The 1927 Film Daily Yearbook lists only a Strand Theatre in Watertown, with 600 seats. I don’t have a MGM Report for the Coolidge, although one may have been completed. However, there is a Report (May 1941) for the Watertown Square Theatre which happens to list the Coolidge Theatre as the only competing theatre in the area.
Thanks for the comments about the Abington Drive-In. It was indeed very close to the South Weymouth NAS runways ! I drove up and down Route 53 many times from mid-1950s onward en route to the Edaville Railroad in South Carver and simply can’t recall this Drive-In until I noticed it all overgrown with saplings and weeds circa 1980s. The marquee out on the edge of the street had a very 1950s look about it.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for E.M. Loew’s Davis Square Theatre in Somerville has a facade photo taken in May 1941.The entrance was on a corner, with a box office in the center. There was a boxy marquee with white letters on a black background. Movies playing are “Kit Carson” and “Moon over Burma”. 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 hasd 645 seats, apparently all on one floor.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for Peterson’s Orpheum on Cross Street in Somerville has a facade photo taken in 1941. There is a large arch above the entrance which has an unusual gate across part of it. Projecting at right angles to the arch is a small attraction board. The Report states that the theater has been a MGM customer for 1 year; that it was built in 1890 (must refer to the structure itself); that it’s in Fair condition, and has 921 seats, apparently all on one floor.
More about the Warner Memorial Th. at Worcester Academy. It opened in April 1932, so it was in operation at the same time as the Warner Theatre downtown. It was designed by the noted theater architect Drew Eberson. It has 336 seats on the main floor and 40 in the balcony, total: 376. I have seen some additional color photos of it and, as Gerry DeLuca points out above, it is a real “treasure” – no wonder the staff at the school are so proud of it !
The theater opened in November 1909; its architect was Parkman Haven of the firm Wheelwright and Haven. Some claim that it had over 3000 seats – a recent example: Craig Morrison in his book “Theaters” lists a seating capacity of 3944. It had 2 tiers of boxes and 2 balconies. On its sidewalls were several more tiers of boxes, plus a standee area high up under the ceiling on each side. Along the right side of the theater was a side-street called Opera Place. The stage-door and a wing with dozens of dressing rooms was located there. On the rear stage wall there was a large scene-loading door. From about 1948 until it closed there were no more movies there, as far as I can recall.
The 1927 Film Daily yearbook lists the Apollo with 700 seats. The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Apollo has a photo taken in May 1941. Under the marquee is a hanging sign which says “All Seats 10 cents”. The Report states that the theater is not showing MGM films; that it was built about 1910, that it’s in Poor condition, and has 700 seats, apparently all on one floor.
According to the 1921 City Directory, the Cobb was at 1009 Washington Street, and the Apollo was at 1050 Washington. They were not next to one another and, in fact, were on opposite sides of Washington St. But both were near the Columbia Theatre. The 1927 Film Daily yearbook lists the Cobb as having 500 seats. The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Cobb has a photo taken in May 1941. The front of the marquee says “New Cobb Theatre – Always 2 Big Features”. The Report states that the Cobb was not a MGM customer; that it was built about 1910; that it was in Poor condition, and that it had 700 seats, apparently all on one floor.
to mb848- the theatre entrance was in the middle of a 2-story building, and I can’t recall if that building’s north corner was at the corner— I don’t think it was. The MGM Report photo shows a one-story structure next to the south side of the building. That stretch of streetscape seems much more open to me than it was many years ago. The Lincoln had a store on each side of its entrance. The building was probably 60 feet wide or so. (3 bays at 20 feet each).
The Colonial opened during the Christmas season of 1900, apparently on December 20, although I have also seen Dec. 24 and Dec. 25. Behind the right auditorium wall are several floors of dressing rooms.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Medford Theater on Salem Street has an exterior photo taken in April 1941. There is a fairly narrow entrance with a small marquee and vertical above and what appears to be a Palladian-style window over the marquee. The Report states that the Medford has been playing MGM product for over 10 years; that it’s over 15 years old; that it’s in Fair condition; and has 792 seats on the main floor and 504 in the balcony; total: 1296 seats.
There was a booth for follow spotlights at the rear of the 2nd balcony and I assume that it doubled as a projection booth for the film showings in the 1910s and in 1927.
The design for the auditorium was won in a competition by one H. Noury. The architects were E. Cabot, J. Cabot, and Jonathan Preston.The entrance on Washington Street was in the exact location of the entrance today to the Opera House (ex- Keith Memorial Theatre).
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Teele Square Theatre has a facade photo taken in 1941. Movies on the marquee are Abbott and Costello in “Buck Privates” and “Who Killed Aunt Maggie”. There are small stores on either side of the theatre entrance. The auditoirum in back appears to be only one story-plus high. The Report states that the Teele Sq. has been showing MGM product for over 15 years; that it’s in Good condition; and that it has 980 seats. After it closed, it was occupied by the Charles Stewart Company, a theatrical supply house. The owner was Earle Stanley “Charlie” Stewart who was son or grandson of the original owner. “Charlie” was a talented scenic painter, and the shallow stage of the theatre had had a paint frame affixed. In the auditorium were many racks holding hundreds of rolled-up scenic backdrops. Charlie’s office was in the right-front auditorium exit space. The place also had rental equipment, such as fog machines. Charlie, who was an elderly man in the 1980s, was a real “Character” and was the subject of a feature article in the Phoenix weekly newspaper in the mid-1980s. He loved to talk about Boston-area theaters and had a large collection which, I understand, was willed to one of the libraries at Tufts University. The auditorium of the Teele Square Theatre had only one floor, no balcony.
On a Sunday evening in December 1952, I was returning to Boston by train from a weekend in New York with my older brother and his friends. While snacking in the lounge car, I overheard a nattily-dressed middle-aged man at the next table telling a college-age couple at his table that he was an actor heading for the Colonial Theatre in Boston to appear in a play. The next day I noted in the newspaper that there was no play opening that night at the Colonial. Later that week, while attending a matinee at the Casino Theatre, I was amused to see the man up on stage in the comedy sketches. The distinguished thespian was, in fact, a burlesque comic and had been “snowing” the gullible kids on the train.
During renovations, the original stagehouse was demolished and a new one constructed. When one enters it from the scene dock in the rear stage wall, if the curtain is up and the stage is empty, the effect is like walking into a giant hanger for Goodyear blimps! The Palace’s stage is absolutely mammoth and must rank as one of the largest stages of any theatre in America.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Paramount on Main St. in Springfield has a facade photo taken in May 1941. The Report states that the house was not a MGM customer; that it was over 15 years old; that it was in Good condition, and that it had 708 seats on the main floor and 858 in the balcony, total: 1566 seats. But, having been inside it once, that figure seems too small to me. I also have a figure of 2400 seats, while someone above posted 3755 seats, which may be too many. There are opening years posted above of both 1926 and 1929— does anyone know for sure when it opened and approx. how many seats it had ??
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Granada on Pleasant St. in Malden has a facade photo taken in April 1941. The entrance had a big boxy multi-bulbed marquee with “Granada” in huge letters on its front. The Report states that the theatre had been showing MGM product for over 10 years, that it was over 15 years old; that it was in Good condition, and had seating of: main floor: 1402, Balcony: 829; total seats: 2231. The population of Malden in 1940 was 58,000. There are MGM Reports for 5 other theatres in Malden in 1941: Mystic, Auditorium, Capitol, Orpheum and Strand. Does anyone know if the Grenada was a true “atmospheric” design with a sky ceiling to go with its Spanish Baroque design? Atmospheric theatres were very few in the Greater Boston area.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Palace on Broadway in Lawrence has an exterior photo taken in May 1941. It certainly had a long, imposing classical facade ! The movie playing is Bette Davis in “The Great Lie”. The Report states that the Palace has been showing MGM product for over 10 years; that it’s over 15 years old; that it’s in Good condition; it had 1052 seats on the main floor and 723 seats in the balcony, total: 1775 seats. The 1940 population of Lawrence was 84,300. There are MGM Reports for 5 other movie theaters in Lawrence: Modern, Warner, Strand, Central and Broadway.
Congratulations and thanks ! Cinema Treasures is a wonderful site, and a valuable resource. Here’s a way to get to the 15,000 mark fast: set up a sub-progam called “Stage Treasures” and allow for the listing of non-movie theaters. Cinema Treasures could then become a one-stop treasury of all theaters, everywhere.
The theatre is not listed in the 1927 Film Daily yearbook; what is listed for Amherst MA is the Town Hall, with 795 seats.In the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac, the Amherst Th. is listed under Shea-Chain, Inc. and Affiliates, and is shown as being part of the “Shea Circuit”. It’s not included under Western Massachusetts Theatres. None of this means much, because these industry sources seem to be full of errors !
Thanks, dwodeyla, for trying to pin down the demolition period. I had an idea that it could not have happened prior to May 1968. The Uptown was a favorite theatre of mine.
The corrections at the top of the page look great. Thank you, Ron Newman and Lost Memory. When I noticed this antique cinema in the 1941 MGM Reports I had no idea it was still around.
The 1927 Film Daily Yearbook lists only a Strand Theatre in Watertown, with 600 seats. I don’t have a MGM Report for the Coolidge, although one may have been completed. However, there is a Report (May 1941) for the Watertown Square Theatre which happens to list the Coolidge Theatre as the only competing theatre in the area.
Thanks for the comments about the Abington Drive-In. It was indeed very close to the South Weymouth NAS runways ! I drove up and down Route 53 many times from mid-1950s onward en route to the Edaville Railroad in South Carver and simply can’t recall this Drive-In until I noticed it all overgrown with saplings and weeds circa 1980s. The marquee out on the edge of the street had a very 1950s look about it.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for E.M. Loew’s Davis Square Theatre in Somerville has a facade photo taken in May 1941.The entrance was on a corner, with a box office in the center. There was a boxy marquee with white letters on a black background. Movies playing are “Kit Carson” and “Moon over Burma”. 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 hasd 645 seats, apparently all on one floor.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for Peterson’s Orpheum on Cross Street in Somerville has a facade photo taken in 1941. There is a large arch above the entrance which has an unusual gate across part of it. Projecting at right angles to the arch is a small attraction board. The Report states that the theater has been a MGM customer for 1 year; that it was built in 1890 (must refer to the structure itself); that it’s in Fair condition, and has 921 seats, apparently all on one floor.
More about the Warner Memorial Th. at Worcester Academy. It opened in April 1932, so it was in operation at the same time as the Warner Theatre downtown. It was designed by the noted theater architect Drew Eberson. It has 336 seats on the main floor and 40 in the balcony, total: 376. I have seen some additional color photos of it and, as Gerry DeLuca points out above, it is a real “treasure” – no wonder the staff at the school are so proud of it !
The theater opened in November 1909; its architect was Parkman Haven of the firm Wheelwright and Haven. Some claim that it had over 3000 seats – a recent example: Craig Morrison in his book “Theaters” lists a seating capacity of 3944. It had 2 tiers of boxes and 2 balconies. On its sidewalls were several more tiers of boxes, plus a standee area high up under the ceiling on each side. Along the right side of the theater was a side-street called Opera Place. The stage-door and a wing with dozens of dressing rooms was located there. On the rear stage wall there was a large scene-loading door. From about 1948 until it closed there were no more movies there, as far as I can recall.
At the time it closed was it a Loews house ?
The 1927 Film Daily yearbook lists the Apollo with 700 seats. The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Apollo has a photo taken in May 1941. Under the marquee is a hanging sign which says “All Seats 10 cents”. The Report states that the theater is not showing MGM films; that it was built about 1910, that it’s in Poor condition, and has 700 seats, apparently all on one floor.
According to the 1921 City Directory, the Cobb was at 1009 Washington Street, and the Apollo was at 1050 Washington. They were not next to one another and, in fact, were on opposite sides of Washington St. But both were near the Columbia Theatre. The 1927 Film Daily yearbook lists the Cobb as having 500 seats. The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Cobb has a photo taken in May 1941. The front of the marquee says “New Cobb Theatre – Always 2 Big Features”. The Report states that the Cobb was not a MGM customer; that it was built about 1910; that it was in Poor condition, and that it had 700 seats, apparently all on one floor.
to mb848- the theatre entrance was in the middle of a 2-story building, and I can’t recall if that building’s north corner was at the corner— I don’t think it was. The MGM Report photo shows a one-story structure next to the south side of the building. That stretch of streetscape seems much more open to me than it was many years ago. The Lincoln had a store on each side of its entrance. The building was probably 60 feet wide or so. (3 bays at 20 feet each).
The Colonial opened during the Christmas season of 1900, apparently on December 20, although I have also seen Dec. 24 and Dec. 25. Behind the right auditorium wall are several floors of dressing rooms.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Medford Theater on Salem Street has an exterior photo taken in April 1941. There is a fairly narrow entrance with a small marquee and vertical above and what appears to be a Palladian-style window over the marquee. The Report states that the Medford has been playing MGM product for over 10 years; that it’s over 15 years old; that it’s in Fair condition; and has 792 seats on the main floor and 504 in the balcony; total: 1296 seats.
There was a booth for follow spotlights at the rear of the 2nd balcony and I assume that it doubled as a projection booth for the film showings in the 1910s and in 1927.
Yes— it was demolished in the spring of 1926.
The design for the auditorium was won in a competition by one H. Noury. The architects were E. Cabot, J. Cabot, and Jonathan Preston.The entrance on Washington Street was in the exact location of the entrance today to the Opera House (ex- Keith Memorial Theatre).
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Teele Square Theatre has a facade photo taken in 1941. Movies on the marquee are Abbott and Costello in “Buck Privates” and “Who Killed Aunt Maggie”. There are small stores on either side of the theatre entrance. The auditoirum in back appears to be only one story-plus high. The Report states that the Teele Sq. has been showing MGM product for over 15 years; that it’s in Good condition; and that it has 980 seats. After it closed, it was occupied by the Charles Stewart Company, a theatrical supply house. The owner was Earle Stanley “Charlie” Stewart who was son or grandson of the original owner. “Charlie” was a talented scenic painter, and the shallow stage of the theatre had had a paint frame affixed. In the auditorium were many racks holding hundreds of rolled-up scenic backdrops. Charlie’s office was in the right-front auditorium exit space. The place also had rental equipment, such as fog machines. Charlie, who was an elderly man in the 1980s, was a real “Character” and was the subject of a feature article in the Phoenix weekly newspaper in the mid-1980s. He loved to talk about Boston-area theaters and had a large collection which, I understand, was willed to one of the libraries at Tufts University. The auditorium of the Teele Square Theatre had only one floor, no balcony.
On a Sunday evening in December 1952, I was returning to Boston by train from a weekend in New York with my older brother and his friends. While snacking in the lounge car, I overheard a nattily-dressed middle-aged man at the next table telling a college-age couple at his table that he was an actor heading for the Colonial Theatre in Boston to appear in a play. The next day I noted in the newspaper that there was no play opening that night at the Colonial. Later that week, while attending a matinee at the Casino Theatre, I was amused to see the man up on stage in the comedy sketches. The distinguished thespian was, in fact, a burlesque comic and had been “snowing” the gullible kids on the train.
During renovations, the original stagehouse was demolished and a new one constructed. When one enters it from the scene dock in the rear stage wall, if the curtain is up and the stage is empty, the effect is like walking into a giant hanger for Goodyear blimps! The Palace’s stage is absolutely mammoth and must rank as one of the largest stages of any theatre in America.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Paramount on Main St. in Springfield has a facade photo taken in May 1941. The Report states that the house was not a MGM customer; that it was over 15 years old; that it was in Good condition, and that it had 708 seats on the main floor and 858 in the balcony, total: 1566 seats. But, having been inside it once, that figure seems too small to me. I also have a figure of 2400 seats, while someone above posted 3755 seats, which may be too many. There are opening years posted above of both 1926 and 1929— does anyone know for sure when it opened and approx. how many seats it had ??
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Granada on Pleasant St. in Malden has a facade photo taken in April 1941. The entrance had a big boxy multi-bulbed marquee with “Granada” in huge letters on its front. The Report states that the theatre had been showing MGM product for over 10 years, that it was over 15 years old; that it was in Good condition, and had seating of: main floor: 1402, Balcony: 829; total seats: 2231. The population of Malden in 1940 was 58,000. There are MGM Reports for 5 other theatres in Malden in 1941: Mystic, Auditorium, Capitol, Orpheum and Strand. Does anyone know if the Grenada was a true “atmospheric” design with a sky ceiling to go with its Spanish Baroque design? Atmospheric theatres were very few in the Greater Boston area.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Palace on Broadway in Lawrence has an exterior photo taken in May 1941. It certainly had a long, imposing classical facade ! The movie playing is Bette Davis in “The Great Lie”. The Report states that the Palace has been showing MGM product for over 10 years; that it’s over 15 years old; that it’s in Good condition; it had 1052 seats on the main floor and 723 seats in the balcony, total: 1775 seats. The 1940 population of Lawrence was 84,300. There are MGM Reports for 5 other movie theaters in Lawrence: Modern, Warner, Strand, Central and Broadway.
Congratulations and thanks ! Cinema Treasures is a wonderful site, and a valuable resource. Here’s a way to get to the 15,000 mark fast: set up a sub-progam called “Stage Treasures” and allow for the listing of non-movie theaters. Cinema Treasures could then become a one-stop treasury of all theaters, everywhere.
The theatre is not listed in the 1927 Film Daily yearbook; what is listed for Amherst MA is the Town Hall, with 795 seats.In the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac, the Amherst Th. is listed under Shea-Chain, Inc. and Affiliates, and is shown as being part of the “Shea Circuit”. It’s not included under Western Massachusetts Theatres. None of this means much, because these industry sources seem to be full of errors !
Thanks, dwodeyla, for trying to pin down the demolition period. I had an idea that it could not have happened prior to May 1968. The Uptown was a favorite theatre of mine.
The corrections at the top of the page look great. Thank you, Ron Newman and Lost Memory. When I noticed this antique cinema in the 1941 MGM Reports I had no idea it was still around.