North Hills Theatre
North Hills Shopping Center,
McKnight Road,
Pittsburgh,
PA
15237
North Hills Shopping Center,
McKnight Road,
Pittsburgh,
PA
15237
5 people
favorited this theater
Showing 17 comments
Sunday Blue Law was still in effect and voted on in 1963, prior to 1964 opening.
https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bTIgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9k4EAAAAIBAJ&dq=north%20hills%20theater%20mcknight%20road&pg=5322%2C1702665&fbclid=IwAR0oTs5xKDVV4my3sqmlT4nGN_lPDtYE91BYWaeZn_YXukZpoyyApNHQqIk
April 9th, 1964 grand opening ad in photo section.
I attended the first night when it was opened to the public with “Seven Days in May.” There was a special “invitation only” performance the night before. Excellent movie but it confused me that it was selected as the first film. It really was not one to show off the capabilities of the theater – a small screen and black and white. I believe that this was supposed to be the second largest screen in the area and that it was designed in order to show Cinerama. But it never came to be since Cinerama died out a few years later. With no real stage and only a few stairs leading up to the base of the curtains, the gold curtains stretched from wall to wall and ceiling to floor. These curtains continued for a short distance along either side of the theater. One could see where some slight modifications would allow Cinerama. The seats were also gold and I believe the carpets were red. I saw “Becket” here and the picture was massive and impressive. There was a balcony. I was only up there for the opening of “Airport.” This place holds a very special place in my heart since this was my wife and I’s first date: a re-release of “Doctor Zhivago.”
hello their i live in Canada and i always have a certain interest to go to Pittsburgh some day specially loving the nation football league and seeing my number one team the steelers play, i seen the North Hills Theater in a print ad which it lead me to your web site, the building it self is amazing of how things back then like anything else that was done with passion and great luv and it unfortunate and very sad that the building is not longer standing, it would of been nice if somebody keep it alive to see it in person, but not even one photo of it on the internet to see it full view, very very sad specially having a great passion for film a great dream of mine i would of like to seen some photos of it inside and out, this is why history should be restored rather then destroyed but that what u get when greedy fat cats trying to make a buck and wipe out things that are very beautiful
71 dude,love the listings.remember playing quite a few of them.Some I forgot.
In 1989, when the full restoration print of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA was touring the country, this was the last remaining theater in the entire Greater Pittsburgh region able to show it because it was the last to have the appropriately sized screen and projection system. Then, within three months, it, too, was gone. I sat with George Romero for that LAWRENCE screening. So glad we needed that Circuit City.
Opening…
View link
and closing…
View link
I ran all of me in 84 here and they still used carbons for the lams. Was a great theatre.
Anybody got any color photos of this magnificent building? I was totally ticked when they tore it down. Great art-deco building and I really liked the red font lettering they used in NORTH HILLS THEATRE for the marquee.
Here’s a pic:
View link
Here is a list of films that played here from December 21, 1979 until the theater closed on October 1, 1989.
12/21/79 The Electric Horseman
02/29/80 The Godsend
03/07/80 Being There
03/28/80 Lady and the Tramp
04/25/80 Love at First Bite
05/09/80 Friday the 13th
06/11/80 Urban Cowboy
07/11/80 Last Flight of Noah’s Ark/101 Dalmatians
07/18/80 Honeysuckle Rose
08/01/80 Close Encounters of the Third Kind
08/15/80 Herbie Goes Bananas
08/29/80 Raise the Titanic
09/19/80 The Big Brawl
09/26/80 He Knows You’re Alone
10/10/80 Private Benjamin
12/19/80 Nine to Five
04/10/81 Star Wars
04/24/81 Heaven’s Gate
05/08/81 Lion of the Desert
05/22/81 The Four Seasons
06/12/81 History of the World Part 1
07/17/81 Endless Love
08/21/81 First Monday in October
09/18/81 Continental Divide
10/16/81 The French Lieutenant’s Woman
11/13/81 Private Lessons
12/04/81 Reds
01/22/82 On Golden Pond
05/28/82 Rocky III
07/23/82 Porky's
07/28/82 An Officer and a Gentleman
11/10/82 Creepshow
12/10/82 The Toy
02/11/83 Sophie’s Choice
03/25/83 The Black Stallion Returns
04/08/83 Frightmare
04/15/83 They Call Me Bruce?
04/22/83 Screwballs
04/29/83 My Tutor
05/13/83 Warlords of the 21st Century
05/20/83 Piranha II: The Spawning
05/25/83 Return of the Jedi
10/21/83 The Dead Zone
11/18/83 A Night in Heaven
12/09/83 Yentl
02/03/84 Star 80
02/17/84 Blame It on Rio
03/16/84 Tank
03/30/84 Romancing the Stone
05/23/84 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
08/10/84 Cloak and Dagger
08/31/84 Bolero
09/21/84 All of Me
10/19/84 The Little Drummer Girl
11/09/84 No Small Affair
11/16/84 Just the Way You Are
11/30/84 Give My Regards to Broad Street
12/14/84 Starman
02/01/85 Heavenly Bodies
02/08/85 Amadeus
02/15/85 Vision Quest
03/01/85 Tuff Turf
03/08/85 Tomboy
03/15/85 The Dungeonmaster
03/29/85 The Slugger’s Wife
04/05/85 The Killing Fields
04/12/85 Desperately Seeking Susan
05/10/85 Rappin'
05/17/85 Blood Simple
05/22/85 Rambo: First Blood Part II
07/10/85 Silverado
08/16/85 Year of the Dragon
09/27/85 Invasion USA
10/11/85 Silver Bullet
11/01/85 Death Wish 3
11/15/85 Once Bitten
11/22/85 One Magic Christmas
12/11/85 The Jewel of the Nile
01/31/86 Down and Out in Beverly Hills
03/14/86 Gung Ho
04/11/86 A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2
05/02/86 Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling
05/16/86 Top Gun
06/27/86 Ruthless People
07/18/86 Aliens
08/15/86 The Fly
09/05/86 closed for renovations
10/10/86 Sorority House Massacre
10/17/86 The Color of Money
12/05/86 Heartbreak Ridge
01/16/87 Wanted Dead or Alive
01/30/87 Outrageous Fortune
03/27/87 Blind Date
04/24/87 Extreme Prejudice
05/08/87 Gardens of Stone
05/22/87 Ernest Goes to Camp
06/03/87 The Untouchables
08/05/87 Stakeout
09/18/87 The Principal
10/02/87 Big Shots
10/09/87 Someone to Watch Over Me
10/23/87 Nightflyers
10/30/87 Someone to Watch Over Me
11/06/87 Hello Again
12/04/87 Death Wish 4: The Crackdown
12/11/87 Wall Street
01/15/88 Good Morning, Vietnam
04/22/88 The Unholy
05/06/88 Hairspray
05/13/88 Stand and Deliver
05/25/88 Rambo III
06/22/88 Who Framed Roger Rabbit
09/16/88 closed
10/07/88 Alien Nation
10/28/88 Bat*21
11/11/88 Iron Eagle II
11/23/88 Cocoon: The Return
12/23/88 Hellbound: Hellraiser II
01/13/89 I’m Gonna Git You Sucka
01/27/89 Physical Evidence
02/10/89 The Fly II
03/03/89 Dream a Little Dream
03/17/89 The Rescuers
03/31/89 The Rescuers/1969
04/07/89 The Rescuers/The Accidental Tourist
04/14/89 Say Anything
04/28/89 Criminal Law
05/12/89 See No Evil, Hear No Evil
06/02/89 Lawrence of Arabia
06/30/89 The Karate Kid Part III
07/21/89 When Harry Met Sally
Featured Century Model JJ 35-70mm projectors and Ashcraft Carbon Arc lamphouses. 6 channel sound system was by RCA. Water cooling for the silver carbon contacts used a heat exchanger system made from an old automobile radiator. I’m sure they went to xenon lamps before 1980. Stanley-Warner did a fine job on this theater and the South Hills Village, a similar design and size on the other side of the metro.
The building was torn down and a Staples was built in its place. Just what we really needed! My wife and I had one of our first dates at the threatre during the Summer of 1989 and we saw “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, at least that is what I remember. She also worked at the McDonald’s behind the threatre, but that was during the early 1980’s
What is in the space now?
The last feature played here was “When Harry Met Sally” on Oct. 1, 1989.
I attended high school in North Hills in the early ‘70s and worked at the McDonalds that was right behind this theater on McKinght Road. I spent many happy hours in this big movie theater. I remember seeing the re-releases of “The Sound of Music” and “Mary Poppins” here, as well as the Pittsburgh engagement of the awful musical version of “Lost Horizon”. This theater was a terrific place to see films and I’m sorry to hear that it’s gone.
The North Hills Theatre was designed by Drew Eberson and built by Stanley-Warner Corporation, opening in l964. It was configured with a large main floor and a small balcony overhanging the rear of the auditorium. The theatre was equipped for 70mm. The theatre operated as a single screen until the lease expired and the shopping center owner sought additional retail space.
It was a great theatre.