I saw the late June Bronhill on stage in “The Merry Widow” at the London Coliseum in Sept. 1959. What a beautiful, glamourous, huge theatre. It must have made a great Cinerama house. I have attended several ENO performances there over the years. A wonderful theatre, even the outside walls are interesting— the facade, for sure; plus the north sidewall, and the rear stage wall. An outstanding theatre.
I once saw an old photo which purportedly showed the rear or side wall of the first Old South Th, within the Province House. However, the photo was of nothing more than a plain old brick wall. As a kid, I recall seeing newspaper ads for the 2nd Old South Th. and also passing it once. It was on the west side of Washington St., and I think it was just to the north of School Street. That would put it beyond the Old Corner Book Store building. The location of Borders Books was originally occupied by an older building which came right down to the intersection of School and Washington streets, that is, there was no little park there, as there is today. It is possible that the Old South was in this building – I’m just not certain. The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Old South has a photo taken May 1941. There are 5 rows on the marquee and all of them are occupied by newsreel events. It must have been a job for someone to constantly change these topics. The Report shows that MGM product was used by the theatre, that it was a Newsreel theatre, opened about 1940, in Good condition, with 500 seats on one floor. In the photo, there are large commercial-type windows on the second floor above the shops adjacent to the theatre entrance.
When I first became aware of the Brattle Theatre around 1950, it was a live playhouse. Then it went over to films and by the end of the 1950s it was a well-established feature in the Harvard Square area. It’s most unfortunate that it has come upon hard times.
I went into this house around 1960 or so; it was still the Lancaster then. It was on the south side of Causeway St. with the entrance a few steps from the corner of Lancaster St. The right side of the auditorium was on Lancaster St. and was concrete or stucco, with some exit doors. It had a balcony and a rather shallow stage. The marquee definitely had an upright for the elevated trolley structure passing right thru it ! (Much like the Thompson Square Theatre not far away in Charlestown.) When the facade was rebuilt, it was an amazing transformation— it went from a plug-ugly nabe into a very contempo, sleek look. I went in there at least once after it became the West End Pussycat. They got good houses in there when first opened. The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Lancaster has a photo taken in May 1941. My Xerox copy is washed-out but you can see a plain brick facade with at least 2 floors of windows above; a store to the right; the elevated railway structure passing thru the east side of the marquee and “House Party Friday night” on both the marquee and a sign below the ticket booth. The Report says the house has been playing MGM product for over 10 years, the house is in Poor condition, and that it has 700 seats on the main floor and 550 in the balcony, total: 1250 seats. The February 1990 demolition date mentioned above sounds about right to me. I went by there during the demo process. The theatre had, at stage-left, a garage-type door on the sidewalk; similar to the same type of door at stage-right of the Strand in Quincy.
The architect in 1882 was E.P. Treadwell. The old Gaiety Theatre was gutted out, and its walls increased in height. The new Bijou was decorated inside in a Moorish motif. It had one balcony, and it was an “upstairs” house, reached by a staircase within a vestibule located in the center bay of the front building, which survives today. This building was constructed in either the 1830s or 1850s (I’ve heard both dates). The seating capacity was somewhat less than 1100 seats. In 1982, the Boston Edison Co. published a neat booklet, “Bright Lights in Boston: A Theatre Milestone” which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Bijou opening on Dec. 11, 1882, with Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Iolanthe”. Thomas Edison himself supervised the electrical system in the new theatre, powered by a generating plant located some 550 feet to the south. The Spring 1993 issue of Theatre Design & Technology Magazine had a lengthy article about this event which includes some photos of the stage sets. Musical theatre historian Richard Traubner calls the Bijou “a leading regional operetta theatre in the U.S.” B.F. Keith took it over and ran it for awhile; its name was changed to Bijou Opera House in the 1890s, and it was closed for awhile for unknown reasons circa 1900; even its signage was removed. (See the photo on page 148 of the Donald King book— the Bijou’s entrance is being used for displays for the adjacent O'Callaghan’s store.) Later, Keith reopened it and turned it into the Bijou Dream. He placed ads offering a prize of $50 for one-act plays to be presented in between films. The staircase was rebuilt into a clear plate-glass sandwich in between which water flowed, illuminated by color lights. Later, an escalator was installed next to the staircase. There was an organ to play for the movies. Don King went into this house many times as a child. It was one of the last houses in Boston to be wired for sound. At some point, the circular proscenium arch was removed and replaced by a tiny platform stage, no longer suitable for live productions. I knew someone who was a boy in the 1930s living in Dorchester who would go with his friends, pay 10 cents to get into the Bijou, then go thru a fire exit into the Keith Memorial to see first-run movies without paying. In the mens' room on the south wall of the upper level of the Opera House there is a “stairway to nowhere”, a few steps which lead up to a blank in the wall — this is the old exit from the Bijou orchestra. Before the Opera House reconstruction a couple years ago, if you went into the parking lot out back, you could clearly see the outline of the Bijou balcony on both the south sidewall of the Opera House and the north sidewall of the Paramount. For a brief period the theatre was called the Intown, but it is listed as the Bijou in the May 1941 MGM Theatre Photograph and Report. They show it as having 1021 seats. It was closed at the very end of 1943 because it could not comply with new fire safety laws. Sat vacant and then was demolished, along with the Normandie, starting in July 1951.
The way I remember where this 1970s-era twin cinema was located is that if you left South Station and started up Summer Street, with the station behind you, After you crossed the wide surface road, and walking on the left side of Summer St., it was to the left of Summer Street, facing South Station across the Surface Road. That is, it was a few steps down from Summer St., to the south; and just a short walk up from South Station, to the west. It was created in an existing building. They could call it the South Station Cinema because the original of that name, a newsreel cinema inside the South Station, was gone by 1970.
This little cinema was located in the far eastern end of South Station, a section of the station which was demolished in the early 1970s for the Stone & Webster Building., The cinema had an entrance from the concourse. There was an outside entrance located on Summer St. just before the corner at Dorchester Ave. I believe that this outside entrance was gone in the 1950s. I never went into the cinema because I was never delayed waiting for trains. Around the middle 1950s, the cinema was closed and converted into a chapel, Our Lady of the Railways. There was a polished brass steam locomotive bell from a New Haven RR locomotive at the entrance. I believe that the chapel remained until the demolition. The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for this cinema has a photo dated May 1941 of the outside entrance. There is one double door with “Station Theatre” up above. There are signs which say “News” “Short Subjects” and “24 Hour Program”. The Report states that it is called South Station Theatre, that it has been a MGM customer for over 5 years, that it was built less than 10 years ago; that it is in Fair condition; is a Newsreel theatre with 550 seats on one floor.
It was an “upstairs” house, reached by broad wood staircases from the lobby on Exeter St. I went there a few times, starting in the late-1950s. It was definitely Up-scale and was an art-house specializing in British and other foreign films, or any type of film for a discerning audience. Clarence Blackall was the architect and he adapted it within the 1884 First Spiritual Temple. The Temple members continued to meet in the theatre for years afterward. It opened on May 4, 1914 with 1376 seats and was a nabe film & vaude house at first. I recall as a kid circa 1948 that its newspaper ads featured a huge “E” at the left side of the ad, and that they presented many of the post-war British film hits. The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for this house has a photo dated May 1941. The Report states that the house has been a MGM customer for over 10 years, that it is in Good condition; and that it has 830 seats in the orchestra; and 436 seats in the balcony, total: 1266.
It was a single-screen house to the end, in July 1984.
Just to illustrate how fickle things can be in the lives of old theatres: In Dec.1992, as mentioned above, just after the facade was painted and the marquee renovated, the newspapers reported that the Pilgrim was to be demolished ! The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report card for this theatre has a photo taken in April 1941. It was still the Washington Street Olympia then. The attractions on the bulb-studded marquee are: James Stewart and Hedy LaMarr in “Come Live with Me” and Jane Withers in “Golden Hoofs”. The Report states that the theatre has been showing MGM product for over 10 years; that it is in Fair condition; with the following seating: main floor, 818; balcony, 990; boxes, 104; Total: 1912 (but no mention of the 2nd balcony.) Clarence Blackall was the architect, and it opened on May 6, 1912.
I went to movies at the Uptown occasionally in 1950s and 1960s. It was a beautiful theatre, kept in very fine condition. There were good houses there on weekday matinees. I saw films like “Topkapi” and “Ocean’s Eleven” there. Walking down the street in back which ran out to Mass. Ave. you could get a good view of the right side of the auditorium and stagehouse. Although the theatre entrance is thru the center bay of the old Chickering bldg on Huntington Ave., I think that whatever was in back was probably demolished in 1912 because the structure in back (auditorium & stage) did not look like an adaptation of an existing building. The scene door was on the rear stage wall on the sidewalk, while the stage door and dressing room windows were at stage-left. The architects for the St. James Theatre were Peabody & Stearns. It opened as a playhouse on August 30, 1912. The MGM Theatre Photo and Report card for this theatre has a photo dated simply “1941”.“The Lady Eve” and “Sea Wolf” are the attractions . In front of the theatre is the construction for the extension of the trolley subway from Copley to Northeastern Univ. The Report states that the house is not a MGM customer; The condition is Good; and the seating is: 854 orchestra; 812 balcony; total: 1666 seats.
“Lost Memory” ’s posting of Sept 20 2005 is definitely the Wollaston Theatre, even though the name is not spelled correctly. The man in the photo is the owner, Arthur Chandler.
The Globe Theatre was built by the comedy team of Weber and Fields, but lacking business acumen, they soon lost it. The architect was Arthur Vinal. It had 2 balconies. It became a 2nd-run legit house for awhile; I have a program for “Wizard of Oz” on stage about 1907. Then it was a film and vaude house. In the late-1920s, the 2 balconies were removed and one big balcony constructed, which necessitated extending the facade upward. You can clearly see this upward extension today. There was Burlesque there during WW II. I went into it a few times circa 1955- 1965. It was the E.M. Loew Boston flagship house and was in fairly good condition inside. On the little side-street out back which runs between Beach St. and Kneeland St. you could see the huge black steel scene door and a dressing room wing across the back of the stage. Later, as the Pagoda Theatre, the original Center Th. marquee was kept.
In the Boston Post theatre page of Sept 23 1947, the Esquire Theatre is listed as part of M&P Theatres. It and the Modern Theatre downtown are showing the movie “Life with Father” (Warner Bros.) for the 5th week. So the Esquire name dates back at least to mid-1947. It’s also interesting that “Life with Father” was a big hit at this theatre both on the stage and then on the screen.
The Fenway was part of M&P Theatres, and as the “uptown” location, sometimes showed the same film as the Paramount. Much like Loews State & Orpheum. For example, on Sept 23, 1947, “Variety Girl” with Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and “40 Stars!” along with the Co-hit! “Jungle Flight” was playing at both the Paramount and the Fenway. The Fenway was designed by Thomas Lamb and had 1373 seats (it has about 1220 seats now). I went into it a few times, a nice house with an oblong shape, and one balcony. It was sort of an art house in the early 1960s – I saw a Japanese film there. Oddly, when Berklee took it over as a live concert hall, they bricked up the original scene door and stage door at the rear of the stagehouse. Today, there is a stage door at stage-right, but no scene loading door. They also “modernized” the interior instead of restoring it.
The architects were Putnam and Cox and it opened Dec. 1914. I knew it in the late-1940s and early 1950s as a Shubert house which was dark most of the time. When a play opened there in October 1953, I jumped at the chance to see the theatre. I attended the Sat. matinee of “Anna Lucasta” on stage on Oct. 10, 1953. This was a rare, for those days, non-union non-Equity production, so there was a picket line in front of the entrance on Huntington Ave, just up from the SS Pierce Bldg, and across from the side of the BPL. I timed my movements carefully and managed to get thru the line and into the lobby. I had a balcony seat, but was told to sit downstairs. The theater was situated so that after coming in from Huntington Ave., you turned right into the back of the house. It had one balcony. I don’t recall any other stage attractions there in the 1950s, but occasionally movies were presented. Then Sack took it and renamed it Capri, and put on a new marquee. I saw at least one movie there some time circa 1960 or 1961. The auditorium and stage were within the block. I never did understand the story about cutting the Toy Th. up and turning it around, etc. After the land was taken for the Mass. Turnpike extension, Sack moved the Capri name over to the old Strand down Huntington Avenue, on the opposite side of the street. In recent years, the New England Life Hall on Clarendon St. near Boylston St. was renamed “Copley Theatre”.
Your definition of “Scratch House” is a good one ! But my understanding is that it means that the clientele are full of fleas, so they have to scratch themselves. Of course, if the film stock is all scratched up, but the audience is asleep, then it doesn’t matter how bad the image on the screen is ! Donald King, circa 1938, while on his way home from working at the National Th., got stopped by a blizzard, and actually spent the night in the Rialto ! I never had the courage to go into it, day or night, although I went into the Stuart Th., a similar house, several times.
The Scollay Square Olympia was designed by Clarence Blackall and opened on Nov. 17, 1913. There is a nice vintage photo of it in David Kruh’s first Scollay Square book which came out circa early-1990s. In that photo, the theatre does not have a marquee, but the entire facade is outlined in light bulbs. It must have acquired a marquee fairly early, because most photos of it show it with one.
The architect for the National was Clarence Blackall, it opened on Sept. 18, 1911, and it had (take your pick) 3000 or 3500 seats. Apparently, the two other names, Hippodrome and Waldorf, did not last too long.
One winter night in the 1940s, my dumb friends and I were at Boylston station to take a trolley up to Park St. Somehow we got confused and boarded an outbound car which went down the Tremont Street tunnel under the Majestic, Wilbur, Met and Shubert, coming to the surface just south of the Shubert and continuing down Tremont Street in the South End. We stumbled off the car and started walking up Tremont and came across a wondrous sight, the National Th. just letting out of its evening show. I popped into the lobby, the houselights were on. It seemed so glamourous to me with its red velvet. Years later, when I told Donald King, he snickered at my youthful impressions. It was an old barn to him. He worked there in the late-1930s. The projection booth was built into the facade of the 2nd balcony. He had to haul cans of film up to the top of the 2nd balcony and then down an inside staircase to the booth. The National was the only one of the various Boston theatres which I went into in the 1960s which had poor houses, only a dozen people in the huge auditorium. It had 2 balconies and many large side boxes. The lobby was rather small, but it had a big stage and a spacious backstage area. After E.M.Loew closed it to movies, there were a number of attractions on stage, ballet and opera. There was a scandal involving the roof— the City paid to have the leaking roof fixed but after the work, the roof leaked worse than before. I visited the house with Don King in July 1983 and there was over 6 feet of water under the stage— one could have drowned down there. Many plans to reuse this house came to nothing and it was finally razed around 1997.
Some more details about the Rialto. As the Star Th., it opened in November 1907, and was designed by F. Norcross. “Scratch House” is a movie industry term meaning a last-run cinema, often open all night, with a low admission, which attracts “transients”, a polite word for “bums” . In England they called these cinemas “Flea Pits”.
The MGM Theatre Photo and Report for the Rialto has a photo dated April 1941, with the arch above the marquee filled with a sign which proclaims in big letters “Open All Night, 2 Features, 10 cents”. The movies on the 3 lines of the marquee are: “In Old Cheyenne” with Roy Rogers, “The Watchman Takes a Wife” and “TheSky Raiders”. The REport states that the Rialto is not a MGM customer, was built around 1905, is in Poor condition, and has 365 seats, all on one floor.
As a young kid who thought these theatres would last forever, I was shocked when the Scollay Sq. Th. closed. I still have the clipping from the old Boston Post dated Dec. 13, 1950 reporting that the theatre had quietly closed the previous day. The closure was due to declining revenues and rising costs. I also clipped an ad which is undated but probably is from the 1948-50 period for a one-week engagement of Duke Ellington and his band. Even at a young age, I knew that Ellington was a big star and wondered what he was doing at the Scollay Sq. instead of the Met, RKO Boston or Loew’s State. Also on the bill were Tip, Tap, Toe; Howell & Bowser, Johnny Hodges, Ray Nance, and “Others”. On screen was June Haver in “I’ll Get By”. I never went into it, but remember it well, as it was a landmark in Scollay Square and had a huge vertical sign. Its lobby was on the site of Austin and Stone’s Museum, an old vaude and curiosity house. From this lobby, one went in and then turned right to face the screen. The rear stage wall was on Howard St., right next to the front of the Old Howard. The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for this theatre has a photo dated April 1941, showing the many-bulbed marquee with Alice Fay and Don Ameche in “That Night in Rio”. The Report states that the theatre was not a MGM customer, that it was in Fair condition, and had the following seating : Orchestra, 1081, 1st Balcony, 704, 2nd Balcony, 599, and Loges, 154; total: 3538 seats. It was part of M&P Theatres, a Paramount affiliate. It was demolished, after sitting vacant for years, in March- May 1962.
The Rialto remained open longer than the adjacent Scollay Square Theatre did. I think it was open right through the 1950s and maybe into the 1960s, but I’m not sure of that. I never went into it. At some point the upper part of the facade was removed, that is, in its more recent pictures, the facade does not extend as high as in vintage photos. A few doors down the street to the south there was another similar early movie theatre, the Comique. Both of these houses can be seen in the various old photos of Scollay Sq. The Rialto was demolished in the mass destruction of the area in Spring 1962.
In its great Vaude days this house was known as Keith’s New Theatre or just plain Keith’s. It was never called the Colonial Th., as it is in Douglas Gilbert’s 1942 book “American Vaudeville”, or in the writings of Joe Laurie Jr., a vaudevillian, theatrical historian, and writer for Variety. Others picked up on their mistake and so the name appears in error in other writings. There was only one Colonial Theatre in Boston, the legit house on Boylston Street.
I saw the late June Bronhill on stage in “The Merry Widow” at the London Coliseum in Sept. 1959. What a beautiful, glamourous, huge theatre. It must have made a great Cinerama house. I have attended several ENO performances there over the years. A wonderful theatre, even the outside walls are interesting— the facade, for sure; plus the north sidewall, and the rear stage wall. An outstanding theatre.
I once saw an old photo which purportedly showed the rear or side wall of the first Old South Th, within the Province House. However, the photo was of nothing more than a plain old brick wall. As a kid, I recall seeing newspaper ads for the 2nd Old South Th. and also passing it once. It was on the west side of Washington St., and I think it was just to the north of School Street. That would put it beyond the Old Corner Book Store building. The location of Borders Books was originally occupied by an older building which came right down to the intersection of School and Washington streets, that is, there was no little park there, as there is today. It is possible that the Old South was in this building – I’m just not certain. The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Old South has a photo taken May 1941. There are 5 rows on the marquee and all of them are occupied by newsreel events. It must have been a job for someone to constantly change these topics. The Report shows that MGM product was used by the theatre, that it was a Newsreel theatre, opened about 1940, in Good condition, with 500 seats on one floor. In the photo, there are large commercial-type windows on the second floor above the shops adjacent to the theatre entrance.
When I first became aware of the Brattle Theatre around 1950, it was a live playhouse. Then it went over to films and by the end of the 1950s it was a well-established feature in the Harvard Square area. It’s most unfortunate that it has come upon hard times.
I went into this house around 1960 or so; it was still the Lancaster then. It was on the south side of Causeway St. with the entrance a few steps from the corner of Lancaster St. The right side of the auditorium was on Lancaster St. and was concrete or stucco, with some exit doors. It had a balcony and a rather shallow stage. The marquee definitely had an upright for the elevated trolley structure passing right thru it ! (Much like the Thompson Square Theatre not far away in Charlestown.) When the facade was rebuilt, it was an amazing transformation— it went from a plug-ugly nabe into a very contempo, sleek look. I went in there at least once after it became the West End Pussycat. They got good houses in there when first opened. The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Lancaster has a photo taken in May 1941. My Xerox copy is washed-out but you can see a plain brick facade with at least 2 floors of windows above; a store to the right; the elevated railway structure passing thru the east side of the marquee and “House Party Friday night” on both the marquee and a sign below the ticket booth. The Report says the house has been playing MGM product for over 10 years, the house is in Poor condition, and that it has 700 seats on the main floor and 550 in the balcony, total: 1250 seats. The February 1990 demolition date mentioned above sounds about right to me. I went by there during the demo process. The theatre had, at stage-left, a garage-type door on the sidewalk; similar to the same type of door at stage-right of the Strand in Quincy.
For an explanation of the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project, see under Warner Theatre, Worcester MA .
The architect in 1882 was E.P. Treadwell. The old Gaiety Theatre was gutted out, and its walls increased in height. The new Bijou was decorated inside in a Moorish motif. It had one balcony, and it was an “upstairs” house, reached by a staircase within a vestibule located in the center bay of the front building, which survives today. This building was constructed in either the 1830s or 1850s (I’ve heard both dates). The seating capacity was somewhat less than 1100 seats. In 1982, the Boston Edison Co. published a neat booklet, “Bright Lights in Boston: A Theatre Milestone” which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Bijou opening on Dec. 11, 1882, with Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Iolanthe”. Thomas Edison himself supervised the electrical system in the new theatre, powered by a generating plant located some 550 feet to the south. The Spring 1993 issue of Theatre Design & Technology Magazine had a lengthy article about this event which includes some photos of the stage sets. Musical theatre historian Richard Traubner calls the Bijou “a leading regional operetta theatre in the U.S.” B.F. Keith took it over and ran it for awhile; its name was changed to Bijou Opera House in the 1890s, and it was closed for awhile for unknown reasons circa 1900; even its signage was removed. (See the photo on page 148 of the Donald King book— the Bijou’s entrance is being used for displays for the adjacent O'Callaghan’s store.) Later, Keith reopened it and turned it into the Bijou Dream. He placed ads offering a prize of $50 for one-act plays to be presented in between films. The staircase was rebuilt into a clear plate-glass sandwich in between which water flowed, illuminated by color lights. Later, an escalator was installed next to the staircase. There was an organ to play for the movies. Don King went into this house many times as a child. It was one of the last houses in Boston to be wired for sound. At some point, the circular proscenium arch was removed and replaced by a tiny platform stage, no longer suitable for live productions. I knew someone who was a boy in the 1930s living in Dorchester who would go with his friends, pay 10 cents to get into the Bijou, then go thru a fire exit into the Keith Memorial to see first-run movies without paying. In the mens' room on the south wall of the upper level of the Opera House there is a “stairway to nowhere”, a few steps which lead up to a blank in the wall — this is the old exit from the Bijou orchestra. Before the Opera House reconstruction a couple years ago, if you went into the parking lot out back, you could clearly see the outline of the Bijou balcony on both the south sidewall of the Opera House and the north sidewall of the Paramount. For a brief period the theatre was called the Intown, but it is listed as the Bijou in the May 1941 MGM Theatre Photograph and Report. They show it as having 1021 seats. It was closed at the very end of 1943 because it could not comply with new fire safety laws. Sat vacant and then was demolished, along with the Normandie, starting in July 1951.
The way I remember where this 1970s-era twin cinema was located is that if you left South Station and started up Summer Street, with the station behind you, After you crossed the wide surface road, and walking on the left side of Summer St., it was to the left of Summer Street, facing South Station across the Surface Road. That is, it was a few steps down from Summer St., to the south; and just a short walk up from South Station, to the west. It was created in an existing building. They could call it the South Station Cinema because the original of that name, a newsreel cinema inside the South Station, was gone by 1970.
This little cinema was located in the far eastern end of South Station, a section of the station which was demolished in the early 1970s for the Stone & Webster Building., The cinema had an entrance from the concourse. There was an outside entrance located on Summer St. just before the corner at Dorchester Ave. I believe that this outside entrance was gone in the 1950s. I never went into the cinema because I was never delayed waiting for trains. Around the middle 1950s, the cinema was closed and converted into a chapel, Our Lady of the Railways. There was a polished brass steam locomotive bell from a New Haven RR locomotive at the entrance. I believe that the chapel remained until the demolition. The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for this cinema has a photo dated May 1941 of the outside entrance. There is one double door with “Station Theatre” up above. There are signs which say “News” “Short Subjects” and “24 Hour Program”. The Report states that it is called South Station Theatre, that it has been a MGM customer for over 5 years, that it was built less than 10 years ago; that it is in Fair condition; is a Newsreel theatre with 550 seats on one floor.
It was an “upstairs” house, reached by broad wood staircases from the lobby on Exeter St. I went there a few times, starting in the late-1950s. It was definitely Up-scale and was an art-house specializing in British and other foreign films, or any type of film for a discerning audience. Clarence Blackall was the architect and he adapted it within the 1884 First Spiritual Temple. The Temple members continued to meet in the theatre for years afterward. It opened on May 4, 1914 with 1376 seats and was a nabe film & vaude house at first. I recall as a kid circa 1948 that its newspaper ads featured a huge “E” at the left side of the ad, and that they presented many of the post-war British film hits. The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for this house has a photo dated May 1941. The Report states that the house has been a MGM customer for over 10 years, that it is in Good condition; and that it has 830 seats in the orchestra; and 436 seats in the balcony, total: 1266.
It was a single-screen house to the end, in July 1984.
Just to illustrate how fickle things can be in the lives of old theatres: In Dec.1992, as mentioned above, just after the facade was painted and the marquee renovated, the newspapers reported that the Pilgrim was to be demolished ! The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report card for this theatre has a photo taken in April 1941. It was still the Washington Street Olympia then. The attractions on the bulb-studded marquee are: James Stewart and Hedy LaMarr in “Come Live with Me” and Jane Withers in “Golden Hoofs”. The Report states that the theatre has been showing MGM product for over 10 years; that it is in Fair condition; with the following seating: main floor, 818; balcony, 990; boxes, 104; Total: 1912 (but no mention of the 2nd balcony.) Clarence Blackall was the architect, and it opened on May 6, 1912.
I went to movies at the Uptown occasionally in 1950s and 1960s. It was a beautiful theatre, kept in very fine condition. There were good houses there on weekday matinees. I saw films like “Topkapi” and “Ocean’s Eleven” there. Walking down the street in back which ran out to Mass. Ave. you could get a good view of the right side of the auditorium and stagehouse. Although the theatre entrance is thru the center bay of the old Chickering bldg on Huntington Ave., I think that whatever was in back was probably demolished in 1912 because the structure in back (auditorium & stage) did not look like an adaptation of an existing building. The scene door was on the rear stage wall on the sidewalk, while the stage door and dressing room windows were at stage-left. The architects for the St. James Theatre were Peabody & Stearns. It opened as a playhouse on August 30, 1912. The MGM Theatre Photo and Report card for this theatre has a photo dated simply “1941”.“The Lady Eve” and “Sea Wolf” are the attractions . In front of the theatre is the construction for the extension of the trolley subway from Copley to Northeastern Univ. The Report states that the house is not a MGM customer; The condition is Good; and the seating is: 854 orchestra; 812 balcony; total: 1666 seats.
“Lost Memory” ’s posting of Sept 20 2005 is definitely the Wollaston Theatre, even though the name is not spelled correctly. The man in the photo is the owner, Arthur Chandler.
The Globe Theatre was built by the comedy team of Weber and Fields, but lacking business acumen, they soon lost it. The architect was Arthur Vinal. It had 2 balconies. It became a 2nd-run legit house for awhile; I have a program for “Wizard of Oz” on stage about 1907. Then it was a film and vaude house. In the late-1920s, the 2 balconies were removed and one big balcony constructed, which necessitated extending the facade upward. You can clearly see this upward extension today. There was Burlesque there during WW II. I went into it a few times circa 1955- 1965. It was the E.M. Loew Boston flagship house and was in fairly good condition inside. On the little side-street out back which runs between Beach St. and Kneeland St. you could see the huge black steel scene door and a dressing room wing across the back of the stage. Later, as the Pagoda Theatre, the original Center Th. marquee was kept.
In the Boston Post theatre page of Sept 23 1947, the Esquire Theatre is listed as part of M&P Theatres. It and the Modern Theatre downtown are showing the movie “Life with Father” (Warner Bros.) for the 5th week. So the Esquire name dates back at least to mid-1947. It’s also interesting that “Life with Father” was a big hit at this theatre both on the stage and then on the screen.
The Fenway was part of M&P Theatres, and as the “uptown” location, sometimes showed the same film as the Paramount. Much like Loews State & Orpheum. For example, on Sept 23, 1947, “Variety Girl” with Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and “40 Stars!” along with the Co-hit! “Jungle Flight” was playing at both the Paramount and the Fenway. The Fenway was designed by Thomas Lamb and had 1373 seats (it has about 1220 seats now). I went into it a few times, a nice house with an oblong shape, and one balcony. It was sort of an art house in the early 1960s – I saw a Japanese film there. Oddly, when Berklee took it over as a live concert hall, they bricked up the original scene door and stage door at the rear of the stagehouse. Today, there is a stage door at stage-right, but no scene loading door. They also “modernized” the interior instead of restoring it.
The architects were Putnam and Cox and it opened Dec. 1914. I knew it in the late-1940s and early 1950s as a Shubert house which was dark most of the time. When a play opened there in October 1953, I jumped at the chance to see the theatre. I attended the Sat. matinee of “Anna Lucasta” on stage on Oct. 10, 1953. This was a rare, for those days, non-union non-Equity production, so there was a picket line in front of the entrance on Huntington Ave, just up from the SS Pierce Bldg, and across from the side of the BPL. I timed my movements carefully and managed to get thru the line and into the lobby. I had a balcony seat, but was told to sit downstairs. The theater was situated so that after coming in from Huntington Ave., you turned right into the back of the house. It had one balcony. I don’t recall any other stage attractions there in the 1950s, but occasionally movies were presented. Then Sack took it and renamed it Capri, and put on a new marquee. I saw at least one movie there some time circa 1960 or 1961. The auditorium and stage were within the block. I never did understand the story about cutting the Toy Th. up and turning it around, etc. After the land was taken for the Mass. Turnpike extension, Sack moved the Capri name over to the old Strand down Huntington Avenue, on the opposite side of the street. In recent years, the New England Life Hall on Clarendon St. near Boylston St. was renamed “Copley Theatre”.
Your definition of “Scratch House” is a good one ! But my understanding is that it means that the clientele are full of fleas, so they have to scratch themselves. Of course, if the film stock is all scratched up, but the audience is asleep, then it doesn’t matter how bad the image on the screen is ! Donald King, circa 1938, while on his way home from working at the National Th., got stopped by a blizzard, and actually spent the night in the Rialto ! I never had the courage to go into it, day or night, although I went into the Stuart Th., a similar house, several times.
The Scollay Square Olympia was designed by Clarence Blackall and opened on Nov. 17, 1913. There is a nice vintage photo of it in David Kruh’s first Scollay Square book which came out circa early-1990s. In that photo, the theatre does not have a marquee, but the entire facade is outlined in light bulbs. It must have acquired a marquee fairly early, because most photos of it show it with one.
The architect for the National was Clarence Blackall, it opened on Sept. 18, 1911, and it had (take your pick) 3000 or 3500 seats. Apparently, the two other names, Hippodrome and Waldorf, did not last too long.
One winter night in the 1940s, my dumb friends and I were at Boylston station to take a trolley up to Park St. Somehow we got confused and boarded an outbound car which went down the Tremont Street tunnel under the Majestic, Wilbur, Met and Shubert, coming to the surface just south of the Shubert and continuing down Tremont Street in the South End. We stumbled off the car and started walking up Tremont and came across a wondrous sight, the National Th. just letting out of its evening show. I popped into the lobby, the houselights were on. It seemed so glamourous to me with its red velvet. Years later, when I told Donald King, he snickered at my youthful impressions. It was an old barn to him. He worked there in the late-1930s. The projection booth was built into the facade of the 2nd balcony. He had to haul cans of film up to the top of the 2nd balcony and then down an inside staircase to the booth. The National was the only one of the various Boston theatres which I went into in the 1960s which had poor houses, only a dozen people in the huge auditorium. It had 2 balconies and many large side boxes. The lobby was rather small, but it had a big stage and a spacious backstage area. After E.M.Loew closed it to movies, there were a number of attractions on stage, ballet and opera. There was a scandal involving the roof— the City paid to have the leaking roof fixed but after the work, the roof leaked worse than before. I visited the house with Don King in July 1983 and there was over 6 feet of water under the stage— one could have drowned down there. Many plans to reuse this house came to nothing and it was finally razed around 1997.
Some more details about the Rialto. As the Star Th., it opened in November 1907, and was designed by F. Norcross. “Scratch House” is a movie industry term meaning a last-run cinema, often open all night, with a low admission, which attracts “transients”, a polite word for “bums” . In England they called these cinemas “Flea Pits”.
The MGM Theatre Photo and Report for the Rialto has a photo dated April 1941, with the arch above the marquee filled with a sign which proclaims in big letters “Open All Night, 2 Features, 10 cents”. The movies on the 3 lines of the marquee are: “In Old Cheyenne” with Roy Rogers, “The Watchman Takes a Wife” and “TheSky Raiders”. The REport states that the Rialto is not a MGM customer, was built around 1905, is in Poor condition, and has 365 seats, all on one floor.
As a young kid who thought these theatres would last forever, I was shocked when the Scollay Sq. Th. closed. I still have the clipping from the old Boston Post dated Dec. 13, 1950 reporting that the theatre had quietly closed the previous day. The closure was due to declining revenues and rising costs. I also clipped an ad which is undated but probably is from the 1948-50 period for a one-week engagement of Duke Ellington and his band. Even at a young age, I knew that Ellington was a big star and wondered what he was doing at the Scollay Sq. instead of the Met, RKO Boston or Loew’s State. Also on the bill were Tip, Tap, Toe; Howell & Bowser, Johnny Hodges, Ray Nance, and “Others”. On screen was June Haver in “I’ll Get By”. I never went into it, but remember it well, as it was a landmark in Scollay Square and had a huge vertical sign. Its lobby was on the site of Austin and Stone’s Museum, an old vaude and curiosity house. From this lobby, one went in and then turned right to face the screen. The rear stage wall was on Howard St., right next to the front of the Old Howard. The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for this theatre has a photo dated April 1941, showing the many-bulbed marquee with Alice Fay and Don Ameche in “That Night in Rio”. The Report states that the theatre was not a MGM customer, that it was in Fair condition, and had the following seating : Orchestra, 1081, 1st Balcony, 704, 2nd Balcony, 599, and Loges, 154; total: 3538 seats. It was part of M&P Theatres, a Paramount affiliate. It was demolished, after sitting vacant for years, in March- May 1962.
The Rialto remained open longer than the adjacent Scollay Square Theatre did. I think it was open right through the 1950s and maybe into the 1960s, but I’m not sure of that. I never went into it. At some point the upper part of the facade was removed, that is, in its more recent pictures, the facade does not extend as high as in vintage photos. A few doors down the street to the south there was another similar early movie theatre, the Comique. Both of these houses can be seen in the various old photos of Scollay Sq. The Rialto was demolished in the mass destruction of the area in Spring 1962.
In its great Vaude days this house was known as Keith’s New Theatre or just plain Keith’s. It was never called the Colonial Th., as it is in Douglas Gilbert’s 1942 book “American Vaudeville”, or in the writings of Joe Laurie Jr., a vaudevillian, theatrical historian, and writer for Variety. Others picked up on their mistake and so the name appears in error in other writings. There was only one Colonial Theatre in Boston, the legit house on Boylston Street.