Yes, it’s the lot on the east side of Chestnut Street just a few steps away from where Chestnut Street ends in Quincy Square, and directly across from the east side of the Art Deco landmark office tower. Richard T. LeBreque, writing in the Quincy Patriot Ledger of April 20, 1962, states that the Strand was built in 1925 by a former mayor of Quincy named William A. Bradford. The Strand presented the first “Talkie” movie in Quincy, Lionel Barrymore in “The Lion and the Mouse” (Vitaphone). Unfortunately, he doesn’t give the date.
The Beacon Hill Times of June 12 2007 has a short article, with facade photo of the Modern, reporting that Suffolk University may have an interest in acquiring the Modern/Mayflower Theatre. The University has recently taken over other buildings in the vicinity of the Modern. Possible uses are as a performing arts facility, a “black-box” theatre, or as an art gallery. The article points out that the Boston Redevelopment Authority, which owns the Modern, has not yet received a proposal from Suffolk.
There is some info about this theatre in the Mary Henderson book “The City and the Theatre”. A facade illustration is included which is probably the 28th St. entrance and not the later entrance on Broadway. Augustine Daly and Henry Miner ran it before F.F. Proctor took it over. It’s listed, as the Fifth Avenue Theatre, in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. The manager was H. C. Miner; ticket prices ranged from 50 cents to $2. The seating was listed as: Orchestra- 558, Balcony- 355, Gallery-356; total: 1,269. The proscenium opening was 40 feet square, and the stage was 37 feet deep. The theatre was on the ground floor and there were 15 musicians in the house orchestra.
It should be pointed out that the Ambassador is “built on a bias”, the center axis of the auditorium and stage are at an angle to the street. The rear of the auditorium is in the southeast corner and the stage is in the northwest corner of the lot. It shares this characteristic with the Beacon Theatre on Broadway, and the late Roxy Theatre. One of the big musical hits here in 1921 was the Shubert’s Schubert/Romberg musical “Blossom Time” whose road companies continued to cross America right up into the early 1950s. I had no idea that it had any cinema history.
Listed under Fredonia NY in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide is a “Grand Opera House” – I assume that it’s this theatre ?? Unfortunately, there are no street addresses in this Guide. The seating capacity is listed as 785. A.H. Hilton was the Manager. The proscenium opening was 30 feet wide X 35 feet high; the stage was 32 feet deep. (These dimensions are very similar to those in the Opera House’s website.) It says that the theatre was on the ground floor, which apparently it isn’t. There were 9 players in the house orchestra. Local hotels were the Columbia and the Raymond House. The 1897 population of Fredonia was 4,000.
An article (with site photo) in the Business section of today’s Boton Herald points out that it is now 2 years since demolition began on the Gaiety/Publix Theatre and there is nothing on the site but an empty gravel lot.
The site is amazingly fast now- what a contrast to some of the “dark old days” such as November 2005. And I agree with Ian Howells' posting above: I would love to see a link here in CT to a sub-file with a name like “Stage Treasures” with files for non-cinema theatres and concert halls. CT would then be a one-stop resource for all types of theatre buildings.
The Bijou in Bangor is listed in the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac as being part of M&P Theatres (Mullin & Pinanski) of Boston. M&P was an affiliate of Paramount. Other Bangor theatres run by M&P in 1942 were the Graphic, Opera House and Park.
The Great Southern Theatre in Columbus is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. The lessees were the Valentine Company; Lee M. Boda was Manager. Seating capacity was 1,900 and admission prices ranged from 25 cents to $1.50. There was both gas and electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 34 feet square, and the stage was 52 feet deep. The theatre was on the ground floor and there were 10 members of the house orchestra. Other roadshow theatres in Columbus in 1897 were the Grand Opera House and the High Street Theatre. There were 4 newspapers at the time and 7 hotels which catered to show people. The 1897 population of Columbus was 130,000. I visited the Southern Theatre with a THSA group in mid-2000 and it was very beautifully restored and well worth seeing.
In the postcard, the theatre appears to be directly across Washington St. from the Old South Meeting House (still standing). I have never seen an exterior view of the first Old South Theatre before.
The Strand in Belmont was listed in the 1928 Film Daily Yearbook as being part of the Boas Circuit of Boston. Boas ran 22 movie theatres at that time. It’s listed as being in the Waverly section of Belmont.
The Strand in Amesbury is listed in the 1928 Film Daily Yearbook as part of the Boas Circuit of Boston. Boas operated 22 movie theatres at the time, some of which (like the Amesbury) later went over to Warner Brothers.
In the 1928 Film Daily Yearbook, the Strand and the Globe theatres in Clinton are listed as part of the Boas Circuit of Boston. Boas operated 22 theatres in 1928. In the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac, the Strand and the Globe in Clinton are listed as part of Warner Brothers theatre circuit. (there is a note that the Globe was closed at the time).
The Palace is listed in the 1928 Film Daily Yearbook as part of the Boas Circuit, run by L.M. Boas at 40 Court St. in Boston. Boas also ran the Park Theatre on lower Washington St., plus the Olympic in Bowdoin Square, as well as a “Rialto” and “Strand” in Boston. If the latter two houses are the Rialto and the Strand in Scollay Square, then 4 of the Boas houses were located close together in the Scollay/Bowdoin area. (The Boas head office was also in this area).
The Olympic is listed in the 1928 Film Daily Yearbook as being part of the Boas Circuit of 40 Court St. in Boston. Boas operated 22 movie theatres in 1928, 5 of which were in Boston.
While doing research on Warner Bros. theatre circuit, CT member Barry Goodkin came across mention of the Strand in Woburn. In the 1928 Film Daily Yearbook, the Strand (the renamed Woburn Theatre) was part of the Boas Circuit, of 40 Court St. in Boston.
The State is listed (as Park Th.) in the 1928 Film Daily Yearbook as being part of the Boas Circuit, run by L.M. Boas of 40 Court St. in Boston. The Boas circuit had 22 movie theatres in 1928, 5 of which were in Boston.
According to research by CT member Barry Goodkin, there was a Star Theatre in Lawrence. It’s listed in the 1931 Film Daily Yearbook as being run by Empire Amusement Company of 1 Lawrence St. in Lawrence. The company was managed by L.A. Siskind and it ran six Lawrence movie theatres: the Broadway, Colonial, Empire, Palace, Premier and, last but not least, the Star.
A report in the Quincy Patriot Ledger of May 30, 2007 states that the Randolph town meeting just authorized $2.15M for the completion of Stetson Hall renovations. The Stetson trustees have previously raised $1.6M. The new funding will come from Randolph’s Community Preservation Act resources. It’s hoped to seek bids for the remaining work during the month of June, award a contract before Labor Day, and then complete the work within 10 months. This work will include the theatre restoration.
The wallet was found by a contractor’s crewman in April either in the Paramount itself or in the Bijou Building next door. It was found 56 years to the day after it had been stolen from a sailor aboard a US Navy ship in South Boston who was on a day pass (the pass was in the wallet). The loss of the wallet and pants took place in a mugging outside, apparently near the ship; the mugger than took the wallet into the Paramount or adjacent arcade and disposed of it. The victim was not inside the theatre.
The 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide has a “Cairo Opera House” listed for Cairo IL with 1,256 seats. Unfortunately, the Cahn Guide does not have local street addresses. I suspect that the older opera house burned down after 1898 and was later replaced by this theatre.
The Lowell Opera House is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. The theatre was managed by the Fay Brothers & Hosford. Seating was listed as 1,500. Ticket prices ranged from 25 cents to $1. The proscenium opening was 34 feet square and the stage was 45 feet deep. The theatre was on the ground floor and there were 10 in the house orchestra. Local hotels for show people were the American, St. Charles and the Farragut. Daily and Weekly Lowell newspapers were the Mail, Times, Citizen, News, Courier, and Star. There was also a New Music Hall in Lowell with 1,000 seats. The 1897 population of Lowell was 100,000.
The late Donald C. King of Washington DC, author of the recent book “The Theatres of Boston – A Stage and Screen History” (McFarland), was an employee of the E.M. Loew theatre circuit of Boston beginning in the late-1930s. In December 1941, at the age of 20, he was sent by Loew to Barre as the new manager of the Barre Opera House. He like living in Barre and he loved the old Opera House ! He mentioned to me that on certain Saturdays, in addition to movies, there was a Saturday Night Barn Dance-type show on stage. He worked at the theatre for about 6 months until he enlisted in the US Army in mid-1942.
Yes, it’s the lot on the east side of Chestnut Street just a few steps away from where Chestnut Street ends in Quincy Square, and directly across from the east side of the Art Deco landmark office tower. Richard T. LeBreque, writing in the Quincy Patriot Ledger of April 20, 1962, states that the Strand was built in 1925 by a former mayor of Quincy named William A. Bradford. The Strand presented the first “Talkie” movie in Quincy, Lionel Barrymore in “The Lion and the Mouse” (Vitaphone). Unfortunately, he doesn’t give the date.
The Beacon Hill Times of June 12 2007 has a short article, with facade photo of the Modern, reporting that Suffolk University may have an interest in acquiring the Modern/Mayflower Theatre. The University has recently taken over other buildings in the vicinity of the Modern. Possible uses are as a performing arts facility, a “black-box” theatre, or as an art gallery. The article points out that the Boston Redevelopment Authority, which owns the Modern, has not yet received a proposal from Suffolk.
There is some info about this theatre in the Mary Henderson book “The City and the Theatre”. A facade illustration is included which is probably the 28th St. entrance and not the later entrance on Broadway. Augustine Daly and Henry Miner ran it before F.F. Proctor took it over. It’s listed, as the Fifth Avenue Theatre, in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. The manager was H. C. Miner; ticket prices ranged from 50 cents to $2. The seating was listed as: Orchestra- 558, Balcony- 355, Gallery-356; total: 1,269. The proscenium opening was 40 feet square, and the stage was 37 feet deep. The theatre was on the ground floor and there were 15 musicians in the house orchestra.
It should be pointed out that the Ambassador is “built on a bias”, the center axis of the auditorium and stage are at an angle to the street. The rear of the auditorium is in the southeast corner and the stage is in the northwest corner of the lot. It shares this characteristic with the Beacon Theatre on Broadway, and the late Roxy Theatre. One of the big musical hits here in 1921 was the Shubert’s Schubert/Romberg musical “Blossom Time” whose road companies continued to cross America right up into the early 1950s. I had no idea that it had any cinema history.
Listed under Fredonia NY in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide is a “Grand Opera House” – I assume that it’s this theatre ?? Unfortunately, there are no street addresses in this Guide. The seating capacity is listed as 785. A.H. Hilton was the Manager. The proscenium opening was 30 feet wide X 35 feet high; the stage was 32 feet deep. (These dimensions are very similar to those in the Opera House’s website.) It says that the theatre was on the ground floor, which apparently it isn’t. There were 9 players in the house orchestra. Local hotels were the Columbia and the Raymond House. The 1897 population of Fredonia was 4,000.
An article (with site photo) in the Business section of today’s Boton Herald points out that it is now 2 years since demolition began on the Gaiety/Publix Theatre and there is nothing on the site but an empty gravel lot.
The site is amazingly fast now- what a contrast to some of the “dark old days” such as November 2005. And I agree with Ian Howells' posting above: I would love to see a link here in CT to a sub-file with a name like “Stage Treasures” with files for non-cinema theatres and concert halls. CT would then be a one-stop resource for all types of theatre buildings.
The Bijou in Bangor is listed in the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac as being part of M&P Theatres (Mullin & Pinanski) of Boston. M&P was an affiliate of Paramount. Other Bangor theatres run by M&P in 1942 were the Graphic, Opera House and Park.
The Great Southern Theatre in Columbus is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. The lessees were the Valentine Company; Lee M. Boda was Manager. Seating capacity was 1,900 and admission prices ranged from 25 cents to $1.50. There was both gas and electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 34 feet square, and the stage was 52 feet deep. The theatre was on the ground floor and there were 10 members of the house orchestra. Other roadshow theatres in Columbus in 1897 were the Grand Opera House and the High Street Theatre. There were 4 newspapers at the time and 7 hotels which catered to show people. The 1897 population of Columbus was 130,000. I visited the Southern Theatre with a THSA group in mid-2000 and it was very beautifully restored and well worth seeing.
In the postcard, the theatre appears to be directly across Washington St. from the Old South Meeting House (still standing). I have never seen an exterior view of the first Old South Theatre before.
The Strand in Belmont was listed in the 1928 Film Daily Yearbook as being part of the Boas Circuit of Boston. Boas ran 22 movie theatres at that time. It’s listed as being in the Waverly section of Belmont.
The Strand in Amesbury is listed in the 1928 Film Daily Yearbook as part of the Boas Circuit of Boston. Boas operated 22 movie theatres at the time, some of which (like the Amesbury) later went over to Warner Brothers.
In the 1928 Film Daily Yearbook, the Strand and the Globe theatres in Clinton are listed as part of the Boas Circuit of Boston. Boas operated 22 theatres in 1928. In the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac, the Strand and the Globe in Clinton are listed as part of Warner Brothers theatre circuit. (there is a note that the Globe was closed at the time).
The Palace is listed in the 1928 Film Daily Yearbook as part of the Boas Circuit, run by L.M. Boas at 40 Court St. in Boston. Boas also ran the Park Theatre on lower Washington St., plus the Olympic in Bowdoin Square, as well as a “Rialto” and “Strand” in Boston. If the latter two houses are the Rialto and the Strand in Scollay Square, then 4 of the Boas houses were located close together in the Scollay/Bowdoin area. (The Boas head office was also in this area).
The Olympic is listed in the 1928 Film Daily Yearbook as being part of the Boas Circuit of 40 Court St. in Boston. Boas operated 22 movie theatres in 1928, 5 of which were in Boston.
While doing research on Warner Bros. theatre circuit, CT member Barry Goodkin came across mention of the Strand in Woburn. In the 1928 Film Daily Yearbook, the Strand (the renamed Woburn Theatre) was part of the Boas Circuit, of 40 Court St. in Boston.
The State is listed (as Park Th.) in the 1928 Film Daily Yearbook as being part of the Boas Circuit, run by L.M. Boas of 40 Court St. in Boston. The Boas circuit had 22 movie theatres in 1928, 5 of which were in Boston.
According to research by CT member Barry Goodkin, there was a Star Theatre in Lawrence. It’s listed in the 1931 Film Daily Yearbook as being run by Empire Amusement Company of 1 Lawrence St. in Lawrence. The company was managed by L.A. Siskind and it ran six Lawrence movie theatres: the Broadway, Colonial, Empire, Palace, Premier and, last but not least, the Star.
A report in the Quincy Patriot Ledger of May 30, 2007 states that the Randolph town meeting just authorized $2.15M for the completion of Stetson Hall renovations. The Stetson trustees have previously raised $1.6M. The new funding will come from Randolph’s Community Preservation Act resources. It’s hoped to seek bids for the remaining work during the month of June, award a contract before Labor Day, and then complete the work within 10 months. This work will include the theatre restoration.
The wallet was found by a contractor’s crewman in April either in the Paramount itself or in the Bijou Building next door. It was found 56 years to the day after it had been stolen from a sailor aboard a US Navy ship in South Boston who was on a day pass (the pass was in the wallet). The loss of the wallet and pants took place in a mugging outside, apparently near the ship; the mugger than took the wallet into the Paramount or adjacent arcade and disposed of it. The victim was not inside the theatre.
The 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide has a “Cairo Opera House” listed for Cairo IL with 1,256 seats. Unfortunately, the Cahn Guide does not have local street addresses. I suspect that the older opera house burned down after 1898 and was later replaced by this theatre.
The Lowell Opera House is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. The theatre was managed by the Fay Brothers & Hosford. Seating was listed as 1,500. Ticket prices ranged from 25 cents to $1. The proscenium opening was 34 feet square and the stage was 45 feet deep. The theatre was on the ground floor and there were 10 in the house orchestra. Local hotels for show people were the American, St. Charles and the Farragut. Daily and Weekly Lowell newspapers were the Mail, Times, Citizen, News, Courier, and Star. There was also a New Music Hall in Lowell with 1,000 seats. The 1897 population of Lowell was 100,000.
The late Donald C. King of Washington DC, author of the recent book “The Theatres of Boston – A Stage and Screen History” (McFarland), was an employee of the E.M. Loew theatre circuit of Boston beginning in the late-1930s. In December 1941, at the age of 20, he was sent by Loew to Barre as the new manager of the Barre Opera House. He like living in Barre and he loved the old Opera House ! He mentioned to me that on certain Saturdays, in addition to movies, there was a Saturday Night Barn Dance-type show on stage. He worked at the theatre for about 6 months until he enlisted in the US Army in mid-1942.
Yes, the 1951 photo shows the Paramount at right with the same marquee as in the 1941 MGM photo.
The Norwood Theatre has a very beautiful and distinctive facade and is worth seeing. The shows on stage there generally receive good reviews.