Cinema 4

Angel4sam,
Thanks for the support! In updating our website today, I included a link to a weblog. I think it may be really helpful if everyone who sees this page puts a message of support on our blog. Thanks again and I will keep everyone posted on the progress!

I’m not sure how to update information, but I have collected a lot of research on this theatre. The architect was a man named Charles R. Geisler. He was a local person, who also designed the Hollywood Theatre on Potomac. I have a lot more info included on our website: www.southhillstheatheatre.org
If anyone can tell me how to update the info, I will do it!

angel4sam,

Thank you so much for posting that message in regard to the night my father died. I did not think he died in the booth of the SHiT (as my father called it) but I wasn’t sure because I was young and never asked questions about that night until now. It was interesting to see what happened at the theater that night.

My father really did put his heart and soul into that old theater and I would probably feel very sad if I toured it in its current condition. I remember as a kid, Old Man Baker, had a beautiful office on the second floor. I can remember studying his office as a kid. It was adorned in what I think was natural wood and the detailing was superb. Baker was a collector of elephants for some reason. I remember his office was full of different elephant statues and sculptures.

I also remember being there every Saturday and Dormont had some very good places to go. We used to walk down the street and go down to Jo Lynn’s Pizza on West Liberty and get pizza and spaghetti (I still to this day haven’t been able to find pizza that good). We would also play video games there. Or sometimes we would go to Isaly’s and get some fresh cheese and chipped ham and bring it back to the booth where my father had a TV. We would watch shows like the Bob Newhart show, Hee Haw and professional wrestling while eating our chipped ham sandwiches. We always had soda to drink because he or we would go to the concession stand to get it. We had a season pass to the Dormont pool and often when we would come back from swimming, we would go onto the roof top of the theater and catch some rays.

My father would show us how to properly splice film and how to load a reel into the projector. He never missed a reel change. I remember in the early hours before the first matinee showing, my father would always play albums like ELO and Kansas and pipe it through the theater. I can remember being back stage and seeing how amazing it was; all the cables and wiring, etc. The stage itself had an elevator in the middle to raise and lower equipment. Of course, we rode this elevator a few times.

My last good memory of this great old theater was sometime in the late 80’s, my parents (my mom and stepdad) took me to a “Cowboy Junkies” concert there. It was such a great and intimate venue.

If this theater could be brought back to life to do exactly what it did in the 70’s and 80’s, there would be no end to the revenue stream. Of course it would take some creative marketing to compete with the big multi-plexes of today and parking would be an issue but, I remember full-houses there weekend after weekend—that was never an issue.

I am the son of the projectionist who used to work at South Hills Theater up until 1983. The fact is, my father killed himself in January of 1983. I was 12 years old when this happened so I don’t know much about his death. But, I was reading on a blog under the “Hollywood Theater” that my father committed this act in the booth of the theater. It is ironic how much this theater was my father’s life and love and his life tragically ended there.

On a brighter note, I spent a great deal of time at this old theater and I have a lot of great memories. I can remember the grand stage with high arched openings on each side. The auditorium had a balcony that was similar to the stadium seating of today. I spent a good deal of time in the projectionist booth as well as it was easily accessible from the balcony. As kids, we would often watch movies from the spotlight house at the center of the balcony. I can also remember a packed-house for 70’s film classics like Star Wars, Jaws and Animal House, to name a few.

I have noticed the ol' theater is for sale. I would love to see this theater restored to its original glory. In fact, I believe the theater was featured on a Rick Sebak special, “Things that aren’t there anymore.” I’m not completely sure it was this exact special, but I can remember an interview in a Sebak special in which a person was interviewed in that theater before it was turned into the C4. This person was interviewed from the balcony and the original stage and auditorium can be seen in the background.

I would love to talk more about my memories if anyone cares to talk about it.

I would really like to return this theater to its former glory. Does anyone know somebody who specializes in theater restoration?

thanks,,,,,,,

They are asking $300,000.

I got a tour from the realestate agent the other day; the roof is leaking and most of the plaster is wet, the 4 auditoriums especially smell mouldy. This theater was origionally the South Hills Theater, whose single auditorium had a balcony that came down to the main floor, sort of an early form of stadium seating. There is a decent sized stage, (presently walled off), with about 6 dressing rooms, 3 to a side. There are several large office/lounge rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors, two with large arched windows that overlook the mainstreet. With a lot of work, this could be a very nice theater again.

Both the Cinema 4 and the Hollywood theaters in Dormont are ripe for revitalization. Dormont is a safe, established community (incorporated in 1909) with affordable and attractive older houses and easy access to the downtown Pittsburgh business community. In recent years it has been attracting younger residents because of these reasons. Yes, parking is somewhat of a problem but not impossible. The area is also incredibly accessible by public transportation. There are also numerous apartments & duplex rentals resulting in a high concentration of residents – who tend to patronize local businesses. Either of these could be a real money maker for someone with a little imagination and initiative.

Ahhh the old South Hills Theater. I had wonder concert experience back in 1989 when Nuclear Assault opened for Testament. Good times. A piece of my childhood died one evening when I doing the Dormont crawl and saw that C4 was condemned. Ahhh, good times.

Is there a chance any pictures of the original auditorium exist?

Could this have been originally the “South Hills” theater in Dormont, Circa 1927-8?

i live a couple of blocks from this theater and the hollywood, both are closed and both are for sale. the cinema 4 is still standing and the other movies where blow and crocidile dundee does la or something like that