I remember the Allston Theatre very well. It was a small, but comfy theatre. Back in the early 1980’s, during my last year of college, I lived in Brookline’s Coolidge Corner, very close to the Allston-Brookline border, and therefore within walking distance to that theatre. I recall seeing “West Side Story” and afew other films in that theatre.
Then, it eventually became a “Bollywood” Cinema before closing down completely (correct me if I’m wrong on this one, anybody)
That’s really too bad. Independent and/or non-profit movie theatres are an important part of the movie theatre landscape, so to speak, because they show films (i. e. independent films, older classics, foreign films, etc.) that the mainstream multiplex cinemas don’t. Whether many realize, or care to realize this or not, there are people who do appreciate the older classics, independent, and foreign films and wish to keep attending the movie theatre, instead of sitting home watching them on TV.
danpetitpas, your last sentence “Unless the indies can get access to programming the multiplexes can’t get or don’t want (maybe digital HD broadcasts?), the future doesn’t look too bright.” says it all in a nutshell. Thanks. You’re spot-on about that.
The last time I went to the Wang Theatre, back in the winter of 2003, they were still showing the Monday Night Classic Film series, but they were showing them for free, instead of the usual five dollars that they’d previously charged. West Side Story was showing that night, and when my friend who was accompanying me arrived, we secured our seats in the theatre and went downstairs, where the movie theatre served up some great evening snacks and desserts as a pre-theatre reception. It was a sweet night, and my friend and I both had a wonderful time.
AlAlvarez: I can identify with your feelings about the film “Grease” and your never getting tired of it, because I’ve seen the film “West Side Story” more often than I’ve seen other movies, both in the movie theatres and on TV, and I never get tired of it.
Cool stuff! Thanks for posting and sharing it. Wish I could’ve seen what the inside of the theatre looked like, but I wasn’t able to link onto that particular link. It looks like a gorgeous theatre, though.
Looks like a cool, cool theatre, both inside and out. Love the Marquee on the outside front, too, especially at night. Oh, how I wish there were more movie palaces left here in Boston and the United States generally.
Question: Considering the number of movies I’ve seen and loved, I admittedly know next to nothing about cinema and its workings. What is blue-ray release? It sounds new. is it? Just curious.
I first saw “How the West was Won” and “2001: A Space Odyssey” when they first came out, at the heyday of their popularity, as well as “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”, in 70mm, They were beautiful, and I saw the TV series of “How the West was Won” years later. I saw ‘2001" at the Charles Cinema in Boston on a couple of occasions, “How the West Was Won” at the West Newton Cinema, and “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” at the old, vintage Embassy Theatre, on Waltham’s Moody Street. Those were, indeed, exuberant, exciting times for the movies, and those films were beautiful. “The Monster That Challenged The World” was good, too.
I’ve got to admit to one thing: The fact that many, if not most of the great oilder classic films, including my alltime favorite film, West Side Story, are available on DVD has not stopped me from going to see WSS and other great old classics on the great big wide movie theatre screen when they come to the two repertory movie houses left in our area.
Interesting article, Michael. Thanks for this. I was aware of a place called Rochester, NH, and the Scenic Theatre, but I wasn’t aware of the fact that the multiplex cinemas that now dot most of America’s landscape really began to crop up in the 1960’s. I thought that the 1970’s and 1980’s and beyond were when multiplex cinemas really began to develop in earnest.
Hi, ErikH. Thanks for your input. I see where you’re coming from regarding bicycling to the cinema with friends to catch a weekend matinee, or going with other people (i. e. family or whoever) during the evening hours, but, as a woman, I was not really comfortable with the idea of going to such a secluded place by myself in the evening, particularly because of the problems that they did have there at that time. Don’t know what that general area’s like right now, but regarding that grisly incident I mentioned in my earlier post, that secluded area by the Lincoln-Waltham line is where those two teenaged boys got taken, and badly beat up by a pair of nasty drunks who’d picked them up. Scary indeed.
You’re right, thought about economics, industrial needs, the proliferation of home video in the early 1980’s, and the lack of room for the Waltham Cinema’s expansion due to that office retail building.
As kids, my sister and I frequently went to the old, vintage Embassy Theatre in Waltham, on Moody Street, either by ourselves, or with our friends and/or family. That theatre was a real palace of a theatre—it was cool. Fond memories abound, but it’s no more, and, since I no longer live near that area, I don’t much think about it any more.
I wish there were more of these great big cinemas, and that the older classics, such as West Side Story, Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. Zhivago, Wizard of Oz, to name afew, would be shown on them.
I don’t live in the Columbus, Ohio area, but, imho, there are far, far too many multiplex theatres dotting the American landscape and making tons of money by charging exhorbitant admission and concession prices, in addition to playing the crummiest, schlockiest movies that’re overblown, overly graphic, and have too much exploding on the screen. Inotherwords, they’re long on style (if one can call it that) and woefully short on substance. While there’s an occasional good or OK film to be had at some of these multiplexes, mostly they’re not good. There are some rare movie theatres (i. e. the Coolidge Corner Theatre and the Somerville Theatre) that started off as single screens, added afew more movie screens and have survived as theatres that play good movies), not to mention the Brattle Theatre, which is still a single-screen movie theatre that plays retrospect films and has survived due to people’s goodwilld, etc., but theatres like that are few and far between.
Would it be possible to add afew more screens (not a whole lot) to the Grandview Theatre and still preserve it as a movie that plays independent films, classic films., etc? Just curious.
Well….saw ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark" last night at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, as I’d planned. Prior to the movie, however, there was an archaeologist who spoke, and presented a slide show. Interestig indeed.
I remember the Allston Theatre very well. It was a small, but comfy theatre. Back in the early 1980’s, during my last year of college, I lived in Brookline’s Coolidge Corner, very close to the Allston-Brookline border, and therefore within walking distance to that theatre. I recall seeing “West Side Story” and afew other films in that theatre.
Then, it eventually became a “Bollywood” Cinema before closing down completely (correct me if I’m wrong on this one, anybody)
Roadshows are an important part of the theatre experience. Glad to hear/read that they’re beginning to make a comeback.
That’s really too bad. Independent and/or non-profit movie theatres are an important part of the movie theatre landscape, so to speak, because they show films (i. e. independent films, older classics, foreign films, etc.) that the mainstream multiplex cinemas don’t. Whether many realize, or care to realize this or not, there are people who do appreciate the older classics, independent, and foreign films and wish to keep attending the movie theatre, instead of sitting home watching them on TV.
danpetitpas, your last sentence “Unless the indies can get access to programming the multiplexes can’t get or don’t want (maybe digital HD broadcasts?), the future doesn’t look too bright.” says it all in a nutshell. Thanks. You’re spot-on about that.
Yup—that I know, since I go to the Brookline Booksmith, which CinemaSmith is/was attached to.
The last time I went to the Wang Theatre, back in the winter of 2003, they were still showing the Monday Night Classic Film series, but they were showing them for free, instead of the usual five dollars that they’d previously charged. West Side Story was showing that night, and when my friend who was accompanying me arrived, we secured our seats in the theatre and went downstairs, where the movie theatre served up some great evening snacks and desserts as a pre-theatre reception. It was a sweet night, and my friend and I both had a wonderful time.
Ahhhhhh, nostalgia comes creeping in….mmmm.
What a spectacular-looking theatre, both inside and out. Love the marquee on the outside front, too.
AlAlvarez: I can identify with your feelings about the film “Grease” and your never getting tired of it, because I’ve seen the film “West Side Story” more often than I’ve seen other movies, both in the movie theatres and on TV, and I never get tired of it.
Cool stuff! Thanks for posting and sharing it. Wish I could’ve seen what the inside of the theatre looked like, but I wasn’t able to link onto that particular link. It looks like a gorgeous theatre, though.
Looks like a beautiful theatre!!
Looks like a cool, cool theatre, both inside and out. Love the Marquee on the outside front, too, especially at night. Oh, how I wish there were more movie palaces left here in Boston and the United States generally.
Sounds cool!
Thanks for the info, William.
Question: Considering the number of movies I’ve seen and loved, I admittedly know next to nothing about cinema and its workings. What is blue-ray release? It sounds new. is it? Just curious.
I first saw “How the West was Won” and “2001: A Space Odyssey” when they first came out, at the heyday of their popularity, as well as “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”, in 70mm, They were beautiful, and I saw the TV series of “How the West was Won” years later. I saw ‘2001" at the Charles Cinema in Boston on a couple of occasions, “How the West Was Won” at the West Newton Cinema, and “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” at the old, vintage Embassy Theatre, on Waltham’s Moody Street. Those were, indeed, exuberant, exciting times for the movies, and those films were beautiful. “The Monster That Challenged The World” was good, too.
Oh, btw, thanks for the info, HowardBHaas. I wasn’t sure how large it was either, but I knew it was rather big.
I have fond memories of the Charles Cinema in Boston…and I miss it.
I’ve got to admit to one thing: The fact that many, if not most of the great oilder classic films, including my alltime favorite film, West Side Story, are available on DVD has not stopped me from going to see WSS and other great old classics on the great big wide movie theatre screen when they come to the two repertory movie houses left in our area.
Interesting article, Michael. Thanks for this. I was aware of a place called Rochester, NH, and the Scenic Theatre, but I wasn’t aware of the fact that the multiplex cinemas that now dot most of America’s landscape really began to crop up in the 1960’s. I thought that the 1970’s and 1980’s and beyond were when multiplex cinemas really began to develop in earnest.
Too bad there’s never, ever been a theatre like that in Boston.
Hi, ErikH. Thanks for your input. I see where you’re coming from regarding bicycling to the cinema with friends to catch a weekend matinee, or going with other people (i. e. family or whoever) during the evening hours, but, as a woman, I was not really comfortable with the idea of going to such a secluded place by myself in the evening, particularly because of the problems that they did have there at that time. Don’t know what that general area’s like right now, but regarding that grisly incident I mentioned in my earlier post, that secluded area by the Lincoln-Waltham line is where those two teenaged boys got taken, and badly beat up by a pair of nasty drunks who’d picked them up. Scary indeed.
You’re right, thought about economics, industrial needs, the proliferation of home video in the early 1980’s, and the lack of room for the Waltham Cinema’s expansion due to that office retail building.
As kids, my sister and I frequently went to the old, vintage Embassy Theatre in Waltham, on Moody Street, either by ourselves, or with our friends and/or family. That theatre was a real palace of a theatre—it was cool. Fond memories abound, but it’s no more, and, since I no longer live near that area, I don’t much think about it any more.
I wish there were more of these great big cinemas, and that the older classics, such as West Side Story, Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. Zhivago, Wizard of Oz, to name afew, would be shown on them.
I don’t live in the Columbus, Ohio area, but, imho, there are far, far too many multiplex theatres dotting the American landscape and making tons of money by charging exhorbitant admission and concession prices, in addition to playing the crummiest, schlockiest movies that’re overblown, overly graphic, and have too much exploding on the screen. Inotherwords, they’re long on style (if one can call it that) and woefully short on substance. While there’s an occasional good or OK film to be had at some of these multiplexes, mostly they’re not good. There are some rare movie theatres (i. e. the Coolidge Corner Theatre and the Somerville Theatre) that started off as single screens, added afew more movie screens and have survived as theatres that play good movies), not to mention the Brattle Theatre, which is still a single-screen movie theatre that plays retrospect films and has survived due to people’s goodwilld, etc., but theatres like that are few and far between.
Would it be possible to add afew more screens (not a whole lot) to the Grandview Theatre and still preserve it as a movie that plays independent films, classic films., etc? Just curious.
Thanks, longislandmovies! Keeping my fingers crossed.
The Paris sounds like a beautiful theatre. Hope it stays on forever and ever.
Well….saw ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark" last night at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, as I’d planned. Prior to the movie, however, there was an archaeologist who spoke, and presented a slide show. Interestig indeed.