I will definitely check it out, Ed; thanks again.
Some of the best, and happiest, memories of my misbegotten youth was taking a Greyhound bus to downtown Pittsburgh (this was before I could drive), and spending a day in all those great Pittsburgh theaters seeing one movie after another.
I remember a New Year’s Day 1974 trip when I saw “The Exorcist” at the Warner, “Sleeper” at the Fiesta then took a cab (big spender!) to the Squirrel Hill to see “Day for Night.”
Or New Year’s Day 1975 (“The Godfather, Part II” at the Gateway, “The Night Porter” at Shadyside" and “The Little Prince” at King’s Court).
Or day-after-Thanksgiving 1974 (“The Klansman” at the Stanley, “The Gambler” at the Fiesta, “Law and Disorder” at the Fulton and “Earthquake” at the Warner).
By the time the ‘70s ended, the mystique of Pittsburgh movie theaters was seriously on the wane.
I think it all dates back to the opening of Showcase East in June '76.
Thanks for the info, Ed.
A bowling alley on the second floor?! That’s a hoot!
Any idea when the Strand finally closed its doors? It looked like the type of funky neighborhood theater that was already a dying breed when I was growing up in the ‘60s.
One of the things I loved about Pittsburgh theaters was that you could predict which movies would open where because they all had a distinct personality/identity of their own. That’s certainly a far cry from today when everything opens everywhere because every damn multiplex has 24 interchangeable, anonymous screens.
It was the same thing in NYC back in the '70s (particularly with “Bloomingdales Belt” theaters like Cinema 1, the Coronet and the Sutton) when I was in college.
I loved the State Theater!
I remember seeing “Mary Poppins” two days in a row there when it opened in February ‘65. The first Saturday matinee was a sell-out: I had to take turns sitting on the floor in the balcony with a friend of mine because they (apparently) miscalculated the # of tickets sold.
“The Sound of Music” played for at least a year there, and “Dr. Zhivago” was another lengthy engagement.
Also saw John Huston’s “The Bible,” Disney’s “The Jungle Book,” “Dr. Dolittle,” “Funny Girl” and “Woodstock” at the State in their first-run engagements.
Wow; talk about a trip down memory lane!
Does anyone recall the name of a second-run neighborhood theater in Oakland?
I remember discovering it by accident in May 1977 when I drove in from Youngstown to see “Star Wars” at the (dully instiutional) Showcase East, and “Andy Warhol’s Bad” at the (fabulous) King’s Court.
This unknown theater was playing “The White Buffalo” with Charles Bronson, and I seem to recall it being a block over from the K-Court.
Help!
The Newport was a favorite haunt of mine as a kid and teen.
They played so many wonderful movies in their first-run Youngstown engagement (“In Cold Blood,” the original “Planet of the Apes,” “Rosemary’s Baby,” “Bullitt,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “The Last Picture Show,” “Cabaret,” “A Clockwork Orange,” “Nicholas and Alexandra,” “Deliverance,” “The Exorcist,” “Shampoo,” “Gremlins,” “Beverly Hills Cop,” etc.)
The only negative was a harridan of a manager named Barbara Campbell, lol.
The Manor was predominantly a roadshow house back in the late 60s/early 70s: lots of UA stuff like “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Last Tango” and “Man of La Mancha.” When roadshow-style movies fell out of fashion, they experienced an identity crisis and struggled to remain in business.
It’s a miracle the theater still exists—albeit in a (sadly) tacky contempo version.
I also remember an item in George Anderson’s Post-Gazette column from August ‘72 when Woody Allen’s “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex” premiered at the Kings Court: Anderson commented on huge lines around the block on opening day. “Sex” wound up playing a little more than three months at the KC until it was replaced with “Play It As It Lays.”
I remember driving to Pittsburgh with my parents to see “The Last Picture Show” in March 1972. It was the first time I’d ever seen a movie outside of my (Youngstown) hometown, and the KC felt inordinately sophisticated and “big-city” to me. Loved the whole experience! Over the years, I went back there a few times and saw movies like “The Little Prince” (Xmas ‘74), “Hearts and Minds” (May '75) and “Next Stop, Greenwich Village” (Apr. '76). A wonderful theater that played some of the best movies of the “New Hollywood” era. Like so many other shuttered/demolished old Pittsburgh movie theaters, it’s greatly missed.
The Fiesta seemed so elegant to me when I was a kid.
I loved the escalator, the jewel box like interior and they showed some classy movies during their heyday (including many of the titles listed above).
I still remember taking a Greyhound bus from Youngstown OH to downtown Pittsburgh back in the summer of 1974 (I wasn’t old enough to drive yet), and seeing “California Split” at the Warner, “The Parallax View” at the Fiesta, “Death Wish” at the Gateway and “That’s Entertainment!” at the Chatham all in a row. Of course, I used to do that a lot back then.
Those were the days, my friends!
I loved how all the “Bloomingdales Belt” theaters had their own unique identity/personality. It was so pronounced in most cases—particularly with Cinema 1, the Coronet, the Plaza and the Sutton—that you could almost predict where certain films would open. In the 24-screen multiplex era, that sort of thing is definitely a lost art/charm. The only remaining NY theater that still books films like they used to is the Paris. And even their most recent bookings have seemed oddly discordant (“All Good Things” versus, say, “The King’s Speech”?)
Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be, I guess.
I will definitely check it out, Ed; thanks again.
Some of the best, and happiest, memories of my misbegotten youth was taking a Greyhound bus to downtown Pittsburgh (this was before I could drive), and spending a day in all those great Pittsburgh theaters seeing one movie after another.
I remember a New Year’s Day 1974 trip when I saw “The Exorcist” at the Warner, “Sleeper” at the Fiesta then took a cab (big spender!) to the Squirrel Hill to see “Day for Night.”
Or New Year’s Day 1975 (“The Godfather, Part II” at the Gateway, “The Night Porter” at Shadyside" and “The Little Prince” at King’s Court).
Or day-after-Thanksgiving 1974 (“The Klansman” at the Stanley, “The Gambler” at the Fiesta, “Law and Disorder” at the Fulton and “Earthquake” at the Warner).
By the time the ‘70s ended, the mystique of Pittsburgh movie theaters was seriously on the wane.
I think it all dates back to the opening of Showcase East in June '76.
Thanks for the info, Ed.
A bowling alley on the second floor?! That’s a hoot!
Any idea when the Strand finally closed its doors? It looked like the type of funky neighborhood theater that was already a dying breed when I was growing up in the ‘60s.
One of the things I loved about Pittsburgh theaters was that you could predict which movies would open where because they all had a distinct personality/identity of their own. That’s certainly a far cry from today when everything opens everywhere because every damn multiplex has 24 interchangeable, anonymous screens.
It was the same thing in NYC back in the '70s (particularly with “Bloomingdales Belt” theaters like Cinema 1, the Coronet and the Sutton) when I was in college.
I loved the State Theater!
I remember seeing “Mary Poppins” two days in a row there when it opened in February ‘65. The first Saturday matinee was a sell-out: I had to take turns sitting on the floor in the balcony with a friend of mine because they (apparently) miscalculated the # of tickets sold.
“The Sound of Music” played for at least a year there, and “Dr. Zhivago” was another lengthy engagement.
Also saw John Huston’s “The Bible,” Disney’s “The Jungle Book,” “Dr. Dolittle,” “Funny Girl” and “Woodstock” at the State in their first-run engagements.
Wow; talk about a trip down memory lane!
Does anyone recall the name of a second-run neighborhood theater in Oakland?
I remember discovering it by accident in May 1977 when I drove in from Youngstown to see “Star Wars” at the (dully instiutional) Showcase East, and “Andy Warhol’s Bad” at the (fabulous) King’s Court.
This unknown theater was playing “The White Buffalo” with Charles Bronson, and I seem to recall it being a block over from the K-Court.
Help!
The Newport was a favorite haunt of mine as a kid and teen.
They played so many wonderful movies in their first-run Youngstown engagement (“In Cold Blood,” the original “Planet of the Apes,” “Rosemary’s Baby,” “Bullitt,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “The Last Picture Show,” “Cabaret,” “A Clockwork Orange,” “Nicholas and Alexandra,” “Deliverance,” “The Exorcist,” “Shampoo,” “Gremlins,” “Beverly Hills Cop,” etc.)
The only negative was a harridan of a manager named Barbara Campbell, lol.
The Manor was predominantly a roadshow house back in the late 60s/early 70s: lots of UA stuff like “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Last Tango” and “Man of La Mancha.” When roadshow-style movies fell out of fashion, they experienced an identity crisis and struggled to remain in business.
It’s a miracle the theater still exists—albeit in a (sadly) tacky contempo version.
I also remember an item in George Anderson’s Post-Gazette column from August ‘72 when Woody Allen’s “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex” premiered at the Kings Court: Anderson commented on huge lines around the block on opening day. “Sex” wound up playing a little more than three months at the KC until it was replaced with “Play It As It Lays.”
I remember driving to Pittsburgh with my parents to see “The Last Picture Show” in March 1972. It was the first time I’d ever seen a movie outside of my (Youngstown) hometown, and the KC felt inordinately sophisticated and “big-city” to me. Loved the whole experience! Over the years, I went back there a few times and saw movies like “The Little Prince” (Xmas ‘74), “Hearts and Minds” (May '75) and “Next Stop, Greenwich Village” (Apr. '76). A wonderful theater that played some of the best movies of the “New Hollywood” era. Like so many other shuttered/demolished old Pittsburgh movie theaters, it’s greatly missed.
The Fiesta seemed so elegant to me when I was a kid.
I loved the escalator, the jewel box like interior and they showed some classy movies during their heyday (including many of the titles listed above).
I still remember taking a Greyhound bus from Youngstown OH to downtown Pittsburgh back in the summer of 1974 (I wasn’t old enough to drive yet), and seeing “California Split” at the Warner, “The Parallax View” at the Fiesta, “Death Wish” at the Gateway and “That’s Entertainment!” at the Chatham all in a row. Of course, I used to do that a lot back then.
Those were the days, my friends!
I loved how all the “Bloomingdales Belt” theaters had their own unique identity/personality. It was so pronounced in most cases—particularly with Cinema 1, the Coronet, the Plaza and the Sutton—that you could almost predict where certain films would open. In the 24-screen multiplex era, that sort of thing is definitely a lost art/charm. The only remaining NY theater that still books films like they used to is the Paris. And even their most recent bookings have seemed oddly discordant (“All Good Things” versus, say, “The King’s Speech”?)
Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be, I guess.