I saw a sneak preview screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark at the Chatham a couple of weeks before its actual opening. It was a packed house. When Indy shot the swordsman, the place literally erupted. it was an amazing experience at a truly classic theater.
Was the premiere of Romero’s 1978 Dawn of the Dead held at this theater or the nearby Gateway? I attended the screening but fail to remember which venue it was in.
Saw Jaws at this theater during July of 1975 while on vacation. Certainly the best movie to see while at the beach and the perfect film for a Boardwalk theater. There was a definite undercurrent of anxiety on the beach—I remember the lifeguards whistling people out of the water at least a couple of times.
The original Star Wars played at the Bank Cinemas for over a year from 1977 – 1978. No downtown Pittsburgh theater picked up Star Wars upon its initial release (it only played at Showcase Cinemas in Monroeville when it opened on May 25). Once the film exploded at the box office, the Bank managed to get it booked by July 20 and showed it on both screens initially. The Cinemette chain did not make the same mistake twice and booked The Empire Strikes Back in the Warner Theatre three years later.
I saw a sneak preview screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark at the Chatham a couple of weeks before its actual opening. It was a packed house. When Indy shot the swordsman, the place literally erupted. it was an amazing experience at a truly classic theater.
Was the premiere of Romero’s 1978 Dawn of the Dead held at this theater or the nearby Gateway? I attended the screening but fail to remember which venue it was in.
Saw Jaws at this theater during July of 1975 while on vacation. Certainly the best movie to see while at the beach and the perfect film for a Boardwalk theater. There was a definite undercurrent of anxiety on the beach—I remember the lifeguards whistling people out of the water at least a couple of times.
The original Star Wars played at the Bank Cinemas for over a year from 1977 – 1978. No downtown Pittsburgh theater picked up Star Wars upon its initial release (it only played at Showcase Cinemas in Monroeville when it opened on May 25). Once the film exploded at the box office, the Bank managed to get it booked by July 20 and showed it on both screens initially. The Cinemette chain did not make the same mistake twice and booked The Empire Strikes Back in the Warner Theatre three years later.