The Grand Opera House is listed under “Dubuque Iowa” in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide, an annual for roadshow producers. The seating capacity is given as 1,350 and ticket prices range from 25 cents to $1. William Roehl was the manager. The theatre was on the ground floor and had both gas and electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 35 feet square and the stage was 36 feet deep. There were 7 members of the house orchestra. The town was served by 4 railroads and had 4 newspapers. Hotels were the Julian, Larimier and Merchants. The 1897 population of Dubuque was 40,000.
The Grand Opera House in Wilmington DE is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. The seating capacity is given as 1,330. Ticket prices ranged from 15 cents to $1. The manager was Jesse Baylis. The theatre was on the ground floor and had the “Edison system” of electricity. The proscenium opening was 40 feet square, and the stage was 45 feet deep. There were 7 members in the house orchestra. At the time, there were 4 newspapers in Wilmington, one of which was the Frei Presse, apparently a German-language paper. Hotels in town were the Clayton, Dennings, Delaware and Central. The 1897 population of Wilmington was 70,000.
As the Union Square Theatre, it was profiled in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project. There is an exterior photo dated April 1941. The photo was taken from the same angle as the color photo posted above on April 4, 2005 by Gerry Deluca. High up on the end wall was a lighted sign with the theatre’s name. Above the entrance was a small marquee with the Union Square name on the frnt and sides. Posted on the marquee in white letters on a dark background is the movie, James Stewart and Paulette Goddard in “Pot O' Gold”. The Report says that the theatre is on Union St., that it is not a MGM customer, that it was built about 1915, is in Fair condition, and has 500 seats, apparently all on one floor. There is a notation that the Union Square Theatre plays non-MGM first-run films.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Strand in Pittsfield MA has an exterior photo dated May 1941. The theatre entrance is in the center, with a store on either side. In back is a peaked-roof building consistent with a church, as mentioned above. Above each of the 2 stores there is a big tacky billboard. The marquee has “Strand” in bulb-studded letters on its front and above the name is the legend, “Pittsfield’s Family Theatre”. Under the marquee there appears to be a center box-office with double doors on each side. The photo I have is of poor quality. The Report states that the Strand is at 409 North St., that it has been a MGM customer for over 10 years; that it’s over 15 years old and is in Fair condition, and has 780 seats, apparently all on one floor. It is listed in the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac as being part of Nathan Goldstein’s Western Massachusetts Theatres.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Tyler Theatre has an exterior photo dated May 1941. There was a narrow entrance in a building which appears to be 1 ½ stories high. There was a small triangle marquee above, with poster cases on either side of the doors and poster boards above the doors. It’s not possible to read the posters and the marquee looks blank. The Report states that the Tyler is at 532 Tyler St., that it has been a MGM customer for over 15 years; that it was built in 1915, is in Poor condition, and has 524 seats, apparently all on one floor.
The Palace in Pittsfield was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project. There is a facade photo dated May 1941. The theatre entrance was in the center of a 3-story building. The front corners of the fancy marquee were supported by posts rising from the sidewalk. There was an arch above the marquee and a vertical blade sign affixed to the facade. The attractions posted on the 2 lines of the marquee are not readable in the photo. The Report states that the Palace is at “132 North St.”, that it has been presenting MGM product for over 10 years; that it’s over 15 years old; that it’s in Good condition and has 1115 seats on the main floor and 450 in the balcony, total: 1,565 seats.
As the Kameo Theatre, the Showplace was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project. There is an exterior photo dated 1941. The narrow entrance was in the center of a one-story building with a fancy roof cornice. “Kameo” was printed in large letters on the front of the marquee. The front corners of the marquee were supported by posts rising up from the curb. The Report states that the Kameo is on North St., that it hs been a MGM customer for 15 years; that it was built in 1905, is in Good condition; and has 775 seats on the main floor and 225 in the balcony, total: 1000 seats. The Report includes 2 more photos taken in June 1950 after the Kameo’s name had been changed to State Theatre. The old marquee with its support columns appears to have been updated with the new name and new panels. Attractions are: “Kiss the Blood Off My Hands” and “Bowery Buckaroos”. The store to the right is Leonard’s Candy shop. The 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac states that the Kameo was being operated by Charles Morse theatres.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Colonial has an exterior photo dated May 1941. At that time the entrance to the theatre was on the left side of the facade, with a large marquee above. There was a one-story addition on the right side of the facade with a store in it. There is a notation on the Report that the theatre is “Closed”, but that can’t be— there is something (unreadable) posted on the marquee; there are posters in the poster cases and there are 4 lines of pennant streamers flying from the top of the marquee to the roof. The theatre hardly looks closed in the photo. Another error is that the Report says the Colonial is on “North St.” instead of South St. The Report states that the theatre has been a MGM customer for over 10 years; that it’s over 15 years old; that it’s in Fair condition and has 800 seats. Other movie theatres in Pittsfield are listed as: Capitol, Kameo, Palace, Tyler, Union Square, and Strand. The 1940 population of Pittsfield was 49,600.
The Capitol in Pittsfield was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project. There is an exterior photo dated May 1941. The marquee is the same as that in the color photo posted by Gerald DeLuca on April 1 2005. There was a vertical blade sign above. A movie with Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck is posted on the marquee. The Report states that the Capitol is located at 326 North St., that it has been presenting MGM product for over 10 years; that it’s over 15 years old and in Good condition. The seating: 1002 in the orchestra; 224 in the balcony, and 112 in the loges; total: 1,338 seats. There were 7 movie theatres in Pittsfield in 1941.
I attended a film at the Rialto in September 1959 when I was fresh off the old RMS Queen Mary from New York. The film was “Blue Denim”, a movie about teen angst, which was appropriate since I was just out of my teens myself and full of angst. A couple of girls sitting in front of me cried through much of it. It was a week-night screening. I seem to recall that it was necessary to climb a few steps to enter the inner foyer, and that the cinema was in very good condition. However, it seemed larger to me than the 684-seat figure above would sugggest. I believe that it had a balcony or circle.
To Tony0356 – send me, at , your US Mail address and I will send you a copy of the MGM Report. Be warned that the quality is no great shakes (my copy is a Xerox of a Xerox of a Xerox, etc.) If you happen to have $52 burning a hole in your pocket, you can order a high-quality copy of the MGM Report (for the Circle, or any other theatre in the series) from the THSA archive in Elmhurst IL.
There is a Temple Theatre in Alton IL listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. The seating capacity is given as 1,151. Ticket prices range from 25 cents to $1. The theatre was on the ground floor and had both gas and electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 30 feet square, and the stage was 32 feet deep. There were 10 members of the house orchestra led by “Professor Baffuno”. W.M. Sauvage was the Mgr. Alton at the time had 4 hotels and was served by 4 railroads. The population was 17,000.
The Opera House in Chester IL was listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide, an annual for roadshow managers. Its seating capacity was given as 650. It was under the managment of Herman Wiebusch and Edw. Tindall. Ticket prices ranged from 25 cents to 50 cents. The proscenium opening was 18 feet wide x 9 feet high, and the stage was 18 feet deep. The theatre was on the second floor and had electric illumination. There apparently were no less than 7 hotels in Chester, and 3 newspapers. The town was served by 2 railroads and 3 steamboat lines. The population was 5,000.
The Apollo, as the Apollo Hall, is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide under Princeton, Illinois. The seating capacity was given as 1,000. C.G. Cushing was Mgr. The proscenium opening was 25 feet wide x 18 feet high, and the stage was 30 feet deep. Ticket prices ranged from 25 cents to 50 cents. The theatre was on the ground floor and had gas illumination. Local hotels were the American House and the Powell House, and there were 3 weekly local newspapers, the Republican, the Tribune and the Record. Local railroad was the CB&Q. The population was 5,000.
As the Collingwood Opera House, the Bardavon is listed in the 1897-98 edition of Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide. The seating capacity is given as 1,550. The Mgr. was E.B. Sweet and the theatre was located on the ground floor. It had both gas and electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 40 feet square, and the stage was 32 feet deep. There were 8 members of the house orchestra. Hotels in Poughkeepsie included the Nelson House, the Morgan House and the Troy House. The population was 25,000.
The caption of the photo link posted above by Neal G says that the Opera Block was constructed in 1890. There is a theatre listed under Woodsville NH in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. However, it’s not the Opera House, but the “Music Hall”. I don’t know if they are one in the same. According to the Guide, the Music Hall had 600 seats, and was on the second floor of its building. The proscenium opening was 21 feet wide x 18 feet high, and the stage was 22 feet deep. Quincy Scott was the Mgr. Local hotels were the Wentworth, Johnson and Parker House. The population of Woodsville was given as 1,300.
The Taylor Opera house in Danbury is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Theatrical Guide, an annual for roadshow producers. The seating capacity is given as 1,250. Ticket prices ranged from 25 cents to 75 cents. The proscenium opening was 25 feet wide x 22 feet high, and the stage was 35 feet deep. The theatre was on the second floor and F.A. Shear was the Mgr. There were 5 members in the house orchestra. The theatre had gas illumination. Local hotels were the Turner, City, Pratt and Windsor. The 1897 population of Danbury is given as 22,000.
There was an earlier Lebanon Opera House. It’s listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Theatrical Guide. It had a seating capacity of 1,200 and was located on the second floor. The proscenium opening was 28 feet wide and the stage was 25 feet deep. Owen Briggs was the Manager. Unfortunately, the listings in this Guide do not give street addresses, but it was somewhere in downtown Lebanon. I’m guessing that it burned down and was replaced in 1924 by the current Lebanon Opera House. The 1897 population of Lebanon was 4,500.
The Opera House in Claremont NH is listed in the 1897-98 edition of Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide, a publication for roadshow producers. The seating capacity is given as 1,025 and the auditorium is on the second floor. The proscenium opening is 34 feet and the stage is 31 feet deep. The house has both gas and electric illumination. Oscar Rand is the Mgr and Arthur Perry was orchestra leader. Local hotels are the Claremont, Belmont and Sullivan House. Although the Opera House was brand new at the time this edition of the Guide was being printed, that fact is not mentioned in the listing.
There is a Bellows Falls Opera House listed under Bellows Falls VT in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. I don’t know if it is the same as the present building. It is listed as having 1,000 seats. Ticket prices range from 35 cents to 75 cents. It had electric illumination. The proscenium was 35 feet wide x 30 feet high,and the stage was 33 feet deep. The theatre was on the second floor and there were 5 members in the house orchestra. J.E. Brosnahan was Manager. Local hotels include the Rockingham, Commercial and the Fall Mountain House. The local newspaper was the Bellows Falls Times, W.C. Belknap critic.
The Opera House in Newport RI is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. It’s listed simply as “Opera House”, not “Newport Opera House”. The seating capacity is given as 1,217. Admission prices range from 50 cents to $1. Thomas F. Martin is listed as Manager, Business Manager and Press Agent (busy guy). The proscenium opening is 26 feet square, and the stage is 36 feet deep. The theatre is on the ground floor and is illuminated by gas. The 1897 population of Newport was 22,000.
The total number of seats in the Scollay Square Olympia as listed in the MGM Report of April 1941 is 2,538 – not 3,538 as added incorrectly in my posting of Dec. 2, 2005.
Bravo to you, Jim L, for taking some action. And how big was the stage at the Kenmore? And to Gerry DeLuca: here is what is posted on the Kenmore marquee in the MGM Report photo— only the right side of the semi-circle shows in the photo. In the center are 3 short words arrange vertically, but I can’t read them. On the right, top line reads Now Playing 3rd Year in NY; middle line reads “The Baker’s Wife”; bottom line reads Charles Boyer Irene Dunne. The title of the Boyer- Dunne movie may have been posted on the left side of the marquee.
There is a MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for a movie theatre in Uxbridge on Main St. It’s listed as the “Cameo Theatre” on the Report, but that could easily be an error. There is an exterior photo taken in May 1941. The photo is very poor quality. The theatre name does not appear on it, or is otherwise unreadable.
There is a one-story entrance building and a 2-story main building behind it. The Report states that the theatre has been a MGM customer for over 10 years, but then states that it was built in 1940, typical of the errors which appear in these reports. The theatre’s condition is Excellent. The seating is 454 on the main floor and 116 in the balcony, total: 570 seats. The Report states that there are no competing theatres in Uxbridge, and the 1940 population was 3,300 – but someone crossed that out and wrote in 6,400.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for this theatre has an exterior photo dated May 1941 when it was the Ware Theatre. There was a rectangular marquee with “Ware” in huge letters on the front. There was also a vertical blade sign above. The attraction is “Virginia”. The Report states that the theatre was at 286 Cabot St., that it has been playing MGM product for over 10 years; that it’s over 15 years old, and is in Good condition. There are 750 seats on the main floor and 450 in the balcony, total: 1200 seats. The patronage is “Class” (meaning “high-class”). A competing theatre in Beverly is the Larcom Th. The 1940 population of Beverly was 25,500.
The Grand Opera House is listed under “Dubuque Iowa” in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide, an annual for roadshow producers. The seating capacity is given as 1,350 and ticket prices range from 25 cents to $1. William Roehl was the manager. The theatre was on the ground floor and had both gas and electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 35 feet square and the stage was 36 feet deep. There were 7 members of the house orchestra. The town was served by 4 railroads and had 4 newspapers. Hotels were the Julian, Larimier and Merchants. The 1897 population of Dubuque was 40,000.
The Grand Opera House in Wilmington DE is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. The seating capacity is given as 1,330. Ticket prices ranged from 15 cents to $1. The manager was Jesse Baylis. The theatre was on the ground floor and had the “Edison system” of electricity. The proscenium opening was 40 feet square, and the stage was 45 feet deep. There were 7 members in the house orchestra. At the time, there were 4 newspapers in Wilmington, one of which was the Frei Presse, apparently a German-language paper. Hotels in town were the Clayton, Dennings, Delaware and Central. The 1897 population of Wilmington was 70,000.
As the Union Square Theatre, it was profiled in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project. There is an exterior photo dated April 1941. The photo was taken from the same angle as the color photo posted above on April 4, 2005 by Gerry Deluca. High up on the end wall was a lighted sign with the theatre’s name. Above the entrance was a small marquee with the Union Square name on the frnt and sides. Posted on the marquee in white letters on a dark background is the movie, James Stewart and Paulette Goddard in “Pot O' Gold”. The Report says that the theatre is on Union St., that it is not a MGM customer, that it was built about 1915, is in Fair condition, and has 500 seats, apparently all on one floor. There is a notation that the Union Square Theatre plays non-MGM first-run films.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Strand in Pittsfield MA has an exterior photo dated May 1941. The theatre entrance is in the center, with a store on either side. In back is a peaked-roof building consistent with a church, as mentioned above. Above each of the 2 stores there is a big tacky billboard. The marquee has “Strand” in bulb-studded letters on its front and above the name is the legend, “Pittsfield’s Family Theatre”. Under the marquee there appears to be a center box-office with double doors on each side. The photo I have is of poor quality. The Report states that the Strand is at 409 North St., that it has been a MGM customer for over 10 years; that it’s over 15 years old and is in Fair condition, and has 780 seats, apparently all on one floor. It is listed in the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac as being part of Nathan Goldstein’s Western Massachusetts Theatres.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Tyler Theatre has an exterior photo dated May 1941. There was a narrow entrance in a building which appears to be 1 ½ stories high. There was a small triangle marquee above, with poster cases on either side of the doors and poster boards above the doors. It’s not possible to read the posters and the marquee looks blank. The Report states that the Tyler is at 532 Tyler St., that it has been a MGM customer for over 15 years; that it was built in 1915, is in Poor condition, and has 524 seats, apparently all on one floor.
The Palace in Pittsfield was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project. There is a facade photo dated May 1941. The theatre entrance was in the center of a 3-story building. The front corners of the fancy marquee were supported by posts rising from the sidewalk. There was an arch above the marquee and a vertical blade sign affixed to the facade. The attractions posted on the 2 lines of the marquee are not readable in the photo. The Report states that the Palace is at “132 North St.”, that it has been presenting MGM product for over 10 years; that it’s over 15 years old; that it’s in Good condition and has 1115 seats on the main floor and 450 in the balcony, total: 1,565 seats.
As the Kameo Theatre, the Showplace was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project. There is an exterior photo dated 1941. The narrow entrance was in the center of a one-story building with a fancy roof cornice. “Kameo” was printed in large letters on the front of the marquee. The front corners of the marquee were supported by posts rising up from the curb. The Report states that the Kameo is on North St., that it hs been a MGM customer for 15 years; that it was built in 1905, is in Good condition; and has 775 seats on the main floor and 225 in the balcony, total: 1000 seats. The Report includes 2 more photos taken in June 1950 after the Kameo’s name had been changed to State Theatre. The old marquee with its support columns appears to have been updated with the new name and new panels. Attractions are: “Kiss the Blood Off My Hands” and “Bowery Buckaroos”. The store to the right is Leonard’s Candy shop. The 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac states that the Kameo was being operated by Charles Morse theatres.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Colonial has an exterior photo dated May 1941. At that time the entrance to the theatre was on the left side of the facade, with a large marquee above. There was a one-story addition on the right side of the facade with a store in it. There is a notation on the Report that the theatre is “Closed”, but that can’t be— there is something (unreadable) posted on the marquee; there are posters in the poster cases and there are 4 lines of pennant streamers flying from the top of the marquee to the roof. The theatre hardly looks closed in the photo. Another error is that the Report says the Colonial is on “North St.” instead of South St. The Report states that the theatre has been a MGM customer for over 10 years; that it’s over 15 years old; that it’s in Fair condition and has 800 seats. Other movie theatres in Pittsfield are listed as: Capitol, Kameo, Palace, Tyler, Union Square, and Strand. The 1940 population of Pittsfield was 49,600.
The Capitol in Pittsfield was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project. There is an exterior photo dated May 1941. The marquee is the same as that in the color photo posted by Gerald DeLuca on April 1 2005. There was a vertical blade sign above. A movie with Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck is posted on the marquee. The Report states that the Capitol is located at 326 North St., that it has been presenting MGM product for over 10 years; that it’s over 15 years old and in Good condition. The seating: 1002 in the orchestra; 224 in the balcony, and 112 in the loges; total: 1,338 seats. There were 7 movie theatres in Pittsfield in 1941.
I attended a film at the Rialto in September 1959 when I was fresh off the old RMS Queen Mary from New York. The film was “Blue Denim”, a movie about teen angst, which was appropriate since I was just out of my teens myself and full of angst. A couple of girls sitting in front of me cried through much of it. It was a week-night screening. I seem to recall that it was necessary to climb a few steps to enter the inner foyer, and that the cinema was in very good condition. However, it seemed larger to me than the 684-seat figure above would sugggest. I believe that it had a balcony or circle.
To Tony0356 – send me, at , your US Mail address and I will send you a copy of the MGM Report. Be warned that the quality is no great shakes (my copy is a Xerox of a Xerox of a Xerox, etc.) If you happen to have $52 burning a hole in your pocket, you can order a high-quality copy of the MGM Report (for the Circle, or any other theatre in the series) from the THSA archive in Elmhurst IL.
There is a Temple Theatre in Alton IL listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. The seating capacity is given as 1,151. Ticket prices range from 25 cents to $1. The theatre was on the ground floor and had both gas and electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 30 feet square, and the stage was 32 feet deep. There were 10 members of the house orchestra led by “Professor Baffuno”. W.M. Sauvage was the Mgr. Alton at the time had 4 hotels and was served by 4 railroads. The population was 17,000.
The Opera House in Chester IL was listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide, an annual for roadshow managers. Its seating capacity was given as 650. It was under the managment of Herman Wiebusch and Edw. Tindall. Ticket prices ranged from 25 cents to 50 cents. The proscenium opening was 18 feet wide x 9 feet high, and the stage was 18 feet deep. The theatre was on the second floor and had electric illumination. There apparently were no less than 7 hotels in Chester, and 3 newspapers. The town was served by 2 railroads and 3 steamboat lines. The population was 5,000.
The Apollo, as the Apollo Hall, is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide under Princeton, Illinois. The seating capacity was given as 1,000. C.G. Cushing was Mgr. The proscenium opening was 25 feet wide x 18 feet high, and the stage was 30 feet deep. Ticket prices ranged from 25 cents to 50 cents. The theatre was on the ground floor and had gas illumination. Local hotels were the American House and the Powell House, and there were 3 weekly local newspapers, the Republican, the Tribune and the Record. Local railroad was the CB&Q. The population was 5,000.
As the Collingwood Opera House, the Bardavon is listed in the 1897-98 edition of Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide. The seating capacity is given as 1,550. The Mgr. was E.B. Sweet and the theatre was located on the ground floor. It had both gas and electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 40 feet square, and the stage was 32 feet deep. There were 8 members of the house orchestra. Hotels in Poughkeepsie included the Nelson House, the Morgan House and the Troy House. The population was 25,000.
The caption of the photo link posted above by Neal G says that the Opera Block was constructed in 1890. There is a theatre listed under Woodsville NH in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. However, it’s not the Opera House, but the “Music Hall”. I don’t know if they are one in the same. According to the Guide, the Music Hall had 600 seats, and was on the second floor of its building. The proscenium opening was 21 feet wide x 18 feet high, and the stage was 22 feet deep. Quincy Scott was the Mgr. Local hotels were the Wentworth, Johnson and Parker House. The population of Woodsville was given as 1,300.
The Taylor Opera house in Danbury is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Theatrical Guide, an annual for roadshow producers. The seating capacity is given as 1,250. Ticket prices ranged from 25 cents to 75 cents. The proscenium opening was 25 feet wide x 22 feet high, and the stage was 35 feet deep. The theatre was on the second floor and F.A. Shear was the Mgr. There were 5 members in the house orchestra. The theatre had gas illumination. Local hotels were the Turner, City, Pratt and Windsor. The 1897 population of Danbury is given as 22,000.
There was an earlier Lebanon Opera House. It’s listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Theatrical Guide. It had a seating capacity of 1,200 and was located on the second floor. The proscenium opening was 28 feet wide and the stage was 25 feet deep. Owen Briggs was the Manager. Unfortunately, the listings in this Guide do not give street addresses, but it was somewhere in downtown Lebanon. I’m guessing that it burned down and was replaced in 1924 by the current Lebanon Opera House. The 1897 population of Lebanon was 4,500.
The Opera House in Claremont NH is listed in the 1897-98 edition of Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide, a publication for roadshow producers. The seating capacity is given as 1,025 and the auditorium is on the second floor. The proscenium opening is 34 feet and the stage is 31 feet deep. The house has both gas and electric illumination. Oscar Rand is the Mgr and Arthur Perry was orchestra leader. Local hotels are the Claremont, Belmont and Sullivan House. Although the Opera House was brand new at the time this edition of the Guide was being printed, that fact is not mentioned in the listing.
There is a Bellows Falls Opera House listed under Bellows Falls VT in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. I don’t know if it is the same as the present building. It is listed as having 1,000 seats. Ticket prices range from 35 cents to 75 cents. It had electric illumination. The proscenium was 35 feet wide x 30 feet high,and the stage was 33 feet deep. The theatre was on the second floor and there were 5 members in the house orchestra. J.E. Brosnahan was Manager. Local hotels include the Rockingham, Commercial and the Fall Mountain House. The local newspaper was the Bellows Falls Times, W.C. Belknap critic.
The Opera House in Newport RI is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. It’s listed simply as “Opera House”, not “Newport Opera House”. The seating capacity is given as 1,217. Admission prices range from 50 cents to $1. Thomas F. Martin is listed as Manager, Business Manager and Press Agent (busy guy). The proscenium opening is 26 feet square, and the stage is 36 feet deep. The theatre is on the ground floor and is illuminated by gas. The 1897 population of Newport was 22,000.
The total number of seats in the Scollay Square Olympia as listed in the MGM Report of April 1941 is 2,538 – not 3,538 as added incorrectly in my posting of Dec. 2, 2005.
Bravo to you, Jim L, for taking some action. And how big was the stage at the Kenmore? And to Gerry DeLuca: here is what is posted on the Kenmore marquee in the MGM Report photo— only the right side of the semi-circle shows in the photo. In the center are 3 short words arrange vertically, but I can’t read them. On the right, top line reads Now Playing 3rd Year in NY; middle line reads “The Baker’s Wife”; bottom line reads Charles Boyer Irene Dunne. The title of the Boyer- Dunne movie may have been posted on the left side of the marquee.
There is a MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for a movie theatre in Uxbridge on Main St. It’s listed as the “Cameo Theatre” on the Report, but that could easily be an error. There is an exterior photo taken in May 1941. The photo is very poor quality. The theatre name does not appear on it, or is otherwise unreadable.
There is a one-story entrance building and a 2-story main building behind it. The Report states that the theatre has been a MGM customer for over 10 years, but then states that it was built in 1940, typical of the errors which appear in these reports. The theatre’s condition is Excellent. The seating is 454 on the main floor and 116 in the balcony, total: 570 seats. The Report states that there are no competing theatres in Uxbridge, and the 1940 population was 3,300 – but someone crossed that out and wrote in 6,400.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for this theatre has an exterior photo dated May 1941 when it was the Ware Theatre. There was a rectangular marquee with “Ware” in huge letters on the front. There was also a vertical blade sign above. The attraction is “Virginia”. The Report states that the theatre was at 286 Cabot St., that it has been playing MGM product for over 10 years; that it’s over 15 years old, and is in Good condition. There are 750 seats on the main floor and 450 in the balcony, total: 1200 seats. The patronage is “Class” (meaning “high-class”). A competing theatre in Beverly is the Larcom Th. The 1940 population of Beverly was 25,500.