Opened: October 2, 1963 with Shirley Jones and Gig Young in "A Ticklish Affair." The two stars along with Troy Donahue, Suzanne Pleshette and others were at the opening. Thanks to Dallas Movie Theaters for finding the pre-opening photo for a post on Cinema Treasures.
It was located in the Rolling Hills Plaza shopping center on the north side of PCH just east of Crenshaw. The theatre was a project of Seattle-based Sterling Theatres, headed by Fred Danz. The company was soon rebranded as Sterling Recreation Organization, also known as SRO.
Architect: Roland Pierson. Thanks to Joe Vogel for the research. He comments:
"The architect of this theatre was Roland Decker Pierson. Sterling’s Rolling Hills was one of several theaters featured in an article on theater concession stands published in the October 19, 1964 issue of Boxoffice Magazine. The November 30, 1970 issue of Boxoffice had an item saying that Sterling had again hired Pierson, this time to design a two-screen addition to the Rolling Hills Theatre. Each of the new auditoriums would seat 500, and would have been stacked one above the other. This would have been the first such theater in the Los Angeles area had the plans been carried out. After designing the Rolling Hills Theatre, Pierson also designed at least two other theaters for Sterling: The Montclair, in the city of the same name, and the Hastings in Pasadena."
A trade magazine rendering of the new theatre. Thanks to Elmorovivo for locating this for a post on Cinema Treasures.
Seating: 1,100 originally as a single screen house. SRO twinned the theatre in 1975.
An pre-opening ad from the Torrance Herald appearing with Sam Gnerre's 2014 Daily Breeze article "The Rolling Hills Theatre had mostly good days, but one very bad one."
A robbery in February 1973 resulted in the after-hours stabbing deaths of four employees. The theate had been running a Disney double feature that week. The theatre resumed operation and SRO twinned it in 1975.
A May 28, 1975 ad for the reopening as a twin. Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating it.
Closed: September 9, 1984 was the last day of operation. The shopping center was getting remodeled and Sterling had been given the option of building a new multiplex but they declined.
Status: The building has been remodeled and is now a BevMo! and Nijiya, a Japanese market.
Interior views:
A 1970 lobby photo appearing with Sam Gnerre's 2014 Daily Breeze article. The auditorium was off to the right.
A July 1970 Daily Breeze photo. Projectionist Clyde Felts was one of the employees killed at the theatre in 1973. The equipment at the theatre when it was a single screen venue included Strong Futura II arc lamps, Motiograph AA heads and Motiograph SH-7500 soundheads. It's a photo appearing with Sam Gnerre's 2014 Daily Breeze article.
More exterior views:
1963 - A pre-opening view. It was another find by Dallas Movie Theaters for a post on Cinema Treasures.
1970 - It's a July Daily Breeze photo appearing with Sam Gnerre's 2014 Daily Breeze article.
1984 - The theatre is seen in the upper center. It's a Daily Breeze file photo.
2018 - Looking in toward the repurposed building. Photo: Google Maps
2018 - The theatre's entrance was once where the market at the left now is located. The screen was at the right end of the BevMo! building. Photo: Google Maps
More information: See the Cinema Treasures page about the Rolling Hills for over 150 comments. Cinema Tour also has a page about the theatre.
Sam Gnerre's fine 2014 Daily Breeze article "The Rolling Hills Theatre had mostly good days, but one very bad one" discusses the theatre and the murders that took place there.
The theatre is seen in the 17 minute film "Skater Dater" from 1965. It's on YouTube.
In the same shopping center directly behind the building that had been the SRO Rolling Hills, the AMC Rolling Hills 6 opened May 16, 1986. It was later expanded and became the AMC Rolling Hills 20 with a grand opening July 25, 1997. It uses an address of 2591 Airport Dr. See the Cinema Treasures page about that complex.
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