Colony Theatre
100 Mamaroneck Avenue,
White Plains,
NY
10601
100 Mamaroneck Avenue,
White Plains,
NY
10601
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I was at the Gentle Giant concert here, billed on a Gentle Giant recordings site, as White Plains Music Hall on October 3, 1975. The concert, as were all Gentle Giant concerts, first-rate and exciting for fans of prog music, especially that of the singular band Gentle Giant. The bootleg recording made at this concert, Live in New York 1975, is poor, probably fan based or not well done by an avid insider at the show. Two tracks of this show are listed on the Gentle Giant released box set, Memories of Old Days (Box Set 2013) 06. On Reflection (Live/White Plains, New York 1975) 07. Proclamation (Live/White Plains, New York 1975)
It was wonderful to see such a relatively obscure but outstanding UK band right up close in White Plains, NY, just like a local Fillmore East.
Just watched Goodbye, Columbus (a 1969 film on Amazon Prime), there is a scene outside this theater.
studiobfl There is an RKO Keith’s in White Plains elsewhere on Cinema Treasures with a photo. It does not appear to be the same as the Colony building. That structure is listed as demolished.
It was the old RKO Keith’s it was at Main St and Mamaroneck Ave. I owned the theater back then. We opened it in 1976, it had 3000 seats 1500 downstairs. The theater was built in 1912 and was a Vaudeville theater with a six story building that was the dressing rooms
I grew up in White Plains and went to the Colony often while visiting my grandmother who lived around the corner on Court St. It was while viewing “Shane” starring Alan Ladd and Jack Palance that I was bitten by the ‘wanting to make movies’ bug. As it turned out I did go to Hollywood and got a job in the Industry working as a sound rerecording dubbing mixer. It was a wonderful 40 year ride and it all started at the Colony while watching “Shane”.
The White Plains Colony held much more than the 600 easts indicated here. The theatre contained a full size balcony in addition to the orchestra level. My guesstimate would be 1200 seats.
Also, the Colony hosted an exclusive Westchester reserve seat roadshow engagement of “Taming of the Shrew” in 1967.
In the artwork for the newly-remastered version of the Beatles' movie Help! released today, an “Advance Prevue Showing” ticket stub from the Colony is shown as part of a collage. The ticket is for Monday, August 23, 1965’s 6:30 PM show. The cost, including tax, for the ticket is listed as $2.00.
I believe that this theater operated as the “White Plains Music Hall” in the 70’s. I saw Gentle Giant there sometime in the 70’s.
The building is currently a Duane Reade drug store.