Showing posts with label Drive Ins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Drive Ins. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

February 22nd 1967: The Endless Summer

February 22nd 1967
In the harsh dead of a Pittsburgh winter, there was a ray of warm sunshine in 14 indoor and 5 drive-in area theaters. Bruce Brown's seminal surfing documentary THE ENDLESS SUMMER opened wide in Pittsburgh on February 22nd, 1967. It had previously opened on November 23rd, 1966 (Thanksgiving weekend) at the Manor and the Hollywood theaters in it's initial "first run". I can imagine there would have been nothing better in near freezing (or below freezing) temperatures than to take shelter in a warm theater and pretend to be surfing around the world for 90 minutes. I cannot, however, imagine what it would be like to be sitting in a car, watching it on an outdoor screen. Oh, what am I going on about? I'd have loved to have seen it that way, too! Above is the February 22nd, 1967 ad and below are the initial run ads.


November 23rd 1966
November 25th 1966
December 2nd 1966

December 9th 1966
If you've never seen this film, I urge you to see it as soon as you possibly can. Even sooner.

Other Shockedelic films that opened in Pittsburgh on this date include...

February 22nd 1977

February 22nd 1985

February 22nd 1967


Monday, January 30, 2012

January 28th 1970


Well, let's see what was going on, entertainment wise, in Pittsburgh the week of January 28th, 1970, shall we????

 
The big movie this week was THE REIVERS starring Steve McQueen.
Elia Kazan's THE ARRANGEMENT opened on that day at the Stanley.
The Forum / Encore played the Marlo Thomas / Alan Alda melodrama JENNY, a film that used Nilsson's "Waiting" as it's main theme.
This week saw the Shadyside playing special benefit performances of DOWNHILL RACER for the Guild For The Blind...
...while the Chatham played the Dustin Hoffman / Mia Farrow starrer, JOHN AND MARY.
101 DALMATIANS was making it's 7 year rounds in wide release.
At the drive in's, THE REIVERS dominated screens, trying to get that winter buck.
HELLO DOLLY played the Warner, while Squirrel Hill's engagement of PAINT YOUR WAGON was coming to a close.
EASY RIDER was in it's 4th month at the King's Court while the suburban theaters were saturated with THE REIVERS and 101 DALMATIANS. The Denis was one of six theaters playing Barbara Streisand's FUNNY GIRL.
The Gateway played the James Bond actioner ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, the Fulton played GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS with Peter O'Toole and Pet Clark and the Fiesta played CACTUS FLOWER, which starred Walter Matthau and Goldie Hawn.
The Manor was playing the scandalous I, A WOMAN PART 2! (yes, I know I scanned the Warner and Squirrel Hill ads twice!)

The Guild was being daring and counter culture by playing PUTNEY SWOPE. Notice the censored ad, featuring the extra 'finger' that made the obscene gesture into a 'Peace Sign'..
The Dattola Theater in New Kensington was playing the super scandalous I AM CURIOUS (YELLOW).
In the adult 'Art' world, the Casino was playing FOUR ON THE FLOOR,
The Art Cinema played a double bill of THE ECSTASIES OF WOMEN and OFFICE LOVE IN,

                                         and the Penthouse Adult Theatre Played HOT LIPS and an extra "all color girl show".
Finally, if you wanted to see a live show, Park Burlesk hosted "Miss 50 Inch" BUSTY RUSSELL for the entire week!

Monday, August 1, 2011

June 25th, 1986

I came across another newspaper entertainment section recently. It's from a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and is dated Wednesday, June 25th, 1986. No real reason that this paper was saved, except maybe that it was my birthday. I turned 17 on the day this paper was issued. Let's see what choices we had to entertain ourselves on that day (click on the pictures to enlarge them)...



The big film of the summer (for myself, at least) was John Hughes' FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF. As a teenager going into his Senior year that fall, this movie really set a tone. Sure, we as audience members were a bunch of Cameron Fryes secretly wishing we were Ferris, but wasn't the movie secretly about Cameron anyway? I actually saw FBDO at a sneak preview a week before it opened at the Showcase West. Everyone was given a "Leisure Rules" poster and pin. I still have mine.



BACK TO SCHOOL was another incredibly big movie that summer. It was Rodney Dangerfield at the height of his cinematic powers. It also starred Sally Kellerman, Keith Gordon, Robert Downey, Jr. and, in his film debut, Sam Kinison. I also saw this one at the Showcase West.



I suppose, on a date night, you could do worse than THE KARATE KID PART 2. It was a good sequel, but for some reason, whenever I come across the title of this film, the Peter Cetera theme song, "Glory of Love" always nests in my brain for hours... I caught up with this one on cable. There were way too many movies to see that year.



Legal Eagles was one for an older crowd. There always needs to be a balance. I mean, how many thirtysomethings were really waiting for the next KARATE KID or another John Hughes film? I think I caught up with this one on video.



...And if there are summer films for Thirtysomethings, then what about a movie for the Fourtysomethings and beyond? Well, BIG TROUBLE was the ticket for those moviegoers who loved THE IN-LAWS. It was John Cassevettes' last directing gig.



The toddlers need a movie to call their own, too, right? How about a movie that'll make 'em beg their parents to buy more toys? Though standard today, the theatrical cartoon as toy commercial was a pretty recent phenomenon back then. I pity those poor parents.

Let's see, on a larger scale, what was playing in town that week in 1986:



The Southland theater, just down from Century III mall on route 51 was the newest theater around at the time. That's why it received top billing in the ad. It shows that horror fans were digging POLTERGEIST II and the Tobe Hooper remake of INVADERS FROM MARS, macho action addicts were getting their Testosterone fix off of Sly Stallone's COBRA, Arnold Schwarzenegger's RAW DEAL and the Tom Cruise / Kelly McGillis romancer TOP GUN (with DOLBY STEREO prominently displayed in the North Hills cinema ad). Sci-Fi fans were geeking out on THE MANHATTAN PROJECT, the robot comedy SHORT CIRCUIT and the Kate Capshaw vehicle, SPACE CAMP. The more sophisticated filmgoer could see Woody Allen's HANNAH AND HER SISTERS at the Hollywood and McKnight cinemas, while the King's Court was exclusively playing the Merchant / Ivory opus ROOM WITH A VIEW. The Alan Alda starred SWEET LIBERTY was playing in a few theaters at this time, also.



No surprises from the Showcase Cinemas, which were playing generally what every other first run house was playing that week.



Oliver Stone's SALVADOR was still screening at the West Hills Cinemas on that week in 1986. Meryl Streep was starring in Plenty on one of two screens at the Bethel Cinemas and the Plaza was still grinding out the Charles Bronson popcorn muncher MURPHY'S LAW. The Filmmaker's at the Fulton, ever the high class establishment was projecting the British documentary 28 UP.



The Drive Ins were in full force on that summer of '86; some legit, some porny. What's interesting here is to see what the second features were that played along side the current films. Penelope Spheeris' HOLLYWOOD VICE SQUAD was paried with RAW DEAL at several Drive Ins,while BACK TO THE FUTURE was paired with SWEET LIBERTY at the Brookside and with THE MONEY PIT at the Greater Pittsburgh. SWEET LIBERTY was paired with Ridley Scott's LEGEND at the Camp Horne and Twin Hi-Way Drive Ins and Paramount's GUNG HO was paired with APRIL FOOL'S DAY at the Monroeville and PRETTY IN PINK on screen one at the the Mt. Lebanon. SPACE CAMP and the Schwarzenegger starred COMMANDO played at the Colonial, Kenmwar and Wexford Starlite Drive Ins. I saw that double bill at the Colonial. One of the five Greater Pittsburgh screens was playing the inspired double bill, Empire Pictures' CRITTERS and Troma's GIRLS SCHOOL SCREAMERS. The Dependable, Maple and screen two of the Mt. Lebanon were playing porn. The Dependable had as their third "legit" feature, 3 Stooges shorts and, strangely, the Mt. Lebanon and Maple Drive Ins weren't advertising any "legit" feature to go along with their pornographic films.



The adult "Art" houses were going out of vogue, but there were still two advertising with graphic ads. The Garden was playing the Harry Reems starrer PULSATING FLESH and a second feature, the John Holmes / Jamie Gillis helmer MARATHON (1982) (both from Diamond Films) and, getting with the times, had added a "Grecian Room" that played Gay / All male bills. The Art cinema, while advertising it's existence, wasn't printing titles by this time. Could be for many reasons; they weren't aware of what they were showing in advance or they might have been showing untitled loops at this time.



The New Edison was no longer a Burlesque house and was now touting it's acts a Go-Go and Exotic. Seems at this time, the fan dancers were being given their pink slips and pole dancing was coming in.



For some good clean fun, you could have gone to harpers where every Wednesday night, you could join "George Gee's Swinging Dance Party" that had "The Big Band Sound". Figgin's had an "Evening of Jazz" that I'm sure was not to be missed.



Of course, if you were hungry or wanted to take that special someone out on the town for the evening, you could always patronize the Baltimore House where their special that week was Hard Shelled Crabs.

But, if you asked me, the place to be on Wednesday, June 25th, 1986 was at Heinz Hall...


That's right! LIBERACE was performing all that week at the Heinz Hall with two shows a day. How could you not see that???!?