Stadium Theatre
329 Main Street,
Woonsocket,
RI
02895
329 Main Street,
Woonsocket,
RI
02895
10 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 47 of 47 comments
I went to the Stadium many times as a child. In fact, the earliest film I recall seeing in a hardtop (my parents had previously taken me to drive-ins) was at the Stadium, and it was a matinee of DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE (Rated G – which would never happen today). I saw many films there in the late 60’s and early 70’s (BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES, DIE MONSTER DIE, HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS, YOG MONSTER FROM SPACE, DESTROY ALL MONSTERS, MAD MONSTER PARTY). During the min-70’s, for a brief time, the Stadium showed soft-core adult films. The manager gave me access to a storage room (located under the balcony) and allowed me to look through a file cabinet full of one-sheets and stills, and let me take what I wanted. The last film I saw at the Stadium was WHEN HARRY MET SALLY in 1989. The theater was in a state of decay at the time, the projector lamps had not been changed in a while, seates were torn, etc. I no longer live in RI and have not been back since, but I hear it’s quite beautiful today.
In response to the above post on the Stadium, there was another use of a RI theatre in a movie production. Michael Corrente’s film American Buffalo, with Dustin Hoffman, had several scenes shot outside the decaying marquee of the Leroy Theatre in Pawtucket, RI. It was Pawtucket’s most beautiful movie palace and no plans to save it ever came to fruition. It was demolished not long after the film’s completion.
Showtime is currently running a series set in Rhode Island called Brotherhood.On the current episode one of the stories involves the saving of an old theatre. The theatre used is the Stadium and there are scenes set in the theatre (both inside and out.)One scene takes place under the marquee, and while the two characters are talking you can hear the buzz of the neon from the sign overhead. A very nice atmospheric detail. Sort of the aural equivalent of standing outside and smelling the popcorn
The Stadium Theatre and the Palace Theatre in West Warwick shared ads for porno movie programs, in 1974 and 1975 at least.
Eileen Farrell, Woonsocket-born operatic contralto and star of the Metropolitan Opera, appeared in recital at the Stadium on October 3, 1961.
On June 23, 1982 I came up to the Stadium with a friend to see a special presentation of the French-language film from Quebec called Les Plouffe, a family saga based on the very popular novel by Roger Lemelin and directed by Gilles Carle. I remember the showing was rather crowded. The print was 16mm, with subtitles. Details on the film can be found here. Woonsocket, of course, has a large population of French-Canadian ancestry. This is the kind of movie that would easily have found its way into the Laurier in the Social district, had that theatre still been around.
Some programs illustrating a progression:
1-29-71: Lovers and Other Strangers (This was the day the Walnut Hill Cinemas opened on Diamond Hill Road.)
12-72: Slaughterhouse Five
1-73: Superfly
7-73: Inga and Oh, Calcutta!
1-1-74: Climax and Feel (porno)
The Theatre was also open showing 2nd run movies during the 1980’s the first movie I can remember seeing there was Star Wars (probably when it was re-released in 81 or 81) and the last movie I remember seeing there was The Little Mermaid in 1989 or so.
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.
Thumbnail sketch of the Stadium Theatre from Statewide Preservation Report – Woonsocket, R.I., 1976, by the R.I. Preservation Commission:
The Stadium Theatre (1926): The Stadium Theatre is a large and beautifully maintained movie house of the 1920’s, equipped to handle the live stage shows and musical performances which were part of a movie theatre presentation of that time. Entrance to the theatre is through an elegantly designed shopping arcade, and the Stadium lobby is ornamented with fancy tilework and a small fountain. The theatre itself is in the Adamesque manner, and the entire complex, including the Stadium Building facing Monument Square, was built for Arthur Darman, a local industrialist with a love for the vaudeville theatre. [See entries about Darman here.] The building was designed by Perry & Whipple of Providence who also did the adjacent 4-story Stadium office building. Decoration of the theatre was handled by Watts & Hutton of Providence and Abraham Anthony of Boston.
This photo from 1928 or so shows the Stadium marquee with its vertical. The film “The Last Command,” with Emil Jannings and directed by the great Joseph von Sternberg, was on view.
I wish residents or former long-time residents of Woonsocket would offer some recollections of its other old theatres: Rialto, Bijou, Laurier, Park, Olympia, and of course this still-surviving and lovingly restored Stadium, about which we know so much more.
Of course! Just attach them to an e-mail and forward them.
Gerald, is there any way I can forward some of these photos to friends with whom I attended these places back in the day? Thanks. The photos are consistently wonderful, and I’d love to join you in that time travel back to the Golden Era of movies!
This is a photo I took in the ticket office of the Stadium. It shows posters listing some films shown in 1927 and 1928. I wish I could go back in time and attend all of them. The theatre was no more than two years old then.
In the 40s and possibly the 50s (beginning I don’t know when), this theater was owned by the same organization that owned the Strand in Pawtucket and another theater in Newport whose name I cannot now recall. I hope they have continued success with this lovely place.
Here are two photos, one relatively recent one of the exterior, another of the program booklet (front) of the December 3, 1971 presentation of Rudolph Valentino’s “The Eagle” with Lee Erwin at the organ console. That program has a B/W photo of the auditorium and stage.
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A photo of this theater is located at
www.preservationdirectory.com/photodatabase_theaters.html
The Stadium has now been beautifully restored and serves as an arts center to Woonsocket. Many cultural events take place here. Two years in a row we were treated to the Moscow Boys Choir. Free classic movies are often shown. The world premiere showings of two Farrelly Brothers films were presented in the theatre: THERE’S SOMTHING ABOUT MARY and the STUCK ON YOU (with Cher in attendance.) The Farrelly Brothers grew up in nearby Cumberland and have a particular affection for the Stadium, where they saw movies as youngsters. The theatre has a fine pipe organ. There are occasional organ recitals, and in December, 1971 I remember seeing a special presentation of Rudolph Valentino’s THE EAGLE, with live
organ accompaniment by Lee Erwin.
During the 50’s the Stadium Theatre seated 1900 people.
Theatre is undergoing complete decorative restoration by John Canning Painting and Conservation Studios, Cheshire, CT under the direction of Daniel R. Peloquin, RA, Woonsocket, RI. The theatre will have its grand re-opening autumn 2001.