The Strand in Skowhegan, according to Theatre Historical Society of America info, opened on November 18, 1929, had 946 seats and was designed by Desmond & Lord.
The Scenic is listed in the 1942-43 edition of the Motion Picture Almanac as part of the Interstate Theatre Corp. of Boston. Interstate also ran the Colonial (a.k.a. State) Theatre in Rochester.
The photo which the MGM agent took in April 1941 shows the twin marquees, but my copy is not sharp enough to figure out what the logo was. I can now see that it is indeed “M&P” (Mullin & Pinanski). The photo was taken from the street out front. I knew that the Circle opened in 1940 but I didn’t know the actual date, Saturday October 12.
“Someone Who Was There” was in Worcester a couple of weeks ago and managed to get inside the Art. He says that the auditorium is whole and not divided. It says “Twin” at the top of this page, so I assume that it was divided downstairs and upstairs, but there is no evidence of this today. Was There liked the street-level foyer with its staircase going up to the theater; he says the house is in relatively good condition, and reeks of old-time theater atmosphere. He says that there is some sort of drop-ceiling in the auditorium. The biggest surprise was that the stage is only about 7 feet deep. This surprised both of us since we know that it was a live stage theater for the first 20 years or so of its existence. I know that a century ago the troupers in the touring shows were very versatile and could put on their show in any theater, no matter how small the stage. Was There liked this theater very much and hopes the new owner can manage to preserve it.
I know someone who stopped in Stoughton a couple weeks ago and found that the retail spaces in the theater building had been recently renovated and one of them had been rented out. The gossip on the street was that the local fire dept. would just as soon see the theater never reopen as it would be one less fire hazard in town. There is local train service between downtown Stoughton and South Station in Boston.
danpetitpas- the original Circle was built in 1940 and was set well back from the street, with parking in front. Someone who worked near the theater in the early-1960s told me that when S. Redstone took it over in 1965 it was drastically remodelled, especially the front of the building, which was totally changed.
The Crown/Allen still exists on Middlesex St., at least the front of it. I don’t know if the former auditorium is still in place in back. Supposedly there is a gym in there, plus a couple of other tenants. The recent photo I saw of it matches the building in the MGM Report photo.
The restoration work on the Rialto building has mostly finished; the long-demolished tower on the front-right corner has been replicated. I have heard that the building has now been sold to the Middlesex Community College, but I’m not sure of that. I’ve seen recent photos and the structure really looks great – a real “landmark”.
There will be a public Open House at the Majestic on Sunday Sept.14,2008 from 1 – 5PM. Visitors can tour the theater and learn about the upcoming season. One of the future attractions will be a classic silient film, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” to be presented March 25-29, 2009. This show, produced by Vox Lumiere, features some sort of live presentation along with the film including music and singers.
As the “Cook Opera House”, this theater is listed under Rochester in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. George Geiling was the Mgr and the seating capacity was 1,500. The theater had both gas and electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 33 feet wide X 26 feet high, and the stage was 51 feet deep. The theater was on the ground floor and there were 7 in the house orchestra. It’s also described as “Cook’s Opera House”. The other Rochester theater listed in this Guide is the Lyceum, wiith 1,698 seats. The 1897 population of Rochester was 160,000.
The Quincy Patriot Ledger had an article about “open air” movies in its edition of Aug. 16, 2008. It says that the South Shore Plaza Twin Drive-In “on Route 128” closed in 1986. This confirms the posting above by JonanthaninRandolph who believes that the place closed shortly after his visit in August 1986.
The Quincy Patriot Ledger of Aug. 16 has a feature article about “open air movies” which are run in the summer in Weymouth, Hingham and Hull which mentions local drive-in theatres of the past. It says that the Abington Drive-In, which was located on Route 58, just a short drive north of the Capitol Theatre, opened in 1959 and closed in 1966.
The Quincy Patriot Ledger of Aug. 16 has an article “A Reel Fun Time” about “open air movies” run during the summer in Weymouth, Hingham and Hull which mentions local drive-ins of the past. It says that the Weymouth Drive-In opened in 1936 and closed in the 1960s.
It is hoped to open the new Dedham Showcase Cinemas de Lux during Thanksgiving week in 2009. I don’t know if the new office building for National Amusements on the site will open at the same time. The office staff is currently in rented space somewhere in Norwood. Meanwhile, the new Showcase Cinemas de Lux (not “de luxe”) opened a few days ago at Patriot Place next to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. The new cinema has 14 screens and occupies the right portion of the building, while Showcase Live is on the left side. The latter is a venue for music acts.
Yes, Mr. Redstone is not high on cinemas at all anymore, but his daughter Shari is, and she is the head of National Amusements. She sees a future for movies in cinemas. She also sees the cinema as a focal point for other entertainments, such as live comedy, live TV feed of sports, the Met. opera, etc.
The Fall 2008 issue of Classic Trains Magazine has a neat color photo taken in May 1948 of two Sioux City Service Co. trolley cars meeting at Turner and Villa streets. One car has on its front a poster ad for the Orpheum Theatre. Movies are Frank Sinatra in “The Miracle of the Bells” plus “co-hit” “My Dog Rusty”.
The building which contains this former cinema and the Quincy Fair Mall is slated for demolition next spring. It is on the right of way of a controversial new connector roadway.
The building is currently undergoing extensive refurbishment. The half-circle clerestory windows high up on the auditorium sidewalls are being refitted with glass and will be functional once again after being boarded up way back in the 1940s.
Thanks to Barry Goodkin I have seen an old postcard which comes from the collection of Lloyd Gordon. It is the typical hand-colored postcard from the 1910-20 period and is titled “Gordon’s Theatre Chelsea Mass.” There is a fancy one-story narrow entrance with a rain canopy over the sidewalk and a vertical sign reading “Gordon’s” above. To the right of the entrance are storefronts and in the street is a trolley car. In back is the large brick bulk of the theater. It appears that this was the type of theatre where you walked in from the street and then turned right to face the stage and screen. To the left of the entrance is a vacant lot with a huge garish billboard which says “This is Gordon’s Theatre, High-Class Vaudeville” with details about performance times and ticket prices.
Barry is of the opinion that this theatre is the one later known as the “Olympia”.
The Strand in Skowhegan, according to Theatre Historical Society of America info, opened on November 18, 1929, had 946 seats and was designed by Desmond & Lord.
The Scenic is listed in the 1942-43 edition of the Motion Picture Almanac as part of the Interstate Theatre Corp. of Boston. Interstate also ran the Colonial (a.k.a. State) Theatre in Rochester.
The photo which the MGM agent took in April 1941 shows the twin marquees, but my copy is not sharp enough to figure out what the logo was. I can now see that it is indeed “M&P” (Mullin & Pinanski). The photo was taken from the street out front. I knew that the Circle opened in 1940 but I didn’t know the actual date, Saturday October 12.
“Someone Who Was There” was in Worcester a couple of weeks ago and managed to get inside the Art. He says that the auditorium is whole and not divided. It says “Twin” at the top of this page, so I assume that it was divided downstairs and upstairs, but there is no evidence of this today. Was There liked the street-level foyer with its staircase going up to the theater; he says the house is in relatively good condition, and reeks of old-time theater atmosphere. He says that there is some sort of drop-ceiling in the auditorium. The biggest surprise was that the stage is only about 7 feet deep. This surprised both of us since we know that it was a live stage theater for the first 20 years or so of its existence. I know that a century ago the troupers in the touring shows were very versatile and could put on their show in any theater, no matter how small the stage. Was There liked this theater very much and hopes the new owner can manage to preserve it.
I know someone who stopped in Stoughton a couple weeks ago and found that the retail spaces in the theater building had been recently renovated and one of them had been rented out. The gossip on the street was that the local fire dept. would just as soon see the theater never reopen as it would be one less fire hazard in town. There is local train service between downtown Stoughton and South Station in Boston.
danpetitpas- the original Circle was built in 1940 and was set well back from the street, with parking in front. Someone who worked near the theater in the early-1960s told me that when S. Redstone took it over in 1965 it was drastically remodelled, especially the front of the building, which was totally changed.
The Crown/Allen still exists on Middlesex St., at least the front of it. I don’t know if the former auditorium is still in place in back. Supposedly there is a gym in there, plus a couple of other tenants. The recent photo I saw of it matches the building in the MGM Report photo.
The restoration work on the Rialto building has mostly finished; the long-demolished tower on the front-right corner has been replicated. I have heard that the building has now been sold to the Middlesex Community College, but I’m not sure of that. I’ve seen recent photos and the structure really looks great – a real “landmark”.
This theater has been open for the 2008 summer season, showing current releases. However, it has a “For Sale” sign on it.
There will be a public Open House at the Majestic on Sunday Sept.14,2008 from 1 – 5PM. Visitors can tour the theater and learn about the upcoming season. One of the future attractions will be a classic silient film, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” to be presented March 25-29, 2009. This show, produced by Vox Lumiere, features some sort of live presentation along with the film including music and singers.
As the “Cook Opera House”, this theater is listed under Rochester in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. George Geiling was the Mgr and the seating capacity was 1,500. The theater had both gas and electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 33 feet wide X 26 feet high, and the stage was 51 feet deep. The theater was on the ground floor and there were 7 in the house orchestra. It’s also described as “Cook’s Opera House”. The other Rochester theater listed in this Guide is the Lyceum, wiith 1,698 seats. The 1897 population of Rochester was 160,000.
I have heard that the Circle will close soon so that the property can be “redeveloped”. This is not unexpected news.
“Norfolk Downs” is just a name of a neighborhood, like “Flatbush” is part of Brooklyn. This theater was located in Quincy, MA.
The Quincy Patriot Ledger had an article about “open air” movies in its edition of Aug. 16, 2008. It says that the South Shore Plaza Twin Drive-In “on Route 128” closed in 1986. This confirms the posting above by JonanthaninRandolph who believes that the place closed shortly after his visit in August 1986.
The Quincy Patriot Ledger of Aug. 16 has a feature article about “open air movies” which are run in the summer in Weymouth, Hingham and Hull which mentions local drive-in theatres of the past. It says that the Abington Drive-In, which was located on Route 58, just a short drive north of the Capitol Theatre, opened in 1959 and closed in 1966.
The Quincy Patriot Ledger of Aug. 16 has an article “A Reel Fun Time” about “open air movies” run during the summer in Weymouth, Hingham and Hull which mentions local drive-ins of the past. It says that the Weymouth Drive-In opened in 1936 and closed in the 1960s.
It is hoped to open the new Dedham Showcase Cinemas de Lux during Thanksgiving week in 2009. I don’t know if the new office building for National Amusements on the site will open at the same time. The office staff is currently in rented space somewhere in Norwood. Meanwhile, the new Showcase Cinemas de Lux (not “de luxe”) opened a few days ago at Patriot Place next to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. The new cinema has 14 screens and occupies the right portion of the building, while Showcase Live is on the left side. The latter is a venue for music acts.
Lost- yes, that’s Stetson Hall; the theater in up on the second floor.
Yes, Mr. Redstone is not high on cinemas at all anymore, but his daughter Shari is, and she is the head of National Amusements. She sees a future for movies in cinemas. She also sees the cinema as a focal point for other entertainments, such as live comedy, live TV feed of sports, the Met. opera, etc.
The Fall 2008 issue of Classic Trains Magazine has a neat color photo taken in May 1948 of two Sioux City Service Co. trolley cars meeting at Turner and Villa streets. One car has on its front a poster ad for the Orpheum Theatre. Movies are Frank Sinatra in “The Miracle of the Bells” plus “co-hit” “My Dog Rusty”.
A major tenant at the very rear of the property was the local Registry of Motor Vehicles office; it recently relocated to Braintree.
The building which contains this former cinema and the Quincy Fair Mall is slated for demolition next spring. It is on the right of way of a controversial new connector roadway.
Correction to the above posting: “ you can see daylight at the West end of Pi Alley.”
The building is currently undergoing extensive refurbishment. The half-circle clerestory windows high up on the auditorium sidewalls are being refitted with glass and will be functional once again after being boarded up way back in the 1940s.
Thanks to Barry Goodkin I have seen an old postcard which comes from the collection of Lloyd Gordon. It is the typical hand-colored postcard from the 1910-20 period and is titled “Gordon’s Theatre Chelsea Mass.” There is a fancy one-story narrow entrance with a rain canopy over the sidewalk and a vertical sign reading “Gordon’s” above. To the right of the entrance are storefronts and in the street is a trolley car. In back is the large brick bulk of the theater. It appears that this was the type of theatre where you walked in from the street and then turned right to face the stage and screen. To the left of the entrance is a vacant lot with a huge garish billboard which says “This is Gordon’s Theatre, High-Class Vaudeville” with details about performance times and ticket prices.
Barry is of the opinion that this theatre is the one later known as the “Olympia”.