Jaffrey is close to Peterborough and not far from Keene. There are people who have weekend homes in this area and who, along with local residents, should be counted upon to support a new theatre like this.
The Exeter Opera House is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. J. Wingate was Mgr. There were 632 seats and tickets were priced at 35 cents to $1. The theatre was on the ground floor. The proscenium opening was 26 feet wide X 18 feet high, and the stage was 37 feet deep. There were 5 in the house band, and there was both gas and electric illumination. Newspapers were Gazette, News Letter, Advertiser and Examiner. Hotels for show folk were Squamscott, Granite Hotel and American Hotel. Railroad was the Boston & Maine. The 1897 population was 5,000.
As a boy, I thought of the Met Opera House as a very glamorous and beautiful theatre. When I went into it around 1952 I was shocked at how shabby it was inside. Near it, the old Empire Theatre was still open but I never went into it. We used to go to NY on weekends because a trip there (from Boston) was so inexpensive even a school kid could afford it.
robboehm- How well I remember the old Met Opera House and the scenery out on the sidewalk! But not on 39th Street; it was to the rear- on Seventh Ave?? There was a large scene door at stage-left with an old dark brown canvas curtain over it. During the day all through the opera season if you walked by you would see rolled-up backdrops on the sidewalk, plus lots of scenery “flats” stacked up against the wall near the door.They didn’t seem to have space to store these items inside So they had to remove one set of scenery before they could load the new set. Rob- do you know where the Stage Door for performers, musicians and stage hands was located? I guess it was on the side of the building, either on the north wall, or the south wall.
The Girard Avenue Theatre is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide as housing a stock company. Charles Durban was Mgr. 1,315 seats. The proscenium opening was 32' wide X 30 ‘ high, and the stage was 34’ deep. There was both gas and electric illumination, and the auditorium was on the ground floor.
Long-time Cinema Treasures member and poster Hank Sykes of Cincinnati OH died recently. He had many friends in the Theatre Historical Society of America and in the Cinema Theatre Association in England.
How often does it need to be said that the Paramount project 10 years ago was not a restoration. Only the facade and marquee were restored; the remainder of the building was demolished. The theatre is new-construction, and the auditorium today looks nothing like the original. It definitely was not “restored to its former glory”, to use a cliche. I write this because I just today read a newspaper article which states that the Paramount has been “beautifully restored”. No, I don’t think so.
In the Quincy (MA) Patriot Ledger of Sat March 20, 2021, there is a lengthy feature article about Boston’s live theatres during the “pandemic” written by R. Scott Reedy of Metrowest Daily News. He most likely obtained the info and photos in his article from the theatres. Writing about the Modern Theatre and its ancestor, the Modern/ Mayflower, he says that it was originally the 1876 Dobson Building, “a sandstone warehouse designed by Levi Newcomb and Son”. Clarence Blackall rebuilt it into a theatre, adding an elegant Florentine Renaissance white marble facade. As we know, the facade in recent years was taken down in pieces like a gigantic puzzle and re-erected on the present new building. Most of Mr. Reedy’s comments in the article are accurate, and the photos look great !
Burnap’s Hall is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. S.R. Burnap was Mgr. 500 seats, electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 20 feet wide X 11 feet high, and the stage was 20 feet deep. Hotel for show folk was the Charter Oak Hotel; railroad was the New Haven RR. The Windsor Locks Journal printed the programs. The 1897 population was 3,000. Manager Burnap was also the house doctor.
Further to my comment about “The Student Prince” at this theater in 1924-25: The composer, Sigmund “Siggy” Romberg worked for the Shubert brothers. “Siggy” is not to be confused with “Ziggy”, Florenz “Flo"Ziegfeld, who produced the famous annual "Ziegfeld Follies” revues, plus hit musicals such as “Sally” and “Show Boat”. Before he built the Ziegfeld Theatre on Sixth Ave, Ziggy’s shows played at the New Amsterdam Theatre. What characters these people were in those days !
Another big musical hit show which played up at Jolson’s Theatre was “The Student Prince” which opened in Dec. 1924. Music by Sigmund Romberg. This show toured for over 25 years, and I saw it at the old Boston Opera House (near Symphony Hall) in 1950 or 1951. I also attended a lavish production, which was excellent, by the NY City Opera in the NY State Theatre at Lincoln Center in the 1980s.
There is a Columbia Theatre listed under North Adams in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. W.P. Meade was Mgr. 814 seats. Tickets, 35 cents to $1. The theater was upstairs and had both gas and electric illumination. The proscenium was 30 feet wide X 15 feet high, and the stage was 25 feet deep. There were 6 players in the house orchestra. The 1897 population was 22,000.
The Federal Th. is listed under Salem in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook with 1800 seats and open 7 days per week. Other Salem theaters listed with it were: Salem Th., Comique, Empire and Plaza.
In the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide there is a Shultz’s Opera House in Olney. Was that this theatre? It was located on the second floor and had 600 seats. A.E. Shultz was Mgr. Tickets, 25 cents & 50 cents. It had a huge orchestra with 22 players. Electric illumination.
One mark of an old theatre is when the roof of the stage house has slanted sides, as we see in the photo here.
The Bristol Opera House is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. C.W. Sparks was Mgr. It had 670 seats and was located on the ground floor. Tickets cost 25 cents to 75 cents.The proscenium opening was 22 feet wide X 20 feet high, and the stage was 26 feet deep. There was a piano, but no house orchestra. Weekly newspaper Bristol Phoenix. Hotels for show folks: Bristol House, Church Street House. Railroad: New Haven RR. 1897 population: 8,000.
The Holdrege Opera House is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. E. Roth was Mgr, the house had 800 seats, was on the second floor and had electric lighting. The proscenium opening was 50 feet wide X 25 feet high and the stage was 30 feet deep. There were 7 in the house orchestra, and tickets cost 25 cents to 75 cents.The Hampton Hotel was for show folks, and the 1897 population was 2,500.
I recently saw a list of cities where the hit movie “Birth of a Nation” was exhibited in “road-show” engagements in 1915. It played in Boston at the Colonial Theatre and also at the Tremont (Astor) Theatre. But I don’t know if the movie played both houses simultaneously, or if it moved from one to the other.
There was a report in Trains Magazine on-line rail news about this matter. The IMAX cinema is unfortunately located too close to the 1896 rail bridge which is to be replaced. The bridge is on the Boston - New York main line used by Amtrak. The report says that the replacement cinema is now under construction on the far side of the Aquarium building, well away from the tracks. The cinema is to close in mid-January, followed by the opening of its replacement.
The Weymouth Theatre was originally called the “Gem Theatre” and was on the site of a popular tavern opened in 1741 and demolished in 1927. This info appears in an Arcadia book “Weymouth - Then and Now” published in 2016.
There was a “Worcester Theatre” at 20 Exchange Street listed in the 1916 city directory (posted by Joe Vogel on the Family Th. page). This must have been a predecessor whose name was no longer in use when this later theatre was built. There is no Worcester Th. listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook but they do mention that there were 8 movie theaters planned for Worcester at that time. This must have been one of them.
Was Tipp City with its Chafee’s Opera House once known as “Tippecanoe City” ? In the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide there is a Chafer’s Chaffer’s Opera House in Tippecanoe City, Ohio. (the theater name is spelled both ways). It was on the second floor and had 650 seats, and gas illumination. S. E. Smith was Mgr. The town population in 1897 was 1,800.
“The Red Shoes” was a very popular British film about ballet dancers. I don’t recall that Norma Shearer was in the cast !
Jaffrey is close to Peterborough and not far from Keene. There are people who have weekend homes in this area and who, along with local residents, should be counted upon to support a new theatre like this.
The Exeter Opera House is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. J. Wingate was Mgr. There were 632 seats and tickets were priced at 35 cents to $1. The theatre was on the ground floor. The proscenium opening was 26 feet wide X 18 feet high, and the stage was 37 feet deep. There were 5 in the house band, and there was both gas and electric illumination. Newspapers were Gazette, News Letter, Advertiser and Examiner. Hotels for show folk were Squamscott, Granite Hotel and American Hotel. Railroad was the Boston & Maine. The 1897 population was 5,000.
As a boy, I thought of the Met Opera House as a very glamorous and beautiful theatre. When I went into it around 1952 I was shocked at how shabby it was inside. Near it, the old Empire Theatre was still open but I never went into it. We used to go to NY on weekends because a trip there (from Boston) was so inexpensive even a school kid could afford it.
robboehm- How well I remember the old Met Opera House and the scenery out on the sidewalk! But not on 39th Street; it was to the rear- on Seventh Ave?? There was a large scene door at stage-left with an old dark brown canvas curtain over it. During the day all through the opera season if you walked by you would see rolled-up backdrops on the sidewalk, plus lots of scenery “flats” stacked up against the wall near the door.They didn’t seem to have space to store these items inside So they had to remove one set of scenery before they could load the new set. Rob- do you know where the Stage Door for performers, musicians and stage hands was located? I guess it was on the side of the building, either on the north wall, or the south wall.
The Girard Avenue Theatre is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide as housing a stock company. Charles Durban was Mgr. 1,315 seats. The proscenium opening was 32' wide X 30 ‘ high, and the stage was 34’ deep. There was both gas and electric illumination, and the auditorium was on the ground floor.
RickJenkins - just Google “Vaudeville” or “Vaudeville theatres” and you will get many responses.
Long-time Cinema Treasures member and poster Hank Sykes of Cincinnati OH died recently. He had many friends in the Theatre Historical Society of America and in the Cinema Theatre Association in England.
How often does it need to be said that the Paramount project 10 years ago was not a restoration. Only the facade and marquee were restored; the remainder of the building was demolished. The theatre is new-construction, and the auditorium today looks nothing like the original. It definitely was not “restored to its former glory”, to use a cliche. I write this because I just today read a newspaper article which states that the Paramount has been “beautifully restored”. No, I don’t think so.
In the Quincy (MA) Patriot Ledger of Sat March 20, 2021, there is a lengthy feature article about Boston’s live theatres during the “pandemic” written by R. Scott Reedy of Metrowest Daily News. He most likely obtained the info and photos in his article from the theatres. Writing about the Modern Theatre and its ancestor, the Modern/ Mayflower, he says that it was originally the 1876 Dobson Building, “a sandstone warehouse designed by Levi Newcomb and Son”. Clarence Blackall rebuilt it into a theatre, adding an elegant Florentine Renaissance white marble facade. As we know, the facade in recent years was taken down in pieces like a gigantic puzzle and re-erected on the present new building. Most of Mr. Reedy’s comments in the article are accurate, and the photos look great !
RE- the opening paragraph above: in 1978 the theatre was taken over by McLennan, not “McLendon”.
Burnap’s Hall is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. S.R. Burnap was Mgr. 500 seats, electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 20 feet wide X 11 feet high, and the stage was 20 feet deep. Hotel for show folk was the Charter Oak Hotel; railroad was the New Haven RR. The Windsor Locks Journal printed the programs. The 1897 population was 3,000. Manager Burnap was also the house doctor.
Further to my comment about “The Student Prince” at this theater in 1924-25: The composer, Sigmund “Siggy” Romberg worked for the Shubert brothers. “Siggy” is not to be confused with “Ziggy”, Florenz “Flo"Ziegfeld, who produced the famous annual "Ziegfeld Follies” revues, plus hit musicals such as “Sally” and “Show Boat”. Before he built the Ziegfeld Theatre on Sixth Ave, Ziggy’s shows played at the New Amsterdam Theatre. What characters these people were in those days !
Another big musical hit show which played up at Jolson’s Theatre was “The Student Prince” which opened in Dec. 1924. Music by Sigmund Romberg. This show toured for over 25 years, and I saw it at the old Boston Opera House (near Symphony Hall) in 1950 or 1951. I also attended a lavish production, which was excellent, by the NY City Opera in the NY State Theatre at Lincoln Center in the 1980s.
There is a Columbia Theatre listed under North Adams in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. W.P. Meade was Mgr. 814 seats. Tickets, 35 cents to $1. The theater was upstairs and had both gas and electric illumination. The proscenium was 30 feet wide X 15 feet high, and the stage was 25 feet deep. There were 6 players in the house orchestra. The 1897 population was 22,000.
The Comique Theatre is listed under Salem, Mass. in the 1927 Film daily Yearbook as having 600 seats and operating 7 days per week.
The Federal Th. is listed under Salem in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook with 1800 seats and open 7 days per week. Other Salem theaters listed with it were: Salem Th., Comique, Empire and Plaza.
In the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide there is a Shultz’s Opera House in Olney. Was that this theatre? It was located on the second floor and had 600 seats. A.E. Shultz was Mgr. Tickets, 25 cents & 50 cents. It had a huge orchestra with 22 players. Electric illumination.
One mark of an old theatre is when the roof of the stage house has slanted sides, as we see in the photo here.
The Bristol Opera House is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. C.W. Sparks was Mgr. It had 670 seats and was located on the ground floor. Tickets cost 25 cents to 75 cents.The proscenium opening was 22 feet wide X 20 feet high, and the stage was 26 feet deep. There was a piano, but no house orchestra. Weekly newspaper Bristol Phoenix. Hotels for show folks: Bristol House, Church Street House. Railroad: New Haven RR. 1897 population: 8,000.
The Holdrege Opera House is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. E. Roth was Mgr, the house had 800 seats, was on the second floor and had electric lighting. The proscenium opening was 50 feet wide X 25 feet high and the stage was 30 feet deep. There were 7 in the house orchestra, and tickets cost 25 cents to 75 cents.The Hampton Hotel was for show folks, and the 1897 population was 2,500.
I recently saw a list of cities where the hit movie “Birth of a Nation” was exhibited in “road-show” engagements in 1915. It played in Boston at the Colonial Theatre and also at the Tremont (Astor) Theatre. But I don’t know if the movie played both houses simultaneously, or if it moved from one to the other.
There was a report in Trains Magazine on-line rail news about this matter. The IMAX cinema is unfortunately located too close to the 1896 rail bridge which is to be replaced. The bridge is on the Boston - New York main line used by Amtrak. The report says that the replacement cinema is now under construction on the far side of the Aquarium building, well away from the tracks. The cinema is to close in mid-January, followed by the opening of its replacement.
The Weymouth Theatre was originally called the “Gem Theatre” and was on the site of a popular tavern opened in 1741 and demolished in 1927. This info appears in an Arcadia book “Weymouth - Then and Now” published in 2016.
There was a “Worcester Theatre” at 20 Exchange Street listed in the 1916 city directory (posted by Joe Vogel on the Family Th. page). This must have been a predecessor whose name was no longer in use when this later theatre was built. There is no Worcester Th. listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook but they do mention that there were 8 movie theaters planned for Worcester at that time. This must have been one of them.
Was Tipp City with its Chafee’s Opera House once known as “Tippecanoe City” ? In the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide there is a Chafer’s Chaffer’s Opera House in Tippecanoe City, Ohio. (the theater name is spelled both ways). It was on the second floor and had 650 seats, and gas illumination. S. E. Smith was Mgr. The town population in 1897 was 1,800.