracted good-size crowds – lots of Japanese businessmen traveling along and with their wives/female partners.
Richard, we may have been there at the same time! LOL I was 14 and loved “Night of the Living Dead” (And you’re right about “Ben” – it was BEYOND excruciating). After seeing it in the theater, my friends and I found that it moved rather quickly to late night TV with “The Vegas Vampire.” We watched it at every opportunity. Guess I was lucky – no nightmares. :–) I do remember, however, being VERY surprised that someone my age, along with my 10-year-old brother, were able to see something so shocking at a theater. One of the previous films we’d seen at the Cinerama Theater was “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory” – yep… MUCH tamer, too!
I moved away in 1969, but I believe the roof was indeed sloped. I know that at the time, it was stand-alone and there were driving aisles both in front and on the left of the building (as you faced it). The ‘emergency’ exit was on the left as you sat in the theater (Adam West and Burt Ward used it as an entrance when they came to a Saturday matinee I attended – we were probably seeing the Batman full-length feature – I remember they conducted a prize drawing and the winner got to visit the TV Batcave. Pretty cool. :–)
Killian’s or any other restaurant/amusement was definitely not part of the original building. It wasn’t a strip mall back then.