Thanks to ekincade for his info. If you or jfarago know anything about the State Theater in Winthrop,please post it. The most informative posts are from locals like you.
The live screenings of the Saturday matinees from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York are proving very popular at the Showcase in Randolph. Friends who attended the performance of “Madame Butterfly” last Saturday afternoon report that 3 auditoriums were used and they appeared to be full. Tickets cost about $20 for regular seats and about $30 for Lux-level seating. This is far less than tickets to the actual performance in New York.
Parts from the Scollay Square Theatre’s Wurlitzer organ are incorporated in the “Mighty Wurlitzer” now being installed in the Hanover Theatre in Worcester.
In the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac is a listing for Huish Theatre Enterprises, 1426 Harvard Ave, Salt Lake City; C.E. Huish, president. This circuit controlled 2 theaters in Elko NV, and 11 theatres in various Utah towns. One of these was the New Angelus Theatre in Spanish Fork.
The Bijou Theatre is listed under Minneapolis in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. It’s listed as “Bijou Opera House” in the summary and as “Bijou Theatre” in the main body of the page. The lessee and manager was Jacob Litt. It had 700 seats in the orchestra, 500 in the balcony and 800 in the gallery, total 2,000. (probably rounded up). Admission ranged from 15 cents to 75 cents; the house was on the ground floor and had both gas and electric illumination. There were 8 in the house orchestra. The proscenium opening was 33 ½ feet wide X 33 feet high, and the stage was 33 feet deep. There were 7 hotels for show folk, and 4 daily newspapers. The 1897 population of Minneapolis was 200,000. Two other theaters in town listed in this Guide were the Lyceum with 1,796 seats and the Metropolitan Opera House with 2,000 seats.
In a short clip recently posted on Youtube by the Univ. of Arizona, one Frank Cullen, who grew up in Cambridge, says that there was a movie theater called the Durrell which was upstairs in the Cambridge YMCA which he frequently patronized at a cost of 6 cents per ticket. He learned that many of the film performers had backgrounds in Vaudeville. This started a life-long interest in the Vaudeville era and the amassing of a huge collection which he has now donated to the Univ. of Arizona.
Someone Who Was There recently has heard that it has been decided to proceed with the installation of fire safety systems in the Hipp and that afterward the theater will reopen.
Thanks, Ken. Most of what I know about the Capitol in Athol came from the late Bro. Andrew Fowler of the THSA. He lived in Illinois and Indiana and liked to travel around and do theater research in local towns. Somehow he ended up in Athol one day. In addition to theaters, he also liked Broadway musicals, trains and trolleys. He was a really nice guy, always willing to share his info. Last week, “Someone Who Was There” told me that he had heard that the Capitol was an “Atmospheric” and that the lobby was still standing.
Someone recently told me that the Capitol in Athol had an Atmospheric or semi-Atmospheric auditorium, and that the lobby still exists as a commercial structure of some kind. Does anyone know what the street address was in Athol?
To ticketseller- the Keith circuit of vaudeville theaters was founded by Benjamin Franklin Keith (“B.F.”) and most of these theaters were later taken over by RKO. The “K” in RKO stands for “Keith”. So you would say “B.F. Keith’s” prior to around 1930 or so, then “RKO Keith’s” after that. Undoubtedly, when Jack Kerouac was growing up in Lowell, many local people probably called it by its old name, B.F. Keith’s Theatre.
Thanks to jfarago for his comments. Something notably missing from many of the theatre pages here in CT (especially in smaller towns) is comment posted by local people like him.
I agree that the Fields Corner Th. must have closed sometime after November 1951 and was then demolished. I have no memory of it at all. The Theatre Historical Society has a good-quality black and white photo of the exterior on the MGM Report of April 1941.
A person who grew up in Winthrop has posted on the page for the Winthrop Theatre that the Winthrop was the house which was purchased by the Kincades and renamed “Kincade Theatre” circa 1980.
Ken- this theatre has a page already here in CT – see Theatre number 18528, State Theatre, 415 Shirley St in Winthrop. Also, there is some disagreement about which theatre in Winthrop was renamed the Kincade Theatre— a local person posting on the page for the Winthrop Theatre says that was the one which was purchased by the Kincades and renamed by them.
Yes, it’s a model and very beautiful. If you click on lorenabuena cited above as the photo source, it says that the model exhibit is at “Fairplex”, and it also mentions that the model’s facade is not quite accurate.
Further to the comments above by Chet Dowling regarding a passageway in the Wang basement leading from backstage to the front of the house. I looked at a floorplan of the basement printed in the 1927 book “American Theatres of Today” which is about to be reprinted by the Theatre Historical Society of America. There were doorways and a short set of steps in the basement on either side of the base of the orchestra pit. If you went out the door on the east side (stage-left) it was pretty much a straight shot out to the lower lobby. If you went out the door on the west side (stage-right) you would need a guide to lead you thru the maze! But you would end up near the men’s room.
According to a front-page article in the Quincy Patriot Ledger for Feb. 26, 2009, a real estate development firm called Street-Works Development Group of New York has made an offer to the Wolly’s owner, Mrs. Chandler, and this offer was acceptable. Street-Works has projects in Quincy center and they were approached by Mayor Koch with the suggestion that they get involved with the theater. Street-Works is evaluating the condition of the building. Mrs. Chandler’s attorney says that a deal is “very close”.
The Randolph Theatre Company will present the musical “1776” on stage at Stetson Hall for 5 performances in late-March. This show was listed in a community calender in the Quincy Patriot Ledger for Feb. 26,2009. This means that work on the auditorium and stage is finished and they are ready to use.
To answer NativeForestHiller’s question, I am looking thru the index of my well-thumbed 1979 edition of the book. Some NY theaters included are: Biltmore, Embassy,46th Street, Guild, Hollywood, Mansfield, Martin Beck, Modjeska, Music Box, 175th Street, Bronx Paradise, Brooklyn Paramount, NY Paramount, Roxy, Royale, Ziegfeld, Brooklyn Kings,Brooklyn Coney Island, Jersey and Journal Square in Jersey City, etc. Also some houses in metro NY-NJ area, Philadelphia, etc, etc. Lots of nice black & white photos, plans, drawings, a “check list” of features and equipment for theaters; if you like theaters, believe me, you will like this book!
I saw news photos and TV tape made after the fire and the interior, although a real mess, was not destroyed and could be rebuilt. When the church took over this theater they really did not alter it very much inside. The exterior of the building was not damaged. It had almost 1400 seats when it was a movie and stage theater.
The Boston Sunday Herald today has an article about the fire written by Laura Crimaldi which twice refers to “the Web site CinemaTreasures.org.” There is a photo taken inside yesterday which shows the stepped boxes on the right auditorium wall. The interior was damaged by the fire but not destroyed. The congregation will meet next door at 618 Blue Hill Avenue where the church kitchen is located. They are awaiting word from their insurer before making plans “about the site’s future”. This article, on page 2, also quotes the Boston Fire Dept. spokesman as estimating the damage at $250K. There was a choir rehearsal in the church which ended about 8PM on Friday night, and the fire alarm was struck at 120AM on Saturday morning.
Thanks to ekincade for his info. If you or jfarago know anything about the State Theater in Winthrop,please post it. The most informative posts are from locals like you.
The live screenings of the Saturday matinees from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York are proving very popular at the Showcase in Randolph. Friends who attended the performance of “Madame Butterfly” last Saturday afternoon report that 3 auditoriums were used and they appeared to be full. Tickets cost about $20 for regular seats and about $30 for Lux-level seating. This is far less than tickets to the actual performance in New York.
Parts from the Strand’s Wurlitzer organ have been incorporated into the “Mighty Wurlitzer” now being installed in the Hanover Theatre in Worcester.
Parts from the Scollay Square Theatre’s Wurlitzer organ are incorporated in the “Mighty Wurlitzer” now being installed in the Hanover Theatre in Worcester.
In the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac is a listing for Huish Theatre Enterprises, 1426 Harvard Ave, Salt Lake City; C.E. Huish, president. This circuit controlled 2 theaters in Elko NV, and 11 theatres in various Utah towns. One of these was the New Angelus Theatre in Spanish Fork.
The Bijou Theatre is listed under Minneapolis in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. It’s listed as “Bijou Opera House” in the summary and as “Bijou Theatre” in the main body of the page. The lessee and manager was Jacob Litt. It had 700 seats in the orchestra, 500 in the balcony and 800 in the gallery, total 2,000. (probably rounded up). Admission ranged from 15 cents to 75 cents; the house was on the ground floor and had both gas and electric illumination. There were 8 in the house orchestra. The proscenium opening was 33 ½ feet wide X 33 feet high, and the stage was 33 feet deep. There were 7 hotels for show folk, and 4 daily newspapers. The 1897 population of Minneapolis was 200,000. Two other theaters in town listed in this Guide were the Lyceum with 1,796 seats and the Metropolitan Opera House with 2,000 seats.
In a short clip recently posted on Youtube by the Univ. of Arizona, one Frank Cullen, who grew up in Cambridge, says that there was a movie theater called the Durrell which was upstairs in the Cambridge YMCA which he frequently patronized at a cost of 6 cents per ticket. He learned that many of the film performers had backgrounds in Vaudeville. This started a life-long interest in the Vaudeville era and the amassing of a huge collection which he has now donated to the Univ. of Arizona.
Someone Who Was There recently has heard that it has been decided to proceed with the installation of fire safety systems in the Hipp and that afterward the theater will reopen.
Thanks, Ken. Most of what I know about the Capitol in Athol came from the late Bro. Andrew Fowler of the THSA. He lived in Illinois and Indiana and liked to travel around and do theater research in local towns. Somehow he ended up in Athol one day. In addition to theaters, he also liked Broadway musicals, trains and trolleys. He was a really nice guy, always willing to share his info. Last week, “Someone Who Was There” told me that he had heard that the Capitol was an “Atmospheric” and that the lobby was still standing.
OK, someone at Cinema Treasures has added the street address! Does anyone know to what use the lobby is put these days?
Someone recently told me that the Capitol in Athol had an Atmospheric or semi-Atmospheric auditorium, and that the lobby still exists as a commercial structure of some kind. Does anyone know what the street address was in Athol?
AugustusMax – do you remember who “Dutchie” of Dutchie’s Palace was? Why did the local kids call it by that name?
To ticketseller- the Keith circuit of vaudeville theaters was founded by Benjamin Franklin Keith (“B.F.”) and most of these theaters were later taken over by RKO. The “K” in RKO stands for “Keith”. So you would say “B.F. Keith’s” prior to around 1930 or so, then “RKO Keith’s” after that. Undoubtedly, when Jack Kerouac was growing up in Lowell, many local people probably called it by its old name, B.F. Keith’s Theatre.
Thanks to jfarago for his comments. Something notably missing from many of the theatre pages here in CT (especially in smaller towns) is comment posted by local people like him.
I agree that the Fields Corner Th. must have closed sometime after November 1951 and was then demolished. I have no memory of it at all. The Theatre Historical Society has a good-quality black and white photo of the exterior on the MGM Report of April 1941.
A person who grew up in Winthrop has posted on the page for the Winthrop Theatre that the Winthrop was the house which was purchased by the Kincades and renamed “Kincade Theatre” circa 1980.
Ken- this theatre has a page already here in CT – see Theatre number 18528, State Theatre, 415 Shirley St in Winthrop. Also, there is some disagreement about which theatre in Winthrop was renamed the Kincade Theatre— a local person posting on the page for the Winthrop Theatre says that was the one which was purchased by the Kincades and renamed by them.
Yes, it’s a model and very beautiful. If you click on lorenabuena cited above as the photo source, it says that the model exhibit is at “Fairplex”, and it also mentions that the model’s facade is not quite accurate.
Further to the comments above by Chet Dowling regarding a passageway in the Wang basement leading from backstage to the front of the house. I looked at a floorplan of the basement printed in the 1927 book “American Theatres of Today” which is about to be reprinted by the Theatre Historical Society of America. There were doorways and a short set of steps in the basement on either side of the base of the orchestra pit. If you went out the door on the east side (stage-left) it was pretty much a straight shot out to the lower lobby. If you went out the door on the west side (stage-right) you would need a guide to lead you thru the maze! But you would end up near the men’s room.
According to a front-page article in the Quincy Patriot Ledger for Feb. 26, 2009, a real estate development firm called Street-Works Development Group of New York has made an offer to the Wolly’s owner, Mrs. Chandler, and this offer was acceptable. Street-Works has projects in Quincy center and they were approached by Mayor Koch with the suggestion that they get involved with the theater. Street-Works is evaluating the condition of the building. Mrs. Chandler’s attorney says that a deal is “very close”.
The Randolph Theatre Company will present the musical “1776” on stage at Stetson Hall for 5 performances in late-March. This show was listed in a community calender in the Quincy Patriot Ledger for Feb. 26,2009. This means that work on the auditorium and stage is finished and they are ready to use.
To answer NativeForestHiller’s question, I am looking thru the index of my well-thumbed 1979 edition of the book. Some NY theaters included are: Biltmore, Embassy,46th Street, Guild, Hollywood, Mansfield, Martin Beck, Modjeska, Music Box, 175th Street, Bronx Paradise, Brooklyn Paramount, NY Paramount, Roxy, Royale, Ziegfeld, Brooklyn Kings,Brooklyn Coney Island, Jersey and Journal Square in Jersey City, etc. Also some houses in metro NY-NJ area, Philadelphia, etc, etc. Lots of nice black & white photos, plans, drawings, a “check list” of features and equipment for theaters; if you like theaters, believe me, you will like this book!
Thank you, Billy, for looking up the year that those 3 movies were released. The MGM Report photo was therefore snapped in 1948.
I saw news photos and TV tape made after the fire and the interior, although a real mess, was not destroyed and could be rebuilt. When the church took over this theater they really did not alter it very much inside. The exterior of the building was not damaged. It had almost 1400 seats when it was a movie and stage theater.
The Boston Sunday Herald today has an article about the fire written by Laura Crimaldi which twice refers to “the Web site CinemaTreasures.org.” There is a photo taken inside yesterday which shows the stepped boxes on the right auditorium wall. The interior was damaged by the fire but not destroyed. The congregation will meet next door at 618 Blue Hill Avenue where the church kitchen is located. They are awaiting word from their insurer before making plans “about the site’s future”. This article, on page 2, also quotes the Boston Fire Dept. spokesman as estimating the damage at $250K. There was a choir rehearsal in the church which ended about 8PM on Friday night, and the fire alarm was struck at 120AM on Saturday morning.