From A Stroll Through Memory Lane, 1978, by Oliver H. Stedman, reprising an earlier article of his [year?] for The Spectator:
Through the years preceding and during the first World War, Frank J. Fagan (then a prominent businessman of that section of Peace Dale…) was possessed with the feeling that all the places of entertainment should not be confined to Wakefield [about a mile away], but that Peace Dale should have a place of amusement also. These thoughts were put aside somewhat during the war years, but early in 1920 Mr. Fagan was able to secure what seemed like an ideal place for his project, the lot formerly occupied by Easterbrook’s wood yard.
(…)
Work was soon started on a new theatre for Peace Dale, to be known as the Peace Dale Theatre and to others as Fagan’s Opera House. …The theatre building was well underway by midsummer of 1921 and practically finished by October of that year. It had a fine birch floor for dancing in the main hall, a balcony on both sides and in the rear, and a stage 20x20 on the north side. The general layout was much the same as Miller’s Opera House in Wakefield. There were small stores and a ticket office on each side of the main entrance and modern heating, plumbing and lighting throughout.
The dedication and opening took place on the evening of October 26th, 1921, as our local paper, “The Times,” said, “With a dash and vigor which augurs well for its future success.” It was a big night for Peace Dale. A line formed from the ticket office to the railroad bridge [the then Kingston-Narragansett Line, now a bike path] and cars were parked all around the streets and well into Rocky Brook and along High Street.
Roy Quigley, the new manager, had the ticket office and Frank Sims took charge of the main door. Roy remained for some time as manager and was succeeded by Frank Sims, who had charge of the theatre for many years. A band concert by the Peace Dale Band, ouside and inside the new building, opened the exercises. There was a short speech by Mr. Edmund Lyons noting the Flats [town square] progress, and the unveiling of a community flag for the flagpole on the green concluded the opening ceremonies. This was followed by a comedy and western movie and dancing to the music of Ben Eaton’s Orchestra until well after midnight.
From that night on, Fagan’s Opera House was the scene of fine moving pictures, community dances, fairs held by various organizations, baseball and football clubs and firemen. It was also the place where for many seasons the Champion South Kingstown Basketball teams held their home games.
With the coming of World War II, and television somewhat later,…attendance fell off. Frank Fagan, Sr. passed away and the surviving members of the family moved from town and lost interest in the property. Closing in the early 1950s and unused and unoccupied, it became a menace to adjoining property and was finally condemned by the town building authorities and about 10 years ago [late 1950s?] went under the wreckers' hammer. A sad ending for a project which had started only a few years before with such enthusiasm and good will.
I’m almost positive this was the place I saw the off-beat 1965 Canadian film Winter Kept Us Warm in April of 1968. At the time I noted only that I saw it at a “42nd Street cinema” which was more like a company auditorium located a bit inside a commercial building. It was a 16mm showing. The film itself, directed by David Secter, made a strong impression on me at the time, but it seems to have disappeared from any general consciousness, including mine.
To my mind, this theatre seems to book the best of the crop of current films, while the ones of lesser interest seem to be put into the chain’s Showcase Cinemas Seekonk 1-10, about a mile away. But that judgment may simply reflect my tastes. I went there tonight to see the Ron Howard film Cinderella Man with Russell Crowe. I wasn’t fired up about yet another boxing-theme film this year, after Million Dollar Baby, but it turned out to be quite amazing, moving, and downright exciting, and with some excellently constructed period settings of the 1930s. This multiplex is located at Seekonk Square, a large shopping plaza on Route 6. People undoubtedly confuse this place with Showcase Cinemas Seekonk 1-10 as they do with the Showcase Warwick and Showcase Warwick Mall. A good bountiful and cheap place to eat at before or after the movie is Old Country Buffet, located a few hundred feet away in the same plaza.
Yes, the original building still stands, with some addition in the rear. It is now a store/showroom called Fireplace Showcase. Showcase, get it? Like the cinema it once was. Looks like the original theatrical lettering for “Showcase” on the front was kept, with “Fireplace” added in the same style.
In addition to the bound volumes of Variety film reviews, the N.Y. Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center should have Variety Magazine complete on microfilm. (Where I live, U.R.I. has it all on microfilm.)
I saw the Stephen Frears' film The Grifters here in February, 1991. I have a note that the place was called Showcase Cinemas Seekonk 9-10 at the time. Perhaps the larger place across the street subdivided subsequently and they had to rename this twinner 11-12. Go figure.
From Woonsocket, Rhode Island – A Centennial History, 1888-1988:
By the early 1970’s the Woonsocket Opera House was a sadly-neglected, unused movie theater—the New Park Theater. The last movie had been shown in 1963, and by the end of the decade vandals had done their part in wrecking the interior. The exterior of the building, although still impressive and imposing, showed signs of decay. The marquee fronting North Main Street was in danger of collapsing.
In 1970 the city took over the theater in lieu of back taxes. By 1972 the vacant and accessible building was a public hazard. Police were frequently called to the building to evict intruders. The fire department feared a conflagration and neighboring businesses were fearful of the dangers posed by the vacant building. This was a far cry from the building’s former splendor as the centerpiece of the bustling Monument Square area.
The decaying building still proudly bore its name “Woonsocket Opera House” on its upper facade. Built in 1888, the building opened in the same year that Woonsocket became a city. It was a symbol of Woonsocket’s cultural hopes. In spite of the dreams of the Opera House’s builders, Woonsocket never became a leading stop for major theatrical groups. The really big shows and really big stars played elsewhere. The Woonsocket Opera House became the stage for traveling repertory companies and secondary road companies. For two decades it was Woonsocket’s only theater to offer legitimate stage attractions. In 1913, now called the New Park Theater, the Opera House attracted vaudeville shows. By 1915 the Opera House was Woonsocket’s leading movie theater with occasional stage shows, usually local productions. It remained a movie theater until its closing. In 1941 the theater was extensively remodeled and in 1942 new owner Arthur I. Darman brought vaudeville back to its stage for the brief reprise of vaudeville during World War II.
After World War II the Opera House suffered the fate of most American downtown theaters. Inability to compete with television and drive-in movies, population moves to the suburbs, and the general decline of movies as the prime form of American entertainment permanently closed the New Park Theater in 1963.
In June, 1972 Mayor John A. Cummings called for the demolition of the structure because of the hazards it posed. Bids were sought to raze the Opera House. The Woonsocket Historical Society, under the leadership of President Phyllis Thomas, sought to stay the demolition, proposing instead that the building be preserved and rehabilitated as a cultural center for Woonsocket.
Mrs. Thomas and Martin Crowley, Woonsocket High School history teacher, appealed to the City Council to postpone demolition. They asked for time to restore the Opera House. City Council members agreed with the sentiments of Councilman Gerard J. Bouley: “The building has been around for 84 years; a few more years won’t hurt.”
Demolition was postponed. With this new breath of life, full-scale restoration plans began. Community support for the efforts was evidenced when 22 community groups pledged to support restoration efforts. In 1973 the Opera House was entered into the National Register of Historic Places. That same year National Guardsmen and military reservists joined others in a “Clean up the Opera House Day.” In January, 1974, noted Woonsocket liturgical composer C. Alexander Peloquin presented a concert of sacred music in Saint Ann’s Church for the benefit of the restoration fund drive. The Woonsocket Opera House Society was formed to oversee the plans for and actual restoration of the building.
In August, 1975 the City Council voted to transfer the property to the Opera House Society, although lack of a clear title held up this transfer.
As hopes for the building’s salvation grew, disaster struck. In the early morning hours of September 22, 1975, a fire of suspicious origin roared through the Opera House. The building was destroyed as well as the top two floors of the adjacent Brown-Carroll Building. An 85-year-old resident of the Colonial Apartments, Mrs. Anne E. Tavnon, died in the blaze. The fears of area residents and business and public safety officials were realized; the hopes of the Woonsocket Opera House Society were dashed. An editorial in The Woonsocket Call summed up the entire Opera House story of the seventies. The editorial writer called not only the blaze but the entire Opera House episode tragic:
“It is a tragic ending for one of the city’s best-known landmarks….It is tragic, too, that those who felt so strongly that it could be renovated and refurbished…were not given a chance to implement these plans.”
Here’s a bit about the emergence of the Leroy and the Strand, and their rivalry, as taken from Susan Marie Boucher’s book The History of Pawtucket 1635-1976:
“With the opening of the Strand Theatre in 1921, and also the Leroy, a new concept was born in the entertainment world of Pawtucket. The Strand opened with a nine-piece orchestra providing the musical background, and voice and instrumental performances were given at each program. Carrying the insignia of Paramount Pictures, it ran the best shows in town.
“Vaudeville acts, ‘direct form the Palace.’ could also be seen at the Strand. The Leroy and the Strand, both large and opulent houses, were rivals for quite some time. After the advent of the ‘talkies,’ the Leroy laid claim to the coveted title of being number one—-the best in Pawtucket and one of the largest theatres in all of New England.”
Here’s a bit about the emergence of the Leroy and the Strand, and their rivalry, as taken from Susan Marie Boucher’s book The History of Pawtucket 1635-1976:
“With the opening of the Strand Theatre in 1921, and also the Leroy, a new concept was born in the entertainment world of Pawtucket. The Strand opened with a nine-piece orchestra providing the musical background, and voice and instrumental performances were given at each program. Carrying the insignia of Paramount Pictures, it ran the best shows in town.
“Vaudeville acts, ‘direct form the Palace.’ could also be seen at the Strand. The Leroy and the Strand, both large and opulent houses, were rivals for quite some time. After the advent of the ‘talkies,’ the Leroy laid claim to the coveted title of being number one—-the best in Pawtucket and one of the largest theatres in all of New England.”
This is the first-run movie theatre I generally go to for the Hollywood releases that catch my fancy. It’s not much different from the other one in Warwick, but it has the advantage of being side-by-side with Warwick Mall itself and its food court if you are feeling peckish.
There are movie patrons, I’m sure, who confuse this theatre with the similarly named Showcase Cinemas Warwick Mall. I’ve come here for years, and must have seen most of the new Martin Scorsese films here as they come out, even The Last Temptation of Christ, which had its area premiere here in 1988. For a multiplex there isn’t much to complain about, except the utter sameness. I also don’t like the smaller auditoriums here that have an emergency exit under the screen with a glaring exit light catching your eye all the time. And come to think of it, I don’t like commercials, slide-shows, and about twenty trailers before each movie. Well, not too many complaints.
From Woonsocket, Rhode Island – A Centennial History, 1888-1988:
World War II years at Woonsocket theatres
Throughout the war years, local movie houses supplied war-weary citizens with much-needed entertainment. At that time the city boasted six theaters: the New Park and the Stadium at Monument Square, the Bijou on lower Main Street, the Olympia and the Rialto in the Market Square area, and the Laurier in the Social district.
Movies not only boosted patriotism and morale, but they also were instrumental in raising millions of dollars in war bonds. Theatergoers were constantly reminded on newsreels and by screen actors that there was “a war on.”
These same movie houses were also used for bond rallies which included live stage acts. One such rally was held at the Stadium Theatre on June 13, 1944. Billed as the Fifth War Loan, the spectacle included a local war hero, Captain John T. Godfrey, and Woonsocket’s young Eileen Farrell, who music critics claimed was on the verge of a “brilliant operatic career.”
The most impressive of these bond rallies was that of September 9, 1943. This “Salute to Our Heroes” dinner was sponsored by the local theater managers headed by Benjamin Greenberg.
1950-1960
Those seeking an evening, or even an afternoon, at the movies had their choice of six movie theaters in 1950. The Olympia, Rialto, Bijou, and Stadium on Main Street; the New Park on North Main Street; and the Laurier on Cumberland Street. Most of these had matinees as well as evening performances, and all featured two movies—the double feature.
Competition for customers, plus the beginnings of competition by television, led theater owners to add inducements to their movie billings. At the Olympia, viewers could play “Honey” for cash prizes, while the New Park featured Silver Dollar Nights. At the Laurier, management appealed to the distaff side by offering china and silverware as gifts. Those who sought family entertainmnet could travel to the Rhode Island Auditorium in Providence to enjoy the Ice Capades for a price ranging from $1.25 to $3.80.
Yes, Sarah Bernhardt. The year is unclear, but it is mentioned in the book by Mathias P. Harpin, Trumpets of Jericho, about this Pawtuxet Valley town:
“Father Bourgeois brought Bernhardt to Jericho. Her agent came first to see if the theater was worthy of the great star’s talents. Father Bourgeois escorted her through the theater.
From Woonsocket, Rhode Island – A Centennial History, 1888-1988:
World War II years at Woonsocket theatres
Throughout the war years, local movie houses supplied war-weary citizens with much-needed entertainment. At that time the city boasted six theaters: the New Park and the Stadium at Monument Square, the Bijou on lower Main Street, the Olympia and the Rialto in the Market Square area, and the Laurier in the Social district.
Movies not only boosted patriotism and morale, but they also were instrumental in raising millions of dollars in war bonds. Theatergoers were constantly reminded on newsreels and by screen actors that there was “a war on.”
These same movie houses were also used for bond rallies which included live stage acts. One such rally was held at the Stadium Theatre on June 13, 1944. Billed as the Fifth War Loan, the spectacle included a local war hero, Captain John T. Godfrey, and Woonsocket’s young Eileen Farrell, who music critics claimed was on the verge of a “brilliant operatic career.”
The most impressive of these bond rallies was that of September 9, 1943. This “Salute to Our Heroes” dinner was sponsored by the local theater managers headed by Benjamin Greenberg.
1950-1960
Those seeking an evening, or even an afternoon, at the movies had their choice of six movie theaters in 1950. The Olympia, Rialto, Bijou, and Stadium on Main Street; the New Park on North Main Street; and the Laurier on Cumberland Street. Most of these had matinees as well as evening performances, and all featured two movies—the double feature.
Competition for customers, plus the beginnings of competition by television, led theater owners to add inducements to their movie billings. At the Olympia, viewers could play “Honey” for cash prizes, while the New Park featured Silver Dollar Nights. At the Laurier, management appealed to the distaff side by offering china and silverware as gifts. Those who sought family entertainmnet could travel to the Rhode Island Auditorium in Providence to enjoy the Ice Capades for a price ranging from $1.25 to $3.80.
From Woonsocket, Rhode Island – A Centennial History, 1888-1988:
World War II years at Woonsocket theatres
Throughout the war years, local movie houses supplied war-weary citizens with much-needed entertainment. At that time the city boasted six theaters: the New Park and the Stadium at Monument Square, the Bijou on lower Main Street, the Olympia and the Rialto in the Market Square area, and the Laurier in the Social district.
Movies not only boosted patriotism and morale, but they also were instrumental in raising millions of dollars in war bonds. Theatergoers were constantly reminded on newsreels and by screen actors that there was “a war on.”
These same movie houses were also used for bond rallies which included live stage acts. One such rally was held at the Stadium Theatre on June 13, 1944. Billed as the Fifth War Loan, the spectacle included a local war hero, Captain John T. Godfrey, and Woonsocket’s young Eileen Farrell, who music critics claimed was on the verge of a “brilliant operatic career.”
The most impressive of these bond rallies was that of September 9, 1943. This “Salute to Our Heroes” dinner was sponsored by the local theater managers headed by Benjamin Greenberg.
1950-1960
Those seeking an evening, or even an afternoon, at the movies had their choice of six movie theaters in 1950. The Olympia, Rialto, Bijou, and Stadium on Main Street; the New Park on North Main Street; and the Laurier on Cumberland Street. Most of these had matinees as well as evening performances, and all featured two movies—the double feature.
Competition for customers, plus the beginnings of competition by television, led theater owners to add inducements to their movie billings. At the Olympia, viewers could play “Honey” for cash prizes, while the New Park featured Silver Dollar Nights. At the Laurier, management appealed to the distaff side by offering china and silverware as gifts. Those who sought family entertainmnet could travel to the Rhode Island Auditorium in Providence to enjoy the Ice Capades for a price ranging from $1.25 to $3.80.
From Woonsocket, Rhode Island – A Centennial History, 1888-1988:
World War II years at Woonsocket theatres
Throughout the war years, local movie houses supplied war-weary citizens with much-needed entertainment. At that time the city boasted six theaters: the New Park and the Stadium at Monument Square, the Bijou on lower Main Street, the Olympia and the Rialto in the Market Square area, and the Laurier in the Social district.
Movies not only boosted patriotism and morale, but they also were instrumental in raising millions of dollars in war bonds. Theatergoers were constantly reminded on newsreels and by screen actors that there was “a war on.”
These same movie houses were also used for bond rallies which included live stage acts. One such rally was held at the Stadium Theatre on June 13, 1944. Billed as the Fifth War Loan, the spectacle included a local war hero, Captain John T. Godfrey, and Woonsocket’s young Eileen Farrell, who music critics claimed was on the verge of a “brilliant operatic career.”
The most impressive of these bond rallies was that of September 9, 1943. This “Salute to Our Heroes” dinner was sponsored by the local theater managers headed by Benjamin Greenberg.
1950-1960
Those seeking an evening, or even an afternoon, at the movies had their choice of six movie theaters in 1950. The Olympia, Rialto, Bijou, and Stadium on Main Street; the New Park on North Main Street; and the Laurier on Cumberland Street. Most of these had matinees as well as evening performances, and all featured two movies—the double feature.
Competition for customers, plus the beginnings of competition by television, led theater owners to add inducements to their movie billings. At the Olympia, viewers could play “Honey” for cash prizes, while the New Park featured Silver Dollar Nights. At the Laurier, management appealed to the distaff side by offering china and silverware as gifts. Those who sought family entertainmnet could travel to the Rhode Island Auditorium in Providence to enjoy the Ice Capades for a price ranging from $1.25 to $3.80.
From Woonsocket, Rhode Island – A Centennial History, 1888-1988:
World War II years at Woonsocket theatres
Throughout the war years, local movie houses supplied war-weary citizens with much-needed entertainment. At that time the city boasted six theaters: the New Park and the Stadium at Monument Square, the Bijou on lower Main Street, the Olympia and the Rialto in the Market Square area, and the Laurier in the Social district.
Movies not only boosted patriotism and morale, but they also were instrumental in raising millions of dollars in war bonds. Theatergoers were constantly reminded on newsreels and by screen actors that there was “a war on.”
These same movie houses were also used for bond rallies which included live stage acts. One such rally was held at the Stadium Theatre on June 13, 1944. Billed as the Fifth War Loan, the spectacle included a local war hero, Captain John T. Godfrey, and Woonsocket’s young Eileen Farrell, who music critics claimed was on the verge of a “brilliant operatic career.”
The most impressive of these bond rallies was that of September 9, 1943. This “Salute to Our Heroes” dinner was sponsored by the local theater managers headed by Benjamin Greenberg.
1950-1960
Those seeking an evening, or even an afternoon, at the movies had their choice of six movie theaters in 1950. The Olympia, Rialto, Bijou, and Stadium on Main Street; the New Park on North Main Street; and the Laurier on Cumberland Street. Most of these had matinees as well as evening performances, and all featured two movies—the double feature.
Competition for customers, plus the beginnings of competition by television, led theater owners to add inducements to their movie billings. At the Olympia, viewers could play “Honey” for cash prizes, while the New Park featured Silver Dollar Nights. At the Laurier, management appealed to the distaff side by offering china and silverware as gifts. Those who sought family entertainmnet could travel to the Rhode Island Auditorium in Providence to enjoy the Ice Capades for a price ranging from $1.25 to $3.80.
From Woonsocket, Rhode Island – A Centennial History, 1888-1988:
World War II years at Woonsocket theatres
Throughout the war years, local movie houses supplied war-weary citizens with much-needed entertainment. At that time the city boasted six theaters: the New Park and the Stadium at Monument Square, the Bijou on lower Main Street, the Olympia and the Rialto in the Market Square area, and the Laurier in the Social district.
Movies not only boosted patriotism and morale, but they also were instrumental in raising millions of dollars in war bonds. Theatergoers were constantly reminded on newsreels and by screen actors that there was “a war on.”
These same movie houses were also used for bond rallies which included live stage acts. One such rally was held at the Stadium Theatre on June 13, 1944. Billed as the Fifth War Loan, the spectacle included a local war hero, Captain John T. Godfrey, and Woonsocket’s young Eileen Farrell, who music critics claimed was on the verge of a “brilliant operatic career.”
The most impressive of these bond rallies was that of September 9, 1943. This “Salute to Our Heroes” dinner was sponsored by the local theater managers headed by Benjamin Greenberg.
1950-1960
Those seeking an evening, or even an afternoon, at the movies had their choice of six movie theaters in 1950. The Olympia, Rialto, Bijou, and Stadium on Main Street; the New Park on North Main Street; and the Laurier on Cumberland Street. Most of these had matinees as well as evening performances, and all featured two movies—the double feature.
Competition for customers, plus the beginnings of competition by television, led theater owners to add inducements to their movie billings. At the Olympia, viewers could play “Honey” for cash prizes, while the New Park featured Silver Dollar Nights. At the Laurier, management appealed to the distaff side by offering china and silverware as gifts. Those who sought family entertainmnet could travel to the Rhode Island Auditorium in Providence to enjoy the Ice Capades for a price ranging from $1.25 to $3.80.
From Woonsocket, Rhode Island – A Centennnial History, 1888-1988:
The second playhouse [after the Laurier] to open during the 1920’s was the Stadium Theatre at Monument Square. The most palatial theatre ever erected in Woonsocket, it was formally dedicated on September 26, 1926, when the movie Padlocked, starring Noah Beery and Lois Moran, was shown.
One of the most eleborately furnished and decorated playhouses in New England, the Stadium had an auditorium 120 feet long and 90 feet wide, with a seating capacity of 1,000. Its foyer, 80 feet long and 20 feet wide, was artistically designed with an arched and vaulted ceiling and an ornamental fireplace flanked by recessed fountains. The theater was equipped with a concert organ.
Speakers at the dedication of the Stadium included Mayor Adelard L. Soucy, former U.S. Congressman Ambrose Kennedy, and Arthur I. Darman. Mr. Darman was president and treasurer of the Stadium Realty Corporation which owned the new building housing the theater.
The first lessee of the Stadium Theatre was Publix Theatres, controlled by the Players-Lasky Corporation, which operated nearly 100 theaters in New England at the time. In April, 1933, the theater was leased for $24,000 per year to Stadium Theatre, Incorporated, upon condition that it present only first-class motion pictures, vaudeville, legitimate drama, and concerts.
The Aidco Corporation, headed by Arthur I. Darman, took over operation of the Stadium Theatre in 1956. The playhouse was extensively rennovated and a grand reopening was held August 24, 1956. Despite stiff competition afforded by drive-in theaters and home television, the Stadium survived.
From Preliminary Survey Report – Town of West Warwick, 1987:
MAJESTIC BLOCK (1901): Dominating Arctic Square from its prominent site within the “V” formed by Washington and Main Streets, the Majestic Block is a large, 5-story, brick and concrete block, triangular-plan structure. The first bulding on this site, erected in the late 19th Century and known as Joseph Archambault’s Block, burned on November 3, 1900. Its replacement, built by Archambault and called the Majestic Hotel, contained a movie theatre in the heart of the building, with rooms on the exterior walls, a bowling aley in the basement, and a bar and drug store at street level. The largest commercial building in Arctic and the commercial and urban focus of this small central business district for many years, the Majestic Block was renovated in the mid-1980s. […and subsequently torn down.]
Origins of the theatre
From A Stroll Through Memory Lane, 1978, by Oliver H. Stedman, reprising an earlier article of his [year?] for The Spectator:
Through the years preceding and during the first World War, Frank J. Fagan (then a prominent businessman of that section of Peace Dale…) was possessed with the feeling that all the places of entertainment should not be confined to Wakefield [about a mile away], but that Peace Dale should have a place of amusement also. These thoughts were put aside somewhat during the war years, but early in 1920 Mr. Fagan was able to secure what seemed like an ideal place for his project, the lot formerly occupied by Easterbrook’s wood yard.
(…)
Work was soon started on a new theatre for Peace Dale, to be known as the Peace Dale Theatre and to others as Fagan’s Opera House. …The theatre building was well underway by midsummer of 1921 and practically finished by October of that year. It had a fine birch floor for dancing in the main hall, a balcony on both sides and in the rear, and a stage 20x20 on the north side. The general layout was much the same as Miller’s Opera House in Wakefield. There were small stores and a ticket office on each side of the main entrance and modern heating, plumbing and lighting throughout.
The dedication and opening took place on the evening of October 26th, 1921, as our local paper, “The Times,” said, “With a dash and vigor which augurs well for its future success.” It was a big night for Peace Dale. A line formed from the ticket office to the railroad bridge [the then Kingston-Narragansett Line, now a bike path] and cars were parked all around the streets and well into Rocky Brook and along High Street.
Roy Quigley, the new manager, had the ticket office and Frank Sims took charge of the main door. Roy remained for some time as manager and was succeeded by Frank Sims, who had charge of the theatre for many years. A band concert by the Peace Dale Band, ouside and inside the new building, opened the exercises. There was a short speech by Mr. Edmund Lyons noting the Flats [town square] progress, and the unveiling of a community flag for the flagpole on the green concluded the opening ceremonies. This was followed by a comedy and western movie and dancing to the music of Ben Eaton’s Orchestra until well after midnight.
From that night on, Fagan’s Opera House was the scene of fine moving pictures, community dances, fairs held by various organizations, baseball and football clubs and firemen. It was also the place where for many seasons the Champion South Kingstown Basketball teams held their home games.
With the coming of World War II, and television somewhat later,…attendance fell off. Frank Fagan, Sr. passed away and the surviving members of the family moved from town and lost interest in the property. Closing in the early 1950s and unused and unoccupied, it became a menace to adjoining property and was finally condemned by the town building authorities and about 10 years ago [late 1950s?] went under the wreckers' hammer. A sad ending for a project which had started only a few years before with such enthusiasm and good will.
I’m almost positive this was the place I saw the off-beat 1965 Canadian film Winter Kept Us Warm in April of 1968. At the time I noted only that I saw it at a “42nd Street cinema” which was more like a company auditorium located a bit inside a commercial building. It was a 16mm showing. The film itself, directed by David Secter, made a strong impression on me at the time, but it seems to have disappeared from any general consciousness, including mine.
To my mind, this theatre seems to book the best of the crop of current films, while the ones of lesser interest seem to be put into the chain’s Showcase Cinemas Seekonk 1-10, about a mile away. But that judgment may simply reflect my tastes. I went there tonight to see the Ron Howard film Cinderella Man with Russell Crowe. I wasn’t fired up about yet another boxing-theme film this year, after Million Dollar Baby, but it turned out to be quite amazing, moving, and downright exciting, and with some excellently constructed period settings of the 1930s. This multiplex is located at Seekonk Square, a large shopping plaza on Route 6. People undoubtedly confuse this place with Showcase Cinemas Seekonk 1-10 as they do with the Showcase Warwick and Showcase Warwick Mall. A good bountiful and cheap place to eat at before or after the movie is Old Country Buffet, located a few hundred feet away in the same plaza.
Yes, the original building still stands, with some addition in the rear. It is now a store/showroom called Fireplace Showcase. Showcase, get it? Like the cinema it once was. Looks like the original theatrical lettering for “Showcase” on the front was kept, with “Fireplace” added in the same style.
Wow! Apollonian? Perhaps closer to Dionysian. Thanks.
In addition to the bound volumes of Variety film reviews, the N.Y. Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center should have Variety Magazine complete on microfilm. (Where I live, U.R.I. has it all on microfilm.)
Note that behind the Selwyn marquee is the Apollo showing The Lost One (La Traviata). Opera on 42nd Street!
I saw the Stephen Frears' film The Grifters here in February, 1991. I have a note that the place was called Showcase Cinemas Seekonk 9-10 at the time. Perhaps the larger place across the street subdivided subsequently and they had to rename this twinner 11-12. Go figure.
Tragic end of the Woonsocket Opera House.
From Woonsocket, Rhode Island – A Centennial History, 1888-1988:
By the early 1970’s the Woonsocket Opera House was a sadly-neglected, unused movie theater—the New Park Theater. The last movie had been shown in 1963, and by the end of the decade vandals had done their part in wrecking the interior. The exterior of the building, although still impressive and imposing, showed signs of decay. The marquee fronting North Main Street was in danger of collapsing.
In 1970 the city took over the theater in lieu of back taxes. By 1972 the vacant and accessible building was a public hazard. Police were frequently called to the building to evict intruders. The fire department feared a conflagration and neighboring businesses were fearful of the dangers posed by the vacant building. This was a far cry from the building’s former splendor as the centerpiece of the bustling Monument Square area.
The decaying building still proudly bore its name “Woonsocket Opera House” on its upper facade. Built in 1888, the building opened in the same year that Woonsocket became a city. It was a symbol of Woonsocket’s cultural hopes. In spite of the dreams of the Opera House’s builders, Woonsocket never became a leading stop for major theatrical groups. The really big shows and really big stars played elsewhere. The Woonsocket Opera House became the stage for traveling repertory companies and secondary road companies. For two decades it was Woonsocket’s only theater to offer legitimate stage attractions. In 1913, now called the New Park Theater, the Opera House attracted vaudeville shows. By 1915 the Opera House was Woonsocket’s leading movie theater with occasional stage shows, usually local productions. It remained a movie theater until its closing. In 1941 the theater was extensively remodeled and in 1942 new owner Arthur I. Darman brought vaudeville back to its stage for the brief reprise of vaudeville during World War II.
After World War II the Opera House suffered the fate of most American downtown theaters. Inability to compete with television and drive-in movies, population moves to the suburbs, and the general decline of movies as the prime form of American entertainment permanently closed the New Park Theater in 1963.
In June, 1972 Mayor John A. Cummings called for the demolition of the structure because of the hazards it posed. Bids were sought to raze the Opera House. The Woonsocket Historical Society, under the leadership of President Phyllis Thomas, sought to stay the demolition, proposing instead that the building be preserved and rehabilitated as a cultural center for Woonsocket.
Mrs. Thomas and Martin Crowley, Woonsocket High School history teacher, appealed to the City Council to postpone demolition. They asked for time to restore the Opera House. City Council members agreed with the sentiments of Councilman Gerard J. Bouley: “The building has been around for 84 years; a few more years won’t hurt.”
Demolition was postponed. With this new breath of life, full-scale restoration plans began. Community support for the efforts was evidenced when 22 community groups pledged to support restoration efforts. In 1973 the Opera House was entered into the National Register of Historic Places. That same year National Guardsmen and military reservists joined others in a “Clean up the Opera House Day.” In January, 1974, noted Woonsocket liturgical composer C. Alexander Peloquin presented a concert of sacred music in Saint Ann’s Church for the benefit of the restoration fund drive. The Woonsocket Opera House Society was formed to oversee the plans for and actual restoration of the building.
In August, 1975 the City Council voted to transfer the property to the Opera House Society, although lack of a clear title held up this transfer.
As hopes for the building’s salvation grew, disaster struck. In the early morning hours of September 22, 1975, a fire of suspicious origin roared through the Opera House. The building was destroyed as well as the top two floors of the adjacent Brown-Carroll Building. An 85-year-old resident of the Colonial Apartments, Mrs. Anne E. Tavnon, died in the blaze. The fears of area residents and business and public safety officials were realized; the hopes of the Woonsocket Opera House Society were dashed. An editorial in The Woonsocket Call summed up the entire Opera House story of the seventies. The editorial writer called not only the blaze but the entire Opera House episode tragic:
“It is a tragic ending for one of the city’s best-known landmarks….It is tragic, too, that those who felt so strongly that it could be renovated and refurbished…were not given a chance to implement these plans.”
Here’s a bit about the emergence of the Leroy and the Strand, and their rivalry, as taken from Susan Marie Boucher’s book The History of Pawtucket 1635-1976:
“With the opening of the Strand Theatre in 1921, and also the Leroy, a new concept was born in the entertainment world of Pawtucket. The Strand opened with a nine-piece orchestra providing the musical background, and voice and instrumental performances were given at each program. Carrying the insignia of Paramount Pictures, it ran the best shows in town.
“Vaudeville acts, ‘direct form the Palace.’ could also be seen at the Strand. The Leroy and the Strand, both large and opulent houses, were rivals for quite some time. After the advent of the ‘talkies,’ the Leroy laid claim to the coveted title of being number one—-the best in Pawtucket and one of the largest theatres in all of New England.”
Here’s a bit about the emergence of the Leroy and the Strand, and their rivalry, as taken from Susan Marie Boucher’s book The History of Pawtucket 1635-1976:
“With the opening of the Strand Theatre in 1921, and also the Leroy, a new concept was born in the entertainment world of Pawtucket. The Strand opened with a nine-piece orchestra providing the musical background, and voice and instrumental performances were given at each program. Carrying the insignia of Paramount Pictures, it ran the best shows in town.
“Vaudeville acts, ‘direct form the Palace.’ could also be seen at the Strand. The Leroy and the Strand, both large and opulent houses, were rivals for quite some time. After the advent of the ‘talkies,’ the Leroy laid claim to the coveted title of being number one—-the best in Pawtucket and one of the largest theatres in all of New England.”
I believe the first film shown here when the theatre opened in 1964 was One Man’s Way with Don Murray, a biography of Norman Vincent Peale.
This is the first-run movie theatre I generally go to for the Hollywood releases that catch my fancy. It’s not much different from the other one in Warwick, but it has the advantage of being side-by-side with Warwick Mall itself and its food court if you are feeling peckish.
There are movie patrons, I’m sure, who confuse this theatre with the similarly named Showcase Cinemas Warwick Mall. I’ve come here for years, and must have seen most of the new Martin Scorsese films here as they come out, even The Last Temptation of Christ, which had its area premiere here in 1988. For a multiplex there isn’t much to complain about, except the utter sameness. I also don’t like the smaller auditoriums here that have an emergency exit under the screen with a glaring exit light catching your eye all the time. And come to think of it, I don’t like commercials, slide-shows, and about twenty trailers before each movie. Well, not too many complaints.
From Woonsocket, Rhode Island – A Centennial History, 1888-1988:
World War II years at Woonsocket theatres
Throughout the war years, local movie houses supplied war-weary citizens with much-needed entertainment. At that time the city boasted six theaters: the New Park and the Stadium at Monument Square, the Bijou on lower Main Street, the Olympia and the Rialto in the Market Square area, and the Laurier in the Social district.
Movies not only boosted patriotism and morale, but they also were instrumental in raising millions of dollars in war bonds. Theatergoers were constantly reminded on newsreels and by screen actors that there was “a war on.”
These same movie houses were also used for bond rallies which included live stage acts. One such rally was held at the Stadium Theatre on June 13, 1944. Billed as the Fifth War Loan, the spectacle included a local war hero, Captain John T. Godfrey, and Woonsocket’s young Eileen Farrell, who music critics claimed was on the verge of a “brilliant operatic career.”
The most impressive of these bond rallies was that of September 9, 1943. This “Salute to Our Heroes” dinner was sponsored by the local theater managers headed by Benjamin Greenberg.
1950-1960
Those seeking an evening, or even an afternoon, at the movies had their choice of six movie theaters in 1950. The Olympia, Rialto, Bijou, and Stadium on Main Street; the New Park on North Main Street; and the Laurier on Cumberland Street. Most of these had matinees as well as evening performances, and all featured two movies—the double feature.
Competition for customers, plus the beginnings of competition by television, led theater owners to add inducements to their movie billings. At the Olympia, viewers could play “Honey” for cash prizes, while the New Park featured Silver Dollar Nights. At the Laurier, management appealed to the distaff side by offering china and silverware as gifts. Those who sought family entertainmnet could travel to the Rhode Island Auditorium in Providence to enjoy the Ice Capades for a price ranging from $1.25 to $3.80.
Sarah Bernhardt once performed here!
Yes, Sarah Bernhardt. The year is unclear, but it is mentioned in the book by Mathias P. Harpin, Trumpets of Jericho, about this Pawtuxet Valley town:
“Father Bourgeois brought Bernhardt to Jericho. Her agent came first to see if the theater was worthy of the great star’s talents. Father Bourgeois escorted her through the theater.
‘Marvelous Marvelous! Simply marvelous!’ exclaimed the woman who had the world at her feet in the roles of Camille, La Tosca, Cléopâtre and l'Aiglon."
I’ve searched hell and high Blackstone water, but there doesn’t seem to be one miserable photo of the Olympia Theatre anywhere!
From Woonsocket, Rhode Island – A Centennial History, 1888-1988:
World War II years at Woonsocket theatres
Throughout the war years, local movie houses supplied war-weary citizens with much-needed entertainment. At that time the city boasted six theaters: the New Park and the Stadium at Monument Square, the Bijou on lower Main Street, the Olympia and the Rialto in the Market Square area, and the Laurier in the Social district.
Movies not only boosted patriotism and morale, but they also were instrumental in raising millions of dollars in war bonds. Theatergoers were constantly reminded on newsreels and by screen actors that there was “a war on.”
These same movie houses were also used for bond rallies which included live stage acts. One such rally was held at the Stadium Theatre on June 13, 1944. Billed as the Fifth War Loan, the spectacle included a local war hero, Captain John T. Godfrey, and Woonsocket’s young Eileen Farrell, who music critics claimed was on the verge of a “brilliant operatic career.”
The most impressive of these bond rallies was that of September 9, 1943. This “Salute to Our Heroes” dinner was sponsored by the local theater managers headed by Benjamin Greenberg.
1950-1960
Those seeking an evening, or even an afternoon, at the movies had their choice of six movie theaters in 1950. The Olympia, Rialto, Bijou, and Stadium on Main Street; the New Park on North Main Street; and the Laurier on Cumberland Street. Most of these had matinees as well as evening performances, and all featured two movies—the double feature.
Competition for customers, plus the beginnings of competition by television, led theater owners to add inducements to their movie billings. At the Olympia, viewers could play “Honey” for cash prizes, while the New Park featured Silver Dollar Nights. At the Laurier, management appealed to the distaff side by offering china and silverware as gifts. Those who sought family entertainmnet could travel to the Rhode Island Auditorium in Providence to enjoy the Ice Capades for a price ranging from $1.25 to $3.80.
From Woonsocket, Rhode Island – A Centennial History, 1888-1988:
World War II years at Woonsocket theatres
Throughout the war years, local movie houses supplied war-weary citizens with much-needed entertainment. At that time the city boasted six theaters: the New Park and the Stadium at Monument Square, the Bijou on lower Main Street, the Olympia and the Rialto in the Market Square area, and the Laurier in the Social district.
Movies not only boosted patriotism and morale, but they also were instrumental in raising millions of dollars in war bonds. Theatergoers were constantly reminded on newsreels and by screen actors that there was “a war on.”
These same movie houses were also used for bond rallies which included live stage acts. One such rally was held at the Stadium Theatre on June 13, 1944. Billed as the Fifth War Loan, the spectacle included a local war hero, Captain John T. Godfrey, and Woonsocket’s young Eileen Farrell, who music critics claimed was on the verge of a “brilliant operatic career.”
The most impressive of these bond rallies was that of September 9, 1943. This “Salute to Our Heroes” dinner was sponsored by the local theater managers headed by Benjamin Greenberg.
1950-1960
Those seeking an evening, or even an afternoon, at the movies had their choice of six movie theaters in 1950. The Olympia, Rialto, Bijou, and Stadium on Main Street; the New Park on North Main Street; and the Laurier on Cumberland Street. Most of these had matinees as well as evening performances, and all featured two movies—the double feature.
Competition for customers, plus the beginnings of competition by television, led theater owners to add inducements to their movie billings. At the Olympia, viewers could play “Honey” for cash prizes, while the New Park featured Silver Dollar Nights. At the Laurier, management appealed to the distaff side by offering china and silverware as gifts. Those who sought family entertainmnet could travel to the Rhode Island Auditorium in Providence to enjoy the Ice Capades for a price ranging from $1.25 to $3.80.
From Woonsocket, Rhode Island – A Centennial History, 1888-1988:
World War II years at Woonsocket theatres
Throughout the war years, local movie houses supplied war-weary citizens with much-needed entertainment. At that time the city boasted six theaters: the New Park and the Stadium at Monument Square, the Bijou on lower Main Street, the Olympia and the Rialto in the Market Square area, and the Laurier in the Social district.
Movies not only boosted patriotism and morale, but they also were instrumental in raising millions of dollars in war bonds. Theatergoers were constantly reminded on newsreels and by screen actors that there was “a war on.”
These same movie houses were also used for bond rallies which included live stage acts. One such rally was held at the Stadium Theatre on June 13, 1944. Billed as the Fifth War Loan, the spectacle included a local war hero, Captain John T. Godfrey, and Woonsocket’s young Eileen Farrell, who music critics claimed was on the verge of a “brilliant operatic career.”
The most impressive of these bond rallies was that of September 9, 1943. This “Salute to Our Heroes” dinner was sponsored by the local theater managers headed by Benjamin Greenberg.
1950-1960
Those seeking an evening, or even an afternoon, at the movies had their choice of six movie theaters in 1950. The Olympia, Rialto, Bijou, and Stadium on Main Street; the New Park on North Main Street; and the Laurier on Cumberland Street. Most of these had matinees as well as evening performances, and all featured two movies—the double feature.
Competition for customers, plus the beginnings of competition by television, led theater owners to add inducements to their movie billings. At the Olympia, viewers could play “Honey” for cash prizes, while the New Park featured Silver Dollar Nights. At the Laurier, management appealed to the distaff side by offering china and silverware as gifts. Those who sought family entertainmnet could travel to the Rhode Island Auditorium in Providence to enjoy the Ice Capades for a price ranging from $1.25 to $3.80.
From Woonsocket, Rhode Island – A Centennial History, 1888-1988:
World War II years at Woonsocket theatres
Throughout the war years, local movie houses supplied war-weary citizens with much-needed entertainment. At that time the city boasted six theaters: the New Park and the Stadium at Monument Square, the Bijou on lower Main Street, the Olympia and the Rialto in the Market Square area, and the Laurier in the Social district.
Movies not only boosted patriotism and morale, but they also were instrumental in raising millions of dollars in war bonds. Theatergoers were constantly reminded on newsreels and by screen actors that there was “a war on.”
These same movie houses were also used for bond rallies which included live stage acts. One such rally was held at the Stadium Theatre on June 13, 1944. Billed as the Fifth War Loan, the spectacle included a local war hero, Captain John T. Godfrey, and Woonsocket’s young Eileen Farrell, who music critics claimed was on the verge of a “brilliant operatic career.”
The most impressive of these bond rallies was that of September 9, 1943. This “Salute to Our Heroes” dinner was sponsored by the local theater managers headed by Benjamin Greenberg.
1950-1960
Those seeking an evening, or even an afternoon, at the movies had their choice of six movie theaters in 1950. The Olympia, Rialto, Bijou, and Stadium on Main Street; the New Park on North Main Street; and the Laurier on Cumberland Street. Most of these had matinees as well as evening performances, and all featured two movies—the double feature.
Competition for customers, plus the beginnings of competition by television, led theater owners to add inducements to their movie billings. At the Olympia, viewers could play “Honey” for cash prizes, while the New Park featured Silver Dollar Nights. At the Laurier, management appealed to the distaff side by offering china and silverware as gifts. Those who sought family entertainmnet could travel to the Rhode Island Auditorium in Providence to enjoy the Ice Capades for a price ranging from $1.25 to $3.80.
From Woonsocket, Rhode Island – A Centennial History, 1888-1988:
World War II years at Woonsocket theatres
Throughout the war years, local movie houses supplied war-weary citizens with much-needed entertainment. At that time the city boasted six theaters: the New Park and the Stadium at Monument Square, the Bijou on lower Main Street, the Olympia and the Rialto in the Market Square area, and the Laurier in the Social district.
Movies not only boosted patriotism and morale, but they also were instrumental in raising millions of dollars in war bonds. Theatergoers were constantly reminded on newsreels and by screen actors that there was “a war on.”
These same movie houses were also used for bond rallies which included live stage acts. One such rally was held at the Stadium Theatre on June 13, 1944. Billed as the Fifth War Loan, the spectacle included a local war hero, Captain John T. Godfrey, and Woonsocket’s young Eileen Farrell, who music critics claimed was on the verge of a “brilliant operatic career.”
The most impressive of these bond rallies was that of September 9, 1943. This “Salute to Our Heroes” dinner was sponsored by the local theater managers headed by Benjamin Greenberg.
1950-1960
Those seeking an evening, or even an afternoon, at the movies had their choice of six movie theaters in 1950. The Olympia, Rialto, Bijou, and Stadium on Main Street; the New Park on North Main Street; and the Laurier on Cumberland Street. Most of these had matinees as well as evening performances, and all featured two movies—the double feature.
Competition for customers, plus the beginnings of competition by television, led theater owners to add inducements to their movie billings. At the Olympia, viewers could play “Honey” for cash prizes, while the New Park featured Silver Dollar Nights. At the Laurier, management appealed to the distaff side by offering china and silverware as gifts. Those who sought family entertainmnet could travel to the Rhode Island Auditorium in Providence to enjoy the Ice Capades for a price ranging from $1.25 to $3.80.
From Woonsocket, Rhode Island – A Centennnial History, 1888-1988:
The second playhouse [after the Laurier] to open during the 1920’s was the Stadium Theatre at Monument Square. The most palatial theatre ever erected in Woonsocket, it was formally dedicated on September 26, 1926, when the movie Padlocked, starring Noah Beery and Lois Moran, was shown.
One of the most eleborately furnished and decorated playhouses in New England, the Stadium had an auditorium 120 feet long and 90 feet wide, with a seating capacity of 1,000. Its foyer, 80 feet long and 20 feet wide, was artistically designed with an arched and vaulted ceiling and an ornamental fireplace flanked by recessed fountains. The theater was equipped with a concert organ.
Speakers at the dedication of the Stadium included Mayor Adelard L. Soucy, former U.S. Congressman Ambrose Kennedy, and Arthur I. Darman. Mr. Darman was president and treasurer of the Stadium Realty Corporation which owned the new building housing the theater.
The first lessee of the Stadium Theatre was Publix Theatres, controlled by the Players-Lasky Corporation, which operated nearly 100 theaters in New England at the time. In April, 1933, the theater was leased for $24,000 per year to Stadium Theatre, Incorporated, upon condition that it present only first-class motion pictures, vaudeville, legitimate drama, and concerts.
The Aidco Corporation, headed by Arthur I. Darman, took over operation of the Stadium Theatre in 1956. The playhouse was extensively rennovated and a grand reopening was held August 24, 1956. Despite stiff competition afforded by drive-in theaters and home television, the Stadium survived.
Opened: September 20, 1888.
Destroyed by fire: September 22, 1975.
Age: 87 years, 2 days.
From Preliminary Survey Report – Town of West Warwick, 1987:
MAJESTIC BLOCK (1901): Dominating Arctic Square from its prominent site within the “V” formed by Washington and Main Streets, the Majestic Block is a large, 5-story, brick and concrete block, triangular-plan structure. The first bulding on this site, erected in the late 19th Century and known as Joseph Archambault’s Block, burned on November 3, 1900. Its replacement, built by Archambault and called the Majestic Hotel, contained a movie theatre in the heart of the building, with rooms on the exterior walls, a bowling aley in the basement, and a bar and drug store at street level. The largest commercial building in Arctic and the commercial and urban focus of this small central business district for many years, the Majestic Block was renovated in the mid-1980s. […and subsequently torn down.]