Great black-and-white movies. Gee, where do I start? Modern Times, The Philadelphia Story, Holiday, His Girl Friday, The Maltese Falcon, It Happened One Night, Duck Soup (or anything else with the Marx Brothers), Casablanca, Double Indemnity, The Postman Always Rings Twice, …
At 9:20 this morning, after a brief staging process on Lagrange Street, the wrecking ball began the final demolition of the Gaiety Theatre.
Â
The appeal in the Zoning Board of Appeal and the cases in Massachusetts Land Court will nevertheless proceed. Whether Kensington Investments and the City of Boston will make reparations for their offenses remains to be decided.
I’ve seen references to the ‘Beacon’ theatre in several places. One is in Donald C. King’s “Historical Survey of the Theatres of Boston” (published in the Theatre Historical Society’s magazine Marquee, Third Quarter 1974). Another is in David Kruh’s book Always Something Doing: A History of Boston’s Infamous Scollay Square. So I’m pretty sure that the theatre changed its name from ‘Beacon’ to ‘Beacon Hill’ at some point.
Whether Ben Sack did this in the 1950s, or it happened earlier, I’m not yet sure.
In his 1968 unpublished draft manuscript entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), Douglas Shand-Tucci refers to the Stuart as the last surviving nickelodeon in Boston.
I’m now looking at a photo of the Stuart, published in the Third Quarter 1974 issue of the Theatre Historical Society’s magazine Marquee. It sure looks to me like the Stuart was right on the corner, where McDonald’s is now. The Stuart’s marquee advertises a movie called I MET A MURDERER.
According to an unpublished draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), this was the only Washington Street theatre built exclusively to show movies, and the only one never to have a stage show.
The Paramount moved from the New England Theatre circuit to General Cinema in June, 1967.
According to an unpublished draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), the last show as the Metropolitan was on May 31, 1962. Ben Sack reopened it as the Music Hall in June, 1962.
The theatre was originally intended to be named Capitol rather than Metropolitan. Over the years it moved from the M&P chain to ATC to New England Theatres, and finally to Sack.
According to an unpublished draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), the Palace opened in 1899. Burlesque shows ended in 1909. The theatre was “destroyed” in 1931. Shand-Tucci doesn’t say how or why this happened.
According to an unpublished draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), Sack acquired this theatre for his movie chain, and renamed it the Saxon, in September, 1956.
According to an unpublished 1968 draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), the Toy Theatre was built in 1914, becoming the Copley in 1916. It was on Dartmouth Street, facing the side of the Copley Plaza Hotel.
In 1922, the Copley Theatre was cut into two pieces, turned 90 degrees, and reassembled so that its entrance faced Stuart Street! Its proprietors felt (probably wrongly) that Stuart Street would become a major thoroughfare and therefore it would be to the theatre’s advantage to have a marquee facing that street.
In 1955, the entrance was moved once again, to Huntington Avenue. That is the entrance and marquee that you see in Walter Muir Whitehill’s book.
In 1958, Ben Sack acquired this theatre for his movie chain and changed its name to the Capri. When the state took it for the Massachusetts Turnpike extension in the early 1960s, Sack moved its marquee a few blocks down Huntington Avenue to the former Strand Theatre, which then became the second Capri.
According to an unpublished 1968 draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), the St. James Theatre opened on August 30, 1912.
In 1925, it became part of the Keith Albee vaudeville and movie circuit. In 1929, it joined the M&P circuit. Some time after that, it changed its name to the Uptown.
According to an unpublished 1968 draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), the Globe opened as a legitimate stage but soon changed to a policy of movies and burlesque. This lasted until 1946. Some time shortly after that, it changed its name to the Center.
According to an unpublished 1968 draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), the Park went to a movies-only policy in 1919, but returned to live shows in 1924.
It later became a Minsky’s burlesque house, then went back to movies again as the Hub Theatre. In 1938 it became the Trans-Lux, showing newsreels and short subjects. Later (I’m not sure when) it changed its name one more time, to the State.
According to an unpublished 1968 draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), the RKO Keith Memorial closed on June 13, 1965, at which point Ben Sack bought it and reopened it as the Savoy.
According to an unpublished 1968 draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), the RKO Boston presented its last live show in 1951.
According to an unpublished 1968 draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), the Archdiocese of Boston acquired the Loew’s State on August 21, 1959, changing its name to the Donnelly Memorial. It became the Back Bay Theatre in 1963. The last opera to be performed there was Tosca, on March 13, 1968.
According to an unpublished 1968 draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), what was originally the Boston Music Hall briefly changed its name to the Empire in 1904. It changed its name again, to the Orpheum, in 1906. Loew’s took it over on January 19 or 20, 1916.
According to an unpublished draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), the last live show at the Tremont occurred in 1935.
From today’s Boston Globe:
[quote]Citizens Bank is nearing a deal to put its name on the newly renovated Opera House in downtown Boston, according to people briefed on the talks.
The negotiations are not complete, but are expected to wrap up soon. The deal, if reached, would give Citizens a new and prominent platform in the arts and entertainment community to rival the presence of major competitors, such as Bank of America Corp. and TD Banknorth Inc.
…
No details about either the possible price or the proposed new name for the Opera House were available yesterday.
[/quote]
I don’t see the point of this, since the Opera House is fully restored and fully booked. It doesn’t need this money. If Citizens wants to put its name on a venue and generate goodwill in the community, how about contributing to restoration of the Modern or Paramount or RKO Boston instead?
I found this in the Boston Globe archives, December 2, 2004:
ZEOTROPE DISCUSSION DUE
A developer who is hoping to demolish the Zeotrope block on East Central Street and replace it with a $25 million development with retail and residential space plans to discuss the idea Monday with the town’s Planning Board, said Ross Altobelli, the town planner. No formal plans have been filed, Altobelli said. The block includes the Franklin Zeotrope Theatre. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the town’s Municipal Building.
I don’t know what has happened since then. There is an online Save the Zeotrope petition, but I don’t know how old it is.
That movie is still playing in the Boston area, at West Newton Cinema. Until recently it was playing at several local second-runs theatres as well. Are you sure that it’s a flop, as opposed to a film with a small but dedicated word-of-mouth following?
Tonight, the German-Hungarian film Gloomy Sunday closes at the West Newton, 70 weeks after it opened there.
The film’s longevity brings to mind other famous local long runs, such as King of Hearts at the Central Square, Harold and Maude at the Allston Cinema, and Cinema Paradiso which ran for 68 weeks at the West Newton.
A third factor was 1960s ‘urban renewal’. It didn’t have much effect on the downtown theatre district, but it obliterated two other clusters of theatres: Scollay Square (replaced by Government Center) and a group around Mass. Ave. and Huntington Avenue (replaced by the expanded Christian Science Center and related development).
Great black-and-white movies. Gee, where do I start? Modern Times, The Philadelphia Story, Holiday, His Girl Friday, The Maltese Falcon, It Happened One Night, Duck Soup (or anything else with the Marx Brothers), Casablanca, Double Indemnity, The Postman Always Rings Twice, …
The very latest from Lee Eiseman:
At 9:20 this morning, after a brief staging process on Lagrange Street, the wrecking ball began the final demolition of the Gaiety Theatre.
Â
The appeal in the Zoning Board of Appeal and the cases in Massachusetts Land Court will nevertheless proceed. Whether Kensington Investments and the City of Boston will make reparations for their offenses remains to be decided.
I’ve seen references to the ‘Beacon’ theatre in several places. One is in Donald C. King’s “Historical Survey of the Theatres of Boston” (published in the Theatre Historical Society’s magazine Marquee, Third Quarter 1974). Another is in David Kruh’s book Always Something Doing: A History of Boston’s Infamous Scollay Square. So I’m pretty sure that the theatre changed its name from ‘Beacon’ to ‘Beacon Hill’ at some point.
Whether Ben Sack did this in the 1950s, or it happened earlier, I’m not yet sure.
In his 1968 unpublished draft manuscript entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), Douglas Shand-Tucci refers to the Stuart as the last surviving nickelodeon in Boston.
I’m now looking at a photo of the Stuart, published in the Third Quarter 1974 issue of the Theatre Historical Society’s magazine Marquee. It sure looks to me like the Stuart was right on the corner, where McDonald’s is now. The Stuart’s marquee advertises a movie called I MET A MURDERER.
According to an unpublished draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), this was the only Washington Street theatre built exclusively to show movies, and the only one never to have a stage show.
The Paramount moved from the New England Theatre circuit to General Cinema in June, 1967.
According to an unpublished draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), the last show as the Metropolitan was on May 31, 1962. Ben Sack reopened it as the Music Hall in June, 1962.
The theatre was originally intended to be named Capitol rather than Metropolitan. Over the years it moved from the M&P chain to ATC to New England Theatres, and finally to Sack.
According to an unpublished draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), the Palace opened in 1899. Burlesque shows ended in 1909. The theatre was “destroyed” in 1931. Shand-Tucci doesn’t say how or why this happened.
According to an unpublished draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), Sack acquired this theatre for his movie chain, and renamed it the Saxon, in September, 1956.
According to an unpublished 1968 draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), the Toy Theatre was built in 1914, becoming the Copley in 1916. It was on Dartmouth Street, facing the side of the Copley Plaza Hotel.
In 1922, the Copley Theatre was cut into two pieces, turned 90 degrees, and reassembled so that its entrance faced Stuart Street! Its proprietors felt (probably wrongly) that Stuart Street would become a major thoroughfare and therefore it would be to the theatre’s advantage to have a marquee facing that street.
In 1955, the entrance was moved once again, to Huntington Avenue. That is the entrance and marquee that you see in Walter Muir Whitehill’s book.
In 1958, Ben Sack acquired this theatre for his movie chain and changed its name to the Capri. When the state took it for the Massachusetts Turnpike extension in the early 1960s, Sack moved its marquee a few blocks down Huntington Avenue to the former Strand Theatre, which then became the second Capri.
According to an unpublished 1968 draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), the St. James Theatre opened on August 30, 1912.
In 1925, it became part of the Keith Albee vaudeville and movie circuit. In 1929, it joined the M&P circuit. Some time after that, it changed its name to the Uptown.
According to an unpublished 1968 draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), the Globe opened as a legitimate stage but soon changed to a policy of movies and burlesque. This lasted until 1946. Some time shortly after that, it changed its name to the Center.
According to an unpublished 1968 draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), the Park went to a movies-only policy in 1919, but returned to live shows in 1924.
It later became a Minsky’s burlesque house, then went back to movies again as the Hub Theatre. In 1938 it became the Trans-Lux, showing newsreels and short subjects. Later (I’m not sure when) it changed its name one more time, to the State.
According to an unpublished 1968 draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), the RKO Keith Memorial closed on June 13, 1965, at which point Ben Sack bought it and reopened it as the Savoy.
According to an unpublished 1968 draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), the RKO Boston presented its last live show in 1951.
According to an unpublished 1968 draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), the Archdiocese of Boston acquired the Loew’s State on August 21, 1959, changing its name to the Donnelly Memorial. It became the Back Bay Theatre in 1963. The last opera to be performed there was Tosca, on March 13, 1968.
According to an unpublished 1968 draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), what was originally the Boston Music Hall briefly changed its name to the Empire in 1904. It changed its name again, to the Orpheum, in 1906. Loew’s took it over on January 19 or 20, 1916.
According to an unpublished draft manuscript by Douglas Shand-Tucci entitled The Puritan Muse (available in the Fine Arts room of the Boston Public Library), the last live show at the Tremont occurred in 1935.
From today’s Boston Globe:
[quote]Citizens Bank is nearing a deal to put its name on the newly renovated Opera House in downtown Boston, according to people briefed on the talks.
The negotiations are not complete, but are expected to wrap up soon. The deal, if reached, would give Citizens a new and prominent platform in the arts and entertainment community to rival the presence of major competitors, such as Bank of America Corp. and TD Banknorth Inc.
…
No details about either the possible price or the proposed new name for the Opera House were available yesterday.
[/quote]
I don’t see the point of this, since the Opera House is fully restored and fully booked. It doesn’t need this money. If Citizens wants to put its name on a venue and generate goodwill in the community, how about contributing to restoration of the Modern or Paramount or RKO Boston instead?
Oh no, they’re going to kill the wabbit!
I found this in the Boston Globe archives, December 2, 2004:
ZEOTROPE DISCUSSION DUE
A developer who is hoping to demolish the Zeotrope block on East Central Street and replace it with a $25 million development with retail and residential space plans to discuss the idea Monday with the town’s Planning Board, said Ross Altobelli, the town planner. No formal plans have been filed, Altobelli said. The block includes the Franklin Zeotrope Theatre. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the town’s Municipal Building.
I don’t know what has happened since then. There is an online Save the Zeotrope petition, but I don’t know how old it is.
That movie is still playing in the Boston area, at West Newton Cinema. Until recently it was playing at several local second-runs theatres as well. Are you sure that it’s a flop, as opposed to a film with a small but dedicated word-of-mouth following?
I saw that one there, too. It may well have been the last “big event” 70mm movie to play the Charles.
This was no longer standing when I arrived in the area in 1979. When was it closed and demolished?
Tonight, the German-Hungarian film Gloomy Sunday closes at the West Newton, 70 weeks after it opened there.
The film’s longevity brings to mind other famous local long runs, such as King of Hearts at the Central Square, Harold and Maude at the Allston Cinema, and Cinema Paradiso which ran for 68 weeks at the West Newton.
A third factor was 1960s ‘urban renewal’. It didn’t have much effect on the downtown theatre district, but it obliterated two other clusters of theatres: Scollay Square (replaced by Government Center) and a group around Mass. Ave. and Huntington Avenue (replaced by the expanded Christian Science Center and related development).