Gilbert Stuart Theatre
19 Maple Avenue,
Riverside,
East Providence,
RI
02915
19 Maple Avenue,
Riverside,
East Providence,
RI
02915
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I remember Joe Jarvis when he took over the Gilbert Stuart. As kids, we thought he ran the place like a mean schoolmaster and used to patrol the audience during Saturday kid matinees scolding any kids who “acted up”. I seem to recall that he often worked the candy counter, too. During the earlier Lyric era, I remember standing in long lines along the dirt sidewalk outside waiting for the doors to open for the Saturday double feature. The line often stretched back past the Bucci Tailor Shop on Bullocks Point Ave, and whenever their steam press was in operation, a big exhaust of steam would blast out toward the line of kids.
The 1949 Film Daily Yearbook lists the seating capacity of the Lyric as 430.
Yes, I remember Joe Jarvis mentioning the Gilbert Stuart when he was running Newport’s Jane Pickens, the last place he ran before he died.
I was there for a short time during my training of Lockwood & Gordon. I remeber large attendance for kid shows. The manager at the time, around 1954 was Joe Jarvis.
Some early managers of the Lyric, based on East Providence city directories: 1941-42, Mrs. Fabiola Goff; 1944-1951, Charles S. Tobey (manager or treasurer); 1953, Herbert McGuire.
From 1959, after the Hollywood on Taunton Avenue closed, until around 1965, when the Four Seasons opened, this was East Providence’s only active movie theatre. Today the Patriot Cinemas 10 (formerly Four Seasons) is the only one.
Well, I have been able to verify a previous Lyric Theatre on Brow Street, on the other side of town. You can read about it here.
Here is a photo dating to 1946 when the Gilbert Stuart was called the Lyric. The movie poster in the left case is for Blonde Alibi. A blurb accompanying this photo in the “Images of America” volume East Providence says that the theatre opened on Maple Avenue circa 1920, was operated by Edith Chase who accompanied silent movies on the piano. The blurb states too that in 1928 this was the second theatre in the state to have sound movies after Fays in Providence. (I think the Majestic was the first.)
I meant Odeon/Lyric, not “Globe/Lyric.”
The first appearance of the Odeon in city directories was in the 1923-1924 edition with the address of 19 Maple. In the 1927-28 edition there is now a Lyric Theatre at that address. In 1933 it is given as 10 Maple…which I think was a typo. Going back to 1913, there was a Lyric Theatre (pictures) at 34 Brow Street; in 1919 the address given is 12 Brow Street. Brow Street is a few miles away from Maple, nearer to Taunton Avenue and not in Riverside. That would give us another theatre in East Providence by the name of Lyric at one time. But I doubt I’ll be able to verify that. The Globe/Lyric on Maple Avenue became the Gilbert Stuart in the 1950s, I believe.
Here is the theatre as it appears today.
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Hello,
I remember this place as a kid although I never had an opportunity to go there. I used to live at 99 Maple Ave and used to pass by this place all the time. In the 80’s this use to be a warehouse for a arcade machine vendor. (I use to see them bring them in and out all the time. A couple machines at a time with an old ‘tommy" lift gate pick-up truck.) I would love to find out more about this theatre as well as other forgotten spots in Riverside such as the Bowling Alley on Turner St. (across the street from St. Marks Episcopal Church) and other places that have slipped away. Please email me if you have any information on this or other spots.
My email is:
Thank-you and Have A Great New Year!
Ray Laurino
“This sounds like it was a nice place.”
Actually it was a very plain, functional, and unadorned little box of a place, except for the Gilbert Stuart portrait reproductions. It was and is very drab-looking from the outside. It’s just that I have a great deal of nostalgia for the place and find it sad when even unassumimg theaters like this perish. About 3-4 miles away near the city hall in East Providence is the larger and long-dormant Hollywood Theatre. I’ve never seen the inside but it must be/have been quite nice. I wish the city would buy it and restore it. It’s been for sale for eons.
This sounds like it was a nice place.
I walked into the place today. It now houses a business called Century Sheet Metal. The front part seems to be offices; the rear is a work and stock-storage area.
In some of their newspaper ads of the 1950s they adopted folksy commentary. Of RAINTREE COUNTY, a film of tepid critical success, the management wrote: “Held Over 2nd Smash Week. The public is the final arbiter of entertainment and they endorse this great motion picture.” The Gilbert Stuart referred to itself in its ads as “The little theatre off Riverside Square.” It was a very likable place.
The exact address was 19 Maple Avenue. The theatre was also formerly known as the Odeon.