And the second-run theatre nearest to me elected not to pick up The Passion of the Christ when it became available. The owner of the theatre simply did not want to show this movie, even though it would have done a fair amount of business there. This was perfectly within his rights. But of course, he didn’t advertise the movie and then pull it.
In November 1985, Sack Theatres chairman Alan Friedberg gave into pressure from Catholic extremists and cancelled a premiere of Jean-Luc Godard’s Hail, Mary. The movie had been scheduled to open at Sack’s Paris Cinema in Boston’s Back Bay.
After Sack pulled out, the movie instead opened across the river at the Orson Welles Cinema in Cambridge. The theatre was picketed, but the shows went on as scheduled.
One difference betweeen this situation and the one in Utah: Sack announced the cancellation five days before the premiere was to occur. This was enough time for the Orson Welles to pick up the film and premiere it on the originally scheduled date. In fact, the Welles had previously bid on the film but had lost it to Sack.
(sorry to post this in two different places, but the discussion is going on in both)
It’s not my theatre, but the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Massachusetts recently had a 3-D festival. Most of the films used the process requiring polarized glasses (for instance, Dial M for Murder), so presumably this theatre meets your criteria.
If I recall properly, “In Concert” was an ABC show. When it went off the air, “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert” started up as a replacement, but was syndicated rather than network.
Anyone know how many former Dorchester movie theatre buildings are still standing?
The ones I know about:
Franklin Park Theatre – now a church Strand Theatre – now a live stage Dorchester Theatre aka Park Cinema – now a Radio Shack and single-room-occupancy apartments Oriental Theatre – now an electrical supply store and warehouse
Are there others now standing empty, or serving other uses?
A photo of the Uptown Theatre being demolished. The photo is described here, but I don’t trust the description, since it says the photo is from 1962 or 1963. From other information posted here, the theatre was demolished considerably later. I also don’t think the Prudential Tower, also shown here, was in a finished condition in 1963.
Another photo of the same corner, described here. However, the Washington Theatre/Albiani’s site is cut off, beyond the right edge of this photo. In the distance you can see a large vertical sign for the Olympia theatre.
It looks like this used to be an important district for furniture stores.
This is a 1947 photo of the corner. The photo is described here.
If I understand the orientation of the photo correctly, the site of the Washington Theater, and later Albiani’s restaurant, was at the left side of the photo. But the sign on that building appears to be in Hebrew!
The Dorchester Atheneum says: “in Fields Corner at the intersection of Adams Street and Dorchester Avenue, just south of Arcadia Street, at the parking lot where the bank and Meyers Deli are now”.
The Dorchester Atheneum lists it as: “Uphams Corner Theatre, in Winthrop Hall, Uphams Corner at the corner of Columbia Road and Dudley Street across from the Strand.”
The whole area south of Kneeland Street suffered extensive ‘urban renewal’ starting in the 1960s and would be unrecognizable today to someone who last saw it fifty years ago. Tufts-New England Medical Center has expanded onto the site mentioned here.
Boston did have a Bijou Theatre, and it was part of the Keith-Albee circuit. However, it was one block north of the RKO Boston, and on the opposite side of Washington Street.
This morning, three comments were made to the “Loews and AMC to sell 10 theatres” news item, and one comment was made to the Wheaton Grand page. All of these comments are now missing. If you can restore them, I’d appreciate it.
According to a Boston Globe article from September 4, 1983, the last shows at the Surf were ‘Yellowbeard’ and ‘Psycho II’, on July 14, 1983. It was torn down during the second half of July and all of August.
The purpose of this site has shifted some since I first visited it. Originally it contained only entries for the truly palatial or historic theatres. But eventually, people began adding newer theatres as well, because the opening of newer theatres is an important part of the history of the older ones (and why they closed, changed format, or turned into live venues).
For instance, Copley Place is nobody’s idea of a “cinema treasure”. But it is very important to the history of cinema exhibition in Boston, as evidenced by the large number of comments that it attracted after I added it to this site.
The Massachustts agreement specifically requires that the divested theatre be sold to “another first-run chain”. The California agreement says the buyer “must operate the theaters to exhibit first-run movies.” I don’t know what all the other agreements look like, but they probably have similar language.
As for Cambridge, the merger doesn’t change anything there — Loews now has two of three first-run theatres, there, and the combined AMC/Loews will still have the same two theatres when the merger is over. So the state doesn’t see any need for divestiture in Cambridge.
And the second-run theatre nearest to me elected not to pick up The Passion of the Christ when it became available. The owner of the theatre simply did not want to show this movie, even though it would have done a fair amount of business there. This was perfectly within his rights. But of course, he didn’t advertise the movie and then pull it.
In November 1985, Sack Theatres chairman Alan Friedberg gave into pressure from Catholic extremists and cancelled a premiere of Jean-Luc Godard’s Hail, Mary. The movie had been scheduled to open at Sack’s Paris Cinema in Boston’s Back Bay.
After Sack pulled out, the movie instead opened across the river at the Orson Welles Cinema in Cambridge. The theatre was picketed, but the shows went on as scheduled.
One difference betweeen this situation and the one in Utah: Sack announced the cancellation five days before the premiere was to occur. This was enough time for the Orson Welles to pick up the film and premiere it on the originally scheduled date. In fact, the Welles had previously bid on the film but had lost it to Sack.
(sorry to post this in two different places, but the discussion is going on in both)
It’s not my theatre, but the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Massachusetts recently had a 3-D festival. Most of the films used the process requiring polarized glasses (for instance, Dial M for Murder), so presumably this theatre meets your criteria.
If I recall properly, “In Concert” was an ABC show. When it went off the air, “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert” started up as a replacement, but was syndicated rather than network.
Anyone know how many former Dorchester movie theatre buildings are still standing?
The ones I know about:
Franklin Park Theatre – now a church
Strand Theatre – now a live stage
Dorchester Theatre aka Park Cinema – now a Radio Shack and single-room-occupancy apartments
Oriental Theatre – now an electrical supply store and warehouse
Are there others now standing empty, or serving other uses?
A photo of the Uptown Theatre being demolished. The photo is described here, but I don’t trust the description, since it says the photo is from 1962 or 1963. From other information posted here, the theatre was demolished considerably later. I also don’t think the Prudential Tower, also shown here, was in a finished condition in 1963.
A 1969 photo of demolition in this neighborhood. Photo is described here. You’re looking north on Washington Street towards Kneeland. In the distance is the vertical sign for the Pilgrim (former Olympia) theatre.
A photo from 1962 or 1963, described here. The marquee advertises THE LEOPARD starring Burt Lancaster.
In this 1961 photo (described here), the Rialto appears to still be open despite being partially demolished!
Another photo of the same corner, described here. However, the Washington Theatre/Albiani’s site is cut off, beyond the right edge of this photo. In the distance you can see a large vertical sign for the Olympia theatre.
It looks like this used to be an important district for furniture stores.
Whoops, I gave you two identical links to the photo, instead of one to the description. This is the description.
This is a 1947 photo of the corner. The photo is described here.
If I understand the orientation of the photo correctly, the site of the Washington Theater, and later Albiani’s restaurant, was at the left side of the photo. But the sign on that building appears to be in Hebrew!
Columbia Theatre, 1895. Photo described here.
Columbia Theatre, 1899. Photo described here.
The Dorchester Atheneum says: “in Fields Corner at the intersection of Adams Street and Dorchester Avenue, just south of Arcadia Street, at the parking lot where the bank and Meyers Deli are now”.
The Dorchester Atheneum lists it as: “Uphams Corner Theatre, in Winthrop Hall, Uphams Corner at the corner of Columbia Road and Dudley Street across from the Strand.”
The whole area south of Kneeland Street suffered extensive ‘urban renewal’ starting in the 1960s and would be unrecognizable today to someone who last saw it fifty years ago. Tufts-New England Medical Center has expanded onto the site mentioned here.
Is this the last open theatre that is owned by Loew’s and is called Loew’s State? (There used to be so many.)
Boston did have a Bijou Theatre, and it was part of the Keith-Albee circuit. However, it was one block north of the RKO Boston, and on the opposite side of Washington Street.
This morning, three comments were made to the “Loews and AMC to sell 10 theatres” news item, and one comment was made to the Wheaton Grand page. All of these comments are now missing. If you can restore them, I’d appreciate it.
I posted a comment here earlier this morning, and doing so caused all of the existing comments here to disappear. I hope this doesn’t happen again.
According to a Boston Globe article from September 4, 1983, the last shows at the Surf were ‘Yellowbeard’ and ‘Psycho II’, on July 14, 1983. It was torn down during the second half of July and all of August.
It was twinned in 1979.
The AMC Union Station 9 now has a page here.
Many of those nine old theatres don’t yet have a page here at CinemaTreasures. Anyone know enough about them to add them?
The purpose of this site has shifted some since I first visited it. Originally it contained only entries for the truly palatial or historic theatres. But eventually, people began adding newer theatres as well, because the opening of newer theatres is an important part of the history of the older ones (and why they closed, changed format, or turned into live venues).
For instance, Copley Place is nobody’s idea of a “cinema treasure”. But it is very important to the history of cinema exhibition in Boston, as evidenced by the large number of comments that it attracted after I added it to this site.
The Massachustts agreement specifically requires that the divested theatre be sold to “another first-run chain”. The California agreement says the buyer “must operate the theaters to exhibit first-run movies.” I don’t know what all the other agreements look like, but they probably have similar language.
As for Cambridge, the merger doesn’t change anything there — Loews now has two of three first-run theatres, there, and the combined AMC/Loews will still have the same two theatres when the merger is over. So the state doesn’t see any need for divestiture in Cambridge.