The handsome town hall in Cornish was the gift of a resident named Pike and opened in 1926. The building is called Pike Memorial Hall, at 17 Maple St. However, the auditorium inside seems to be called “Town Hall Auditorium” or “Town Hall Theatre”. In the 1940s it was the Cornish Theatre with a sign outside with that name on it. As the Town Hall Theatre it operated right up to 1980 showing movies when it closed suddenly after a teen boy jumped off the balcony.
The CinemaDate Project has a file on the Music Hall in Farmington which SilientMaine mentions above, and which was across from the State Theatre. They say it had 600 seats and opened about 1913 presenting both live shows and movies. But they say it closed as a theater way back in 1928, and has been a Reny’s store for decades.
The Theatre Historical Society on-line archive has t he MGM Theatre Report for the Cornish; it’s Card # 358. Address is “Main St.” There is an exterior photo taken May 20, 1941. Condition is Poor. The report says that it opened in 1926, was not showing MGM movies, and had 400 seats. The 1940 population was 800. There is a note that the theater closed in 8/1950.
The Theatre Historical Society archive has the MGM Theatre Report for the Woodland O.H.; it’s Card # 467. Address is “Main St.” There is an exterior photo dated Feb. 6, 1941. Condition is Fair. The report says it opened in 1936 (perhaps for the then-current movie operator, but the theater dated from 1907), that it was not showing MGM films, and had 360 seats. The 1940 population was 2,000. This theater is, of course, not to be confused with the well-known Woodland Opera House in Woodland, Calif., which is still open.
The Theatre Historical Society on-line archive has the MGM Theatre Report for the Washburn; it’s Card # 455. The street address is not given. There is an exterior photo dated July 30, 1947. The Condition is not given. The report says that the theater opened in 1915 andf had 281 seats. The 1940s population was 1,800.
There was also a Bijou Theatre on Main St. in Wilton. It opened in 1922 and had 316 seats. One source says that the Wilton Theatre and the Bijou were the same, but I’m not sure of that. CinemaData Project lists them seperately.
The Theatre Historical Society archive has the MGM Theatre Report for the Wilton; it’s Card # 464. Address is Main St. There is an exterior photo dated May 1941. Condition is Fair. The report says that it’s over 15 years old, was showing MGM movies, and had 216 seats on the main floor and 160 in the balcony. The 1940 population was 3,200.
SilientMaine- It’s great to read comments from a local person who knows some facts about these theaters. There are many small-town theaters in Maine which have “pages” here in Cinema Treasures, and if you know anything about them, please go to the page and comment! For the past several months I have been creating pages here in CT for theaters in Maine listed in the 1940s MGM theater reports. There are many loose ends, and what is missing is the knowledge of local Maine people like yourself.
Most of the news stories posted here now are from the THSA on-line newsletter and they seem to assume that all the readers know where these theaters are located, so no city/state/province/country heading is provided, unfortunately. And I get the impression that they never read any comments that we post here.
An opinion piece by JoAnn Fitzpatrick in today’s Quincy Patriot Ledger discusses the plight of the Boston University Theatre (and the Colonial downtown). She says that BU rejected the offer to buy it tendered by the Huntington Theatre Co. as “too low”. The reaction seems to be “Do the right thing and sell it to them for what they can afford instead of greedily trying to get the biggest buck from some developer who will tear it down.”
Today’s Quincy Patriot Ledger has a lengthy opinion piece by JoAnn Fitzpatrick which discusses the current plight of the Colonial and of the Boston University Theatre. She says that there was push-back by faculty, students and others against Emerson College’s plan for the Colonial and that there is a protest petition circulating which has garnered many hundreds of names including show composer Stephen Sondheim and the Rodgers & Hammerstein organization. She reports that the college trustees have now appointed a committee to study the situation. What’s to study? – the plan is a dumb idea.
The Cinema Data Project file for the Strand lists it in “Jackman Plantation”, while the MGM report says it was in “Jackman Station”. I have heard of the latter and I think it refers to the section of town where the Canadian Pacific Railway station was located. I was in Jackman twice, in 1953 and 1956, and don’t recall the theater. But the town was way out in the “boonies”.
The Theatre Historical Society on-line archive has the MGM Theatre Report for “Balsam’s Hotel” theater in Dixfield Notch, Maine (incorrect state). But no one filled out the report, and there also is no photo (one of the very few MGM theater reports which does not have at least a photo).
The Theatre Historical Society archive has the MGM Theatre Report for the Northland; it’s Card # 450. But no one filled it out so there is no info; only an undated exterior photo probably taken sometime between 1946 and 1951.
The Theatre Historical Society on-line archive has the MGM Theatre Report for this theater when it was the Playhouse; it’s Card # 436. But no one filled out the report so there is no info, only an undated exterior photo which probably was taken sometime 1946- 1951.
The Theatre Historical Society archive has the MGM Theatre Report for the Strand; it’s Card # 384. Address is Main Street in “Jackman Station”. There is an exterior photo dated May 22, 1941. Condition is Poor. The report says that the Strand opened about 1919, was showing MGM films, and had 300 seats. The 1940 population was 1,000.
The Theatre Historical Society archive has the MGM Theatre Report for the Avon; it’s Card # 378. Address is “Main St.” (incorrect). There is an exterior photo dated Feb. 29, 1941. There was a distinctive arched entrance. Condition was Poor. The report says the Avon was remodeled in 1939, was showing MGM movies, and had 192 seats. The 1940 population was 1,200. The Maine theaters list in a 1991 issue of Marquee reports that there were 192 seats on the main floor and 200 in the balcony, total: 392.
The Theatre Historical Society on-line archive has the MGM Theatre Report for the Rialto; it’s Card # 377. Address is Second Street. There is an exterior photo dated May 1941. Condition is Fair. The report says it was over 15 years old, was showing MGM films, and had 294 seats. The 1940 population was 2,900.
The Theatre Historical Society archive has the MGM Theatre Report for this theater when it was the Dixfield Theatre; it’s Card # 364. Address is Main Street. There is an exterior photo taken October 1949. The photo is definitely the same building in a color photo taken in recent years which I found on-line and the same as the photo posted by robboehm. It’s a long rectangular wood-frame structure. The MGM report says that it was in Fair condition, that it was built in 1900 (1905), that it was showing MGM movies, had 250 seats (have also read that it has close to 400 seats). It was a former IOOF- Odd Fellows building. The 1949 population was 1,500.
Most of these news stories are now placed by THSA. They seem to assume that everyone knows where these theaters are located. They should put the city, state/province/country at the very beginning of the story, just like stories in newspapers.
The Cdata project file for this theater says it was on the ground floor, that it closed in the 1950s and became a business site, then remodeled into apartments, and then into condos. The Ctour listing for Maine does not include Wiscasset.
The photo on the MGM report shows a big white 2.5-story barn-like wood-frame structure. There is a busy live theater in Brooks called the Marsh River Theatre, but it has nothing to do with the old Brooks Theatre.
The Theatre Historical Society archive has the MGM Theatre Report for the Wiscasset; it’s Card # 466. No one filled the card out so there is no info, only an undated exterior photo which was probably taken between 1946 and 1951.
The Theatre Historical Society archive has the MGM Theatre Report for the Brooks; it’s Card # 350. But no one filled it out so there is no data, only an undated exterior photo probably taken sometime between 1946-1951.
The handsome town hall in Cornish was the gift of a resident named Pike and opened in 1926. The building is called Pike Memorial Hall, at 17 Maple St. However, the auditorium inside seems to be called “Town Hall Auditorium” or “Town Hall Theatre”. In the 1940s it was the Cornish Theatre with a sign outside with that name on it. As the Town Hall Theatre it operated right up to 1980 showing movies when it closed suddenly after a teen boy jumped off the balcony.
The CinemaDate Project has a file on the Music Hall in Farmington which SilientMaine mentions above, and which was across from the State Theatre. They say it had 600 seats and opened about 1913 presenting both live shows and movies. But they say it closed as a theater way back in 1928, and has been a Reny’s store for decades.
The Theatre Historical Society on-line archive has t he MGM Theatre Report for the Cornish; it’s Card # 358. Address is “Main St.” There is an exterior photo taken May 20, 1941. Condition is Poor. The report says that it opened in 1926, was not showing MGM movies, and had 400 seats. The 1940 population was 800. There is a note that the theater closed in 8/1950.
The Theatre Historical Society archive has the MGM Theatre Report for the Woodland O.H.; it’s Card # 467. Address is “Main St.” There is an exterior photo dated Feb. 6, 1941. Condition is Fair. The report says it opened in 1936 (perhaps for the then-current movie operator, but the theater dated from 1907), that it was not showing MGM films, and had 360 seats. The 1940 population was 2,000. This theater is, of course, not to be confused with the well-known Woodland Opera House in Woodland, Calif., which is still open.
The Theatre Historical Society on-line archive has the MGM Theatre Report for the Washburn; it’s Card # 455. The street address is not given. There is an exterior photo dated July 30, 1947. The Condition is not given. The report says that the theater opened in 1915 andf had 281 seats. The 1940s population was 1,800.
There was also a Bijou Theatre on Main St. in Wilton. It opened in 1922 and had 316 seats. One source says that the Wilton Theatre and the Bijou were the same, but I’m not sure of that. CinemaData Project lists them seperately.
The Theatre Historical Society archive has the MGM Theatre Report for the Wilton; it’s Card # 464. Address is Main St. There is an exterior photo dated May 1941. Condition is Fair. The report says that it’s over 15 years old, was showing MGM movies, and had 216 seats on the main floor and 160 in the balcony. The 1940 population was 3,200.
SilientMaine- It’s great to read comments from a local person who knows some facts about these theaters. There are many small-town theaters in Maine which have “pages” here in Cinema Treasures, and if you know anything about them, please go to the page and comment! For the past several months I have been creating pages here in CT for theaters in Maine listed in the 1940s MGM theater reports. There are many loose ends, and what is missing is the knowledge of local Maine people like yourself.
Most of the news stories posted here now are from the THSA on-line newsletter and they seem to assume that all the readers know where these theaters are located, so no city/state/province/country heading is provided, unfortunately. And I get the impression that they never read any comments that we post here.
An opinion piece by JoAnn Fitzpatrick in today’s Quincy Patriot Ledger discusses the plight of the Boston University Theatre (and the Colonial downtown). She says that BU rejected the offer to buy it tendered by the Huntington Theatre Co. as “too low”. The reaction seems to be “Do the right thing and sell it to them for what they can afford instead of greedily trying to get the biggest buck from some developer who will tear it down.”
Today’s Quincy Patriot Ledger has a lengthy opinion piece by JoAnn Fitzpatrick which discusses the current plight of the Colonial and of the Boston University Theatre. She says that there was push-back by faculty, students and others against Emerson College’s plan for the Colonial and that there is a protest petition circulating which has garnered many hundreds of names including show composer Stephen Sondheim and the Rodgers & Hammerstein organization. She reports that the college trustees have now appointed a committee to study the situation. What’s to study? – the plan is a dumb idea.
The Cinema Data Project file for the Strand lists it in “Jackman Plantation”, while the MGM report says it was in “Jackman Station”. I have heard of the latter and I think it refers to the section of town where the Canadian Pacific Railway station was located. I was in Jackman twice, in 1953 and 1956, and don’t recall the theater. But the town was way out in the “boonies”.
The Theatre Historical Society on-line archive has the MGM Theatre Report for “Balsam’s Hotel” theater in Dixfield Notch, Maine (incorrect state). But no one filled out the report, and there also is no photo (one of the very few MGM theater reports which does not have at least a photo).
The Theatre Historical Society archive has the MGM Theatre Report for the Northland; it’s Card # 450. But no one filled it out so there is no info; only an undated exterior photo probably taken sometime between 1946 and 1951.
The Theatre Historical Society on-line archive has the MGM Theatre Report for this theater when it was the Playhouse; it’s Card # 436. But no one filled out the report so there is no info, only an undated exterior photo which probably was taken sometime 1946- 1951.
The Theatre Historical Society archive has the MGM Theatre Report for the Strand; it’s Card # 384. Address is Main Street in “Jackman Station”. There is an exterior photo dated May 22, 1941. Condition is Poor. The report says that the Strand opened about 1919, was showing MGM films, and had 300 seats. The 1940 population was 1,000.
The Theatre Historical Society archive has the MGM Theatre Report for the Avon; it’s Card # 378. Address is “Main St.” (incorrect). There is an exterior photo dated Feb. 29, 1941. There was a distinctive arched entrance. Condition was Poor. The report says the Avon was remodeled in 1939, was showing MGM movies, and had 192 seats. The 1940 population was 1,200. The Maine theaters list in a 1991 issue of Marquee reports that there were 192 seats on the main floor and 200 in the balcony, total: 392.
The Theatre Historical Society on-line archive has the MGM Theatre Report for the Rialto; it’s Card # 377. Address is Second Street. There is an exterior photo dated May 1941. Condition is Fair. The report says it was over 15 years old, was showing MGM films, and had 294 seats. The 1940 population was 2,900.
The Theatre Historical Society archive has the MGM Theatre Report for this theater when it was the Dixfield Theatre; it’s Card # 364. Address is Main Street. There is an exterior photo taken October 1949. The photo is definitely the same building in a color photo taken in recent years which I found on-line and the same as the photo posted by robboehm. It’s a long rectangular wood-frame structure. The MGM report says that it was in Fair condition, that it was built in 1900 (1905), that it was showing MGM movies, had 250 seats (have also read that it has close to 400 seats). It was a former IOOF- Odd Fellows building. The 1949 population was 1,500.
Most of these news stories are now placed by THSA. They seem to assume that everyone knows where these theaters are located. They should put the city, state/province/country at the very beginning of the story, just like stories in newspapers.
The Cdata project file for this theater says it was on the ground floor, that it closed in the 1950s and became a business site, then remodeled into apartments, and then into condos. The Ctour listing for Maine does not include Wiscasset.
The Cdata Project file says the Unity closed in January 1952, but it could have reopened again.
The photo on the MGM report shows a big white 2.5-story barn-like wood-frame structure. There is a busy live theater in Brooks called the Marsh River Theatre, but it has nothing to do with the old Brooks Theatre.
The Theatre Historical Society archive has the MGM Theatre Report for the Wiscasset; it’s Card # 466. No one filled the card out so there is no info, only an undated exterior photo which was probably taken between 1946 and 1951.
The Theatre Historical Society archive has the MGM Theatre Report for the Brooks; it’s Card # 350. But no one filled it out so there is no data, only an undated exterior photo probably taken sometime between 1946-1951.