Orson Welles Cinema
1001 Massachusetts Avenue,
Cambridge,
MA
02138
1001 Massachusetts Avenue,
Cambridge,
MA
02138
19 people
favorited this theater
Showing 51 - 75 of 128 comments
Aha…The Orson Welles. Memory lane! I miss that place. Too bad about what happened to it.
In his posting above of Feb. 3, 2006, pbrooke writes of one Dean Gitter who was associated with the Esquire/Orson Welles in the 1960s. Dean Gitter was the chairman of the Howard National Theatre Museum Committee in Cambridge in early 1961. Their goal was to preserve the historic Old Howard Theatre in Scollay Square, Boston (1846-1962) and to turn it into a theatre museum and performance center. A copy of the committee’s proposal, written by Dean Gitter and dated March 1961, is in the archives of the Theatre Historical Society in Elmhurst IL. I had no idea that Dean Gitter was associated with the Orson Welles cinema.
I took over the Cinerama Providence in 1976, which was then a twin showing 99 cent sub-run films to a tough crowd. I convinced the powers at SBC to take a chance on art programing for the house and used the Welles and others as a proving ground for features.
I would make regular pilgrimages to the theatre to catch the films, see audience reaction and talk to regulars. I even convinced some film critics to make the trip with me to gauge their reaction and anticipate a review. This also made sure that a review would appear as the film broke or before, rather than waiting for days to lapse.
All in all, a great place to see a film and even better memories on when a theatre manager had input on how his house was run.
My first wife (then girlfriend) and I lived down one block and around the corner at 99 Hancock Street when the Orson Welles opened in the spring of ‘69 and had Sunday brunch at a restaurant that was part of that building in late '77 or early '78 during our last visit to Cambridge before the end of our marriage. Frank Rich was a sophomore, recently elected to the Crimson as I recall when he wrote the article about the theater’s opening. It seemed like such a cool place.
People and events I remember about the Welles #1:
One night a couple of scruffy young guys (accompanied by one of their girlfriends) ambled in and asked if they could show their newly finished animated film at the theater. So we ran their print of this short film called “Cosmic Cartoon”. All that I remember about the film was that it “borrowed” (i.e. stole) heavily from the drawings of Winsor McCay’s “Little Nemo in Slumberland”. One of the creators was an artist named Ladd who had done most of the actual graphic work. The other guy came across as being a very aggressive hustler who had probably been instrumental in raising the money to make it. His name was Steven Lisberger. Years later, they formed a company called Lisberger-Ladd. I have no idea whatever happened to Ladd, but some time later, after I arrived in Hollywood, Disney Studios was releasing a major motion picture directed by none other than Steven Lisberger. It was a summer “tentpole” event film called “TRON.”
-John Semper
(Welles Cinema “alumnus” circa 1973-1978)
P.S. I would love to hear from John Rossi, Leslie Miller, Jimmy Robi, Mary Galloway, Bill Gitt or anybody else who worked at the Welles during that era who remembers me!
Curious to know if anyone knows anything about Cate Enterprises. O came across a Film Comment article from 1979 (“Alls not Welles that Ends Welles,” by Sam Lasoff) that says this “Massachusetts realty trust” bought the Welles sometime after 1976, as well as a bunch of other theatres in New England (including Boston’s Esquire chain) totaling 33 & showing “everything from gay, skin, and blaxploitation to first-run American and foreign movies.” Anyone know how long these guys were in the Boston film scene? Which theatres they owned?
I’m trying to googlemap every theatre & film-exhibition venue in Boston/ Camb./ Somerville during May 1977, showing the films that were playing, chains that owned the theatres, etc.
The Orson Welles Cinema was a real keeper. As a student during the 1970’s, and through the miod-1980’s, after I’d gotten out of school, I’d go to movies pretty regularly there. Back in the seventies, an evening would be made of it, by having dinner at the nearby Orson Welles Restaurant before it burned down, and then attending a movie at the Cinema. For several years after I finished school, I lived right around the corner from Orson Welles Cinema, and I’d still go to movies pretty regularly there. Among the movies that I saw at Orson Welles cinema were Bonnie & Clyde, Performance, Road Warrior, The Harder They Come, Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”, and, not to mention some others, last but not least, West Side Story.
Does anyone remember the December 1983 screening at the Orson Welles of the hip-hop film Wild Style, at the Orson Welles? The theater was painted up by several graffiti artists from NYC. I am in search of photos of this artwork, or leads to some photos, whether personal snapshots or pro. This is for a book project that I’ll be happy to explain for anyone with leads or photos… anyone? I can be reached at
Thanks, La Connection, for reminding me of “The Day of the Triffids”! Actually, a directory would be quite simple to compile, I suppose best from microfilm copies of “The Boston Phoenix” or “The Real Paper”. The movie reviews were always on the same page, making finding them simple and fast? I forgot to mention the great “Boudou Saved From Drowning”, the original French movie from the Thirties, which would certainly be out of place nowadays, when we drown in moral relativities. I seem to recall a restaurant by the Orson Welles called the “Au Chose”?
Here are a few of the films that were shown at the Orson Welles.
I’ll add more when I have time!
best to all,
DCC
Adam’s Rib
Aquirre, the Wrath of God
All My Sons
All the King’s Men
An American in Paris
And then There Were None
The Andromeda Strain
Anna Karenina
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
The Awful Truth
The Bachelor and the Bobbysoxer
The Bad and the Beautiful
Bananas
The Bandwagon
Battling Butler
Beat the Devil
Bedazzled
The Bed-Sitting Room
Before the Revolution
The Big Heat
Black Orpheus
The Blacksmith
The Blue Dahlia
The Boy Friend
Brewster McCloud
The Bride Wore Black
Bringing Up Baby
Burn!
The Butcher Boy
Cabaret
The California Reich
California Split
Camille
The Candidate
Cartouche
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Cesar and Rosalie
The Chase
Chinatown
Citizen Kane
City Lights
The Clock
Clockmaker
College
Colossus: The Forbin Project
Coney Island
The Conformist
The Conversation
Cops
Cousin/Cousine
The Creature From the Black Lagoon
Cries and Whispers
Cul de Sac
I doubt it at this late date – but, I would Love to see such a Directory myself!
I can give you a listing of the films shown at the Orson Welles for its annual SF FILM MARATHON (which continues to this day. Now, at the Somerville theater. Info: http://sf.theboard.net/))
Click on this link: http://sf.theboard.net/film_archive/index.php?SF1
That will give you the films shown at the very first Marathon (in February 1976). Then, by clicking on the numbers at the top of the page 2 thru 11, You will get the films shown at the other 10 Marathons held at the Welles. Not exactly what you asked for, but I hope it’s of some interest (and there are a LOT of films listed!).
Is there a directory for films shown at the Orson Welles Cinema, besides the newspaper listings? I saw many from 1978-1981, and enjoyed the information printed out on long, colored paper handouts, in the lobby before the showings. The Thief of Paris, Aguirre Wrath of God, Get Out Your Handkerchiefs, Murmer of the Heart, Lacombe Lucien, Kaspar Hauser, Tess, Nicholas and Alexandra, The Green Wall, The Third Man, Of Human Bondage, The Clockmaker. Terrific! I cannot recall the name of the movie concerning the young, beautiful actress who falls in love and loses everything, including her life, in the Bolshevist revolution in Georgia?
anyone familiar with Dwight “Bud” Orton? Bud passed away last Sunday and I was told that he was involved with this theatre? anyone have info on that?
I’m the dude that hopped up in Neil Young’s lap when I was 14 mos old (see post from Feb 3, 2006), what a trip! I’m just clearing out Mom’s email account after her valient passing a few months ago. Mom and I had a bunch of memorable experiences from Boston to SF and all the way to Hawaii. She was quite a talent…www.pamelabrooke.com. Health and happiness to all…G
For the opening of the theatre as the Orson Welles Cinema on April 8, 1969, Frank Rich, then a student at Harvard, wrote THIS ARTICLE for the Harvard Crimson.
The theatre opened on February 14, 1964, according to my private notes. It was called the Esquire then. The first film was Emile de Antonio’s documentary Point of Order! about the 1954 Senate Army-McCarthy hearings and consisted entirely of edited TV footage. I went there with two friends the following day after our dinner at Würsthaus off Harvard Square.
Oh,I loved the Orson Welles. It was always an experience to go there. I learned to love baklava there, saw some of the best movies, and always met someone interesting along the way. So many memories I had forgotten.
The Harder They Come’s director says a seven-year run in this article from Index Magazine:
View link
Of course, that wouldn’t discount the Orson Welles from having soon brought the film back for another extended run, probably as a midnight show.
Ah, the Orson Welles… From back in my student days, I’ve saved a few of the old program notes on colored paper.
If DCC has anything on the early years of the SCIENCE FICTION FILM MARATHON (sf.theboard.net) I would love to hear about it!
I worked at the Orson Welles Restaurant during the
mid-70s, while I was in grad school, as busboy,
waiter, and eventually as weekend manager. It was
a crazy but a nice place to work, filled with interesting
and often eccentric people. We watched movies next door
when we weren’t working. The Cinema provided patrons with
excellent credits for and critical comments on each movie,
mimeographed on colored paper, and I still have a couple
of hundred of these tucked away somewhere. The Cinema
also sold the coolest tee shirts in the world, designed
by somebody with a great graphic sense (portraits of
movie stars, for the most part, but I can also remember
Bugs Bunny and Alfred Hitchcock). I also still have a
silk-screened poster for the “Orson Welles Film Festival”
signed by Orson himself when he came for dinner at
the restaurant. He was not very mobile at that point
but extremely kind and generous. He told me that
I looked like Albrecht Durer, which I took for a compliment
until I located a portrait of A.D. Eventually the owner
of the restaurant ran out of money and odd new owners
materialized. Among other things, they informed the staff
(free spirits all) that from now on everybody would be
wearing uniforms. A strike ensued, and then a fire,
and that was it for the restaurant.
When did “The Harder They Come” end its ten-year run?
I started attending the Sci-Fi Marathon’s with my father when I was about 10. If I remember correctly, there were 3 concurrent marathons in the 3 theaters: 12hr, 24hr, and 36hr versions.
We started at the 12hr version but soon started attending the 24hr one.
A few memories:
– Every year a group of MIT students dressed as the ‘Martian Liberation Organization’ (MLO) would briefly take the theater hostage.
FREAKING out during the opening scene of ‘The Thing’ (dog running across the snow) when I realized it was a version of “Who Goes There?”, a classic sci-fi story I’d just read, that gave me nightmares for days.
Drinking WAY too much ‘Jolt’ cola
But even more than the Sci-Fi Marathon I loved the “Schlock Around the Clock” marathon. Especially during the usual Russ Meyer movie when my dad would say “Close your eyes. Go to sleep!”
La Connection—Thank you for the Sci-Fi Marathon site! I was able to look up the name of a film I’ve been trying to remember for years “Quiet Earth”
Anyone have a list of the Schlock marathon movies?
To update this prior post by br91975:
“The fire Gerald mentions occurred during the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, 1986; two of the final three features were ‘Dreamchild’ and the Michael Caine-starrer, ‘Water’.
posted by br91975 on May 8, 2004 at 10:28pm”
Today on the Bostonsci-fi.com Marathon Messageboard, former Orson Welles Cinema employee Bruce Bartoo posted that the 3rd film playing at the Welles at the time of its demise was ALWAYS.
You can read his full post here:
View link
In regards to Odette Bery (one r in her surname, not two), my mother worked under her as a line cook for her Beacon Hill restaurant, Another Season. I know Another Season is out of buisiness, I’m not sure why, and can’t recall when it died (my mother stopped working for her in the mid 80’s, and left the food biz shortly after that.) I do know Lala Rokh is now where it used to be-and you can still see vestiges of the former place. After Another Season, I believe that she went to teach at BU for a while, in the early 90’s, as well as making pasties and nibbles for wine tastings at Brookline Liquor Mart. Then sometime around 1995, she was managing another establishment called Pudding it First-a pudding parlor. Opened by Don Perrin it was like an ice cream store, only they served a large variety of puddings. This store was in the Coolidge Corner Theater building and didn’t last long. Now, last I heard, she’s the chef/manager at Collins Cafe in the Davis Museum at Wellesley College. For a while, she was teaching cooking at Another Season, but that stopped, not sure why (she might not have had the proper licensing to conduct cooking classes.) I did study a little under Odette as a child, and always liked her. Also, she did author a book, “The Another Season Cookbook”, which is esstentially a collection of recipes of dishes served at her establishment. It’s actually quite good, with tips and lessons as well as some menu suggestions. Haven’t seen her in well over a decade, but I remember her as being really nice, as well as an amazing chef.
IN 1977, ORSON WELLES APPEARED AT THE ORSON WELLES THEATER