Hillcrest Theatre
2245 Morello Avenue,
Pleasant Hill,
CA
94523
2245 Morello Avenue,
Pleasant Hill,
CA
94523
2 people
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This theatre was located in the Hillcrest Shopping Center in Pleasant Hill. It opened as the Hillcrest Theatre on June 5, 1968 with Bob Hope in “The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell” & The Young Americans in “Young Americans”. It was renamed the Cooper Cinema on April 30, 1980. Since closing in September 1981, the building has been used by several different retail operators and in 2005 it became a church.
Contributed by
Robert Merk
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
In 1973-1974, it did turn into a porn house before reverting back to second-run. It was the first theater that showed porn films regularly in Contra Costa County. Others that did: Showcase(aka Enean) in Concord from 1975-late 1980’s (run initially as an independent, then Pussycat from 1976) and El Rey in (downtown) Walnut Creek on Main St(1975-1976, Mike Weldon theaters)
I drove by the site yesterday, it is now the Hope Center Covenant Church. The original building still stands, and there is construction underway in the parking lot adjacent to the former theatre.
On the Hope Center Covenant Church website (http://www.hopecenter.cc/), the are photos that show that the screen and curtain are still in place inside the auditorium.
The Hillcrest theatre opened on or around June 5, 1968. Its first features were a double bill of THE PRIVATE NAVY OF SGT. O FARRELL starring Bob Hope and Phyllis Diller and THE YOUNG AMERICANS.
On April 30, 1980, the Hillcrest theatre became the Cooper Cinema. It opened with the Francis Ford Coppola film APOCALYPSE NOW.
The Cooper Cinema closed its doors on or around September 8, 1981. Its last listed features were a double bill of STUDENT BODIES and GAS.
Moved to Pleasant Hill in 78. By then, this was a second-run theater, but I recall it being in very good shape. Saw several movies there, over the next few years, including the double-feature that closed the place. Weirdly, I also saw the last film at Fox in Concord. Maybe I should stay out of movie theaters, so they’ll stay open.
Grand opening ad posted.