The Imperial in South Boston, along with Hamilton Hall (Hamilton Theatre?) in Dorchester was run by a Mike Lydon in early 1914, according to comedian Fred Allen who played in small-time vaudeville at both theaters. I always assumed that the Imperial was strictly a film house and did not realize that there was live entertainment there, too.
Is the location of this theater near Meeting House Hill in Dorchester? Was it originally called “Hamilton Hall”? The radio comedian (and big star of the 1930s and 1940s) Fred Allen, in his autobiography, says that in early 1914 he was booked into small-time vaudeville and one of the theaters he played was “Hamilton Hall in Dorchester near Meeting House Hill”. It was run by a Mike Lyon, who also ran the Imperial Theatre in South Boston.
The Sorg Opera House is listed under Middletown in the Ohio section of the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. Managed by Dechant and Walburg, 1,400 seats, ticket prices 25 cents to $1. The house was on the ground floor and had both gas and electric illimination. 9 musicians in the house orchestra. The proscenium opening was 34 feet square, and the stage was 37 feet deep. There were 5 newspapers; hotels for show folk were the Arlington, United States, City, Romneel House, and Broadway. The 1897 poopulation of Middletown was 10,000.
Don King’s time-line says that the theater name was changed to Aquarius Theatre on January 18, 1972. That sounds about right to me. But I seem to recall that the Orpheum name was brought back later sort of informally, over a period of time. King implies that Loews gave up operations not long before the Aquarius name change.
The theaters time-line in the back of Don King’s Boston theaters history book lists a “Lyric Theatre” from March 1907 at 734 Washington Street. This would have been a very short distance to the south of the Washington Theatre. But the Lyric at this address is absent from the 1918 and 1921 Boston street directories, so it must have been a short-lived nickleodeon.
Donald King in his Boston theaters history book covers the confusing changes of name at this theater between 1900 and 1910, already mentioned above, but worth repeating. In the summer of 1900, the Boston Music Hall underwent heavy reconstruction inside to convert it from a concert hall into a vaudeville theater. The orientation of the auditorium was reversed, from looking toward the stage at the south end of the building, to facing it at the north end. When it reopened in early-Sept 1900, it was still named “Boston Music Hall”. In Feb. 1905, it was renamed the Empire Theatre. Boston movie theater historian Joe Cifre included the Empire as one of Boston’s earliest movie film venues. In 1906, it became the Orpheum Theater, and was under management by William Morris. He presented short movies as part of two-a-day vaudeville shows. In 1909, it was briefly named American Music Hall before becoming Loew’s Orpheum Theater the following year when Marcus Loew took it over. He did not renovate it into its present appearance until 1915.
Boston had a very busy Film Row, full of characters, located in what is called Bay/Gay Village, down in back of the Stuart Street Playhouse cinema. All long gone today.
The musical “Godspell”, produced by Moonbox Productions, was on stage at the Brattle this weekend. The reviewer in today’s Boston Sunday Herald gives it high marks, except for the theater itself. Although the Brattle was originally a live theater, he implies that it’s not suitable for live productions today.
The Auditorium was among Lynn theaters on a long list of Massachusetts theaters and halls receiving licenses during the 12 months ending Oct. 31, 1914. Other Lynn theaters on the list: Central Square, Dreamland, Lynn Theatre, Olympia, Theatre Comique, and the Lynn Womens Club auditorium; plus other function/fraternal halls.
As the Nelson Theatre, the Art was one of the Springfield theaters on a long list of Massachusetts theaters and halls which received licenses during the 12 months ending Oct. 31, 1914. Other Springfield theaters on the list: Bijou, Broadway, Court Square, Gilmore, Globe, Hudson, Plaza, Poli-Palace; plus function/fraternal halls.
As the Pleasant Street Theatre, the Art was included in the Worcester theaters on a long list of Massachusetts theaters and halls receiving licenses during the 12 months ending Oct. 31, 1914. Other Worcester entries on the list: Grand Theatre (managed by Poli), Lincoln Park Theatre, New Park Theatre, Plaza Theatre (managed by Poli), Poli’s Theatre, Worcester Theatre, Tuckerman Hall, Mechanics Hall, Columbus Hall, Gem Hall.
Tuckerman Hall was included in the Worcester theaters on a long list of Massachusetts theaters and halls receiving licenses during the 12 months ending Oct. 31, 1914. Mechanics Hall was also on the list.
The Academy of Music was one of the Fall River theaters on a long list of Massachusetts theaters and halls which received licenses for the 12 months ending Oct. 31, 1914. Other Fall River theaters on the list: Bijou, Plaza, Premier, and Savoy. Plus some function/fraternal halls.
The Lawrence Opera House was among Lawrence theaters which appeared on a long list of theaters and halls in Massachusetts which received licenses during the 12 months ending Oct. 31, 1914. Other Lawrence theaters on the list: Broadway, Colonial and Nickle; all managed by Toomey & Demara and all in Good condition; plus the Victoria Theatre; plus some function/fraternal halls.
B.F. Keith’s Theatre was among the Lowell theaters in a long list of theaters and halls in Massachusetts which received licenses in the 12 months ending Oct. 31, 1914. Other Lowell theaters on the list were the Academy of Music, Merrimack Square Theatre, Lowell Opera House, and the Playhouse. Plus some function/fraternal halls.
In his autobiography, the comedian Fred Allen (1894-1956) says that he played in small-time vaudeville at this theater when it was stilled called the Dreamland. This would have been in the 1912-1914 period.
Bob- it’s Marget, at least that’s the way it’s spelled in the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac. At that time, the only movie theater in Chelsea which Marget Theatre Circuit controlled was the Strand.
The comedian Fred Allen, who grew up in Dorchester, mentions playing at this theater twice, once at an “Amateur Night” show and later as a small-time professional. This was in the 1912-13 period. He says that the name “Superb Theatre” (in Roxbury) was somewhat of a joke; that it was typical of the neighborhood theaters springing up after 1910 as the result of the “motion picture”, that it was a rectangular box with no balcony and a rudimentary shallow platform-stage in front of the movie screen.
The comedian Fred Allen, in his autobiography, says that the last vaudeville engagement he had in eastern-MA prior to heading to New York to find stage work there was at the Princess in Wakefield. This would have been in Sept. 1914.
Keith’s Theatre in Brockton was on a long list of theaters and halls in Massachusetts receiving licences for the 12 months ending Oct. 31, 1914. Other Brockton theaters on the list: City Theater, Empire Theatre, Hathaway’s Theatre, and New Orpheum Theatre. Plus some function/fraternal halls.
On a long list of Massachusetts theaters and halls receiving licenses during the 12 months ending Oct. 31, 1914 is Salem’s Empire Theatre, along with the Federal Theatre and the Salem Theatre; plus some function/fraternal halls in Salem.
There was a brief item about development on this site in the business news of the Quincy Patriot Ledger a few weeks ago which stated that plans for a proposed cinema fell apart.
The Broadway in Chelsea is listed in the 1942-43 Motion Picture Yearbook as part of M&P Theatres, 60 Scollay Square Boston. M&P, Mullin & Pinanski, a Paramount affiliate, also ran the Olympia Theatre in Chelsea.
The Imperial in South Boston, along with Hamilton Hall (Hamilton Theatre?) in Dorchester was run by a Mike Lydon in early 1914, according to comedian Fred Allen who played in small-time vaudeville at both theaters. I always assumed that the Imperial was strictly a film house and did not realize that there was live entertainment there, too.
Is the location of this theater near Meeting House Hill in Dorchester? Was it originally called “Hamilton Hall”? The radio comedian (and big star of the 1930s and 1940s) Fred Allen, in his autobiography, says that in early 1914 he was booked into small-time vaudeville and one of the theaters he played was “Hamilton Hall in Dorchester near Meeting House Hill”. It was run by a Mike Lyon, who also ran the Imperial Theatre in South Boston.
The Sorg Opera House is listed under Middletown in the Ohio section of the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. Managed by Dechant and Walburg, 1,400 seats, ticket prices 25 cents to $1. The house was on the ground floor and had both gas and electric illimination. 9 musicians in the house orchestra. The proscenium opening was 34 feet square, and the stage was 37 feet deep. There were 5 newspapers; hotels for show folk were the Arlington, United States, City, Romneel House, and Broadway. The 1897 poopulation of Middletown was 10,000.
Don King’s time-line says that the theater name was changed to Aquarius Theatre on January 18, 1972. That sounds about right to me. But I seem to recall that the Orpheum name was brought back later sort of informally, over a period of time. King implies that Loews gave up operations not long before the Aquarius name change.
The theaters time-line in the back of Don King’s Boston theaters history book lists a “Lyric Theatre” from March 1907 at 734 Washington Street. This would have been a very short distance to the south of the Washington Theatre. But the Lyric at this address is absent from the 1918 and 1921 Boston street directories, so it must have been a short-lived nickleodeon.
Donald King in his Boston theaters history book covers the confusing changes of name at this theater between 1900 and 1910, already mentioned above, but worth repeating. In the summer of 1900, the Boston Music Hall underwent heavy reconstruction inside to convert it from a concert hall into a vaudeville theater. The orientation of the auditorium was reversed, from looking toward the stage at the south end of the building, to facing it at the north end. When it reopened in early-Sept 1900, it was still named “Boston Music Hall”. In Feb. 1905, it was renamed the Empire Theatre. Boston movie theater historian Joe Cifre included the Empire as one of Boston’s earliest movie film venues. In 1906, it became the Orpheum Theater, and was under management by William Morris. He presented short movies as part of two-a-day vaudeville shows. In 1909, it was briefly named American Music Hall before becoming Loew’s Orpheum Theater the following year when Marcus Loew took it over. He did not renovate it into its present appearance until 1915.
Boston had a very busy Film Row, full of characters, located in what is called Bay/Gay Village, down in back of the Stuart Street Playhouse cinema. All long gone today.
The musical “Godspell”, produced by Moonbox Productions, was on stage at the Brattle this weekend. The reviewer in today’s Boston Sunday Herald gives it high marks, except for the theater itself. Although the Brattle was originally a live theater, he implies that it’s not suitable for live productions today.
The Auditorium was among Lynn theaters on a long list of Massachusetts theaters and halls receiving licenses during the 12 months ending Oct. 31, 1914. Other Lynn theaters on the list: Central Square, Dreamland, Lynn Theatre, Olympia, Theatre Comique, and the Lynn Womens Club auditorium; plus other function/fraternal halls.
As the Nelson Theatre, the Art was one of the Springfield theaters on a long list of Massachusetts theaters and halls which received licenses during the 12 months ending Oct. 31, 1914. Other Springfield theaters on the list: Bijou, Broadway, Court Square, Gilmore, Globe, Hudson, Plaza, Poli-Palace; plus function/fraternal halls.
As the Pleasant Street Theatre, the Art was included in the Worcester theaters on a long list of Massachusetts theaters and halls receiving licenses during the 12 months ending Oct. 31, 1914. Other Worcester entries on the list: Grand Theatre (managed by Poli), Lincoln Park Theatre, New Park Theatre, Plaza Theatre (managed by Poli), Poli’s Theatre, Worcester Theatre, Tuckerman Hall, Mechanics Hall, Columbus Hall, Gem Hall.
Tuckerman Hall was included in the Worcester theaters on a long list of Massachusetts theaters and halls receiving licenses during the 12 months ending Oct. 31, 1914. Mechanics Hall was also on the list.
The Academy of Music was one of the Fall River theaters on a long list of Massachusetts theaters and halls which received licenses for the 12 months ending Oct. 31, 1914. Other Fall River theaters on the list: Bijou, Plaza, Premier, and Savoy. Plus some function/fraternal halls.
The Lawrence Opera House was among Lawrence theaters which appeared on a long list of theaters and halls in Massachusetts which received licenses during the 12 months ending Oct. 31, 1914. Other Lawrence theaters on the list: Broadway, Colonial and Nickle; all managed by Toomey & Demara and all in Good condition; plus the Victoria Theatre; plus some function/fraternal halls.
B.F. Keith’s Theatre was among the Lowell theaters in a long list of theaters and halls in Massachusetts which received licenses in the 12 months ending Oct. 31, 1914. Other Lowell theaters on the list were the Academy of Music, Merrimack Square Theatre, Lowell Opera House, and the Playhouse. Plus some function/fraternal halls.
In his autobiography, the comedian Fred Allen (1894-1956) says that he played in small-time vaudeville at this theater when it was stilled called the Dreamland. This would have been in the 1912-1914 period.
Bob- it’s Marget, at least that’s the way it’s spelled in the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac. At that time, the only movie theater in Chelsea which Marget Theatre Circuit controlled was the Strand.
The comedian Fred Allen, who grew up in Dorchester, mentions playing at this theater twice, once at an “Amateur Night” show and later as a small-time professional. This was in the 1912-13 period. He says that the name “Superb Theatre” (in Roxbury) was somewhat of a joke; that it was typical of the neighborhood theaters springing up after 1910 as the result of the “motion picture”, that it was a rectangular box with no balcony and a rudimentary shallow platform-stage in front of the movie screen.
The comedian Fred Allen, in his autobiography, says that the last vaudeville engagement he had in eastern-MA prior to heading to New York to find stage work there was at the Princess in Wakefield. This would have been in Sept. 1914.
Keith’s Theatre in Brockton was on a long list of theaters and halls in Massachusetts receiving licences for the 12 months ending Oct. 31, 1914. Other Brockton theaters on the list: City Theater, Empire Theatre, Hathaway’s Theatre, and New Orpheum Theatre. Plus some function/fraternal halls.
On a long list of Massachusetts theaters and halls receiving licenses during the 12 months ending Oct. 31, 1914 is Salem’s Empire Theatre, along with the Federal Theatre and the Salem Theatre; plus some function/fraternal halls in Salem.
There was a brief item about development on this site in the business news of the Quincy Patriot Ledger a few weeks ago which stated that plans for a proposed cinema fell apart.
The Strand in Chelsea is listed in the 1942-43 Motion Picture Yearbook as part of the Marget Theatre Circuit, 53 State St. in Boston.
The Broadway in Chelsea is listed in the 1942-43 Motion Picture Yearbook as part of M&P Theatres, 60 Scollay Square Boston. M&P, Mullin & Pinanski, a Paramount affiliate, also ran the Olympia Theatre in Chelsea.
The Broadway Theater is listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook as having over 1000 seats and open 7 days per week.