Old Colony Theater
Main Street Extension and Leyden Street,
Plymouth,
MA
02360
Main Street Extension and Leyden Street,
Plymouth,
MA
02360
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The Old Colony Theatre was the leading theater in Plymouth. It was located on Main Street Extension, next to Brewster Gardens. It was opened about 1913, had a balcony, and was a free-standing building. It was still open in 1957.
After it closed to movies it was taken over by a partnership which performed some restoration work and reopened it as a live theatre, a role it played through the 1980’s.
Contributed by
Ron Salters
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Recent comments (view all 13 comments)
The 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac lists Interstate Theatres Corp. at 260 Tremont Street, Boston. At the time, they controlled 3 theatres in Plymouth: the Old Colony, the Plymouth and the Park Theatre.
The Old Colony closed in the early seventies sometime in 1972. A leak in the roof caused a section of plaster to fall one night and as the company that owned it, Interstate Theaters, was building a new twin cinema they decided to close the Old Colony. The original plan was to keep it open during the summer months. During the summer spring water was used to cool the theater and no refrigeration was ever needed. The was a rumor that the theater was haunted and one night after it was closed two police officers went to investigate a break in. They found the theater locked and one of the officers swears he saw a movie playing when he entered the auditorium.
It was renovated in the mid 1970’s and used as a live theater for a very short time when an investor tried to bring back vaudeville. His attempt failed miserably and the theater was closed for good and eventually turned into office space.
When Interstate sold it it in the early 70’s it was put in the deed that the site could not be used to show any type of movie or slide show.
One attraction which played the Old Colony after it reopened as a live house was a touring play with the husband and wife team of Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy. I think it was either “The Four Poster” or “The Gin Game”. It played a one week stand at the Old Colony around 1980, or maybe a little later. When the house reopened sometime in the 1970s, there was a feature article about it in the Quincy Patriot-Ledger which included a photo taken in the auditorium.
After it was closed and sold in the early 1970’s the theater was remodeled. The stage, which was in very bad shape, was restored. Although the theater had ample fly space there were few dressing rooms. After the remodel the theater was used in an attempt to revive vaudeville, which fail miserably. One of the acts booked at the theater was Dennis Day the singing star of the Jack Benny radio program. After the attempt to revive vaudeville failed the theater was used for several stage shows but eventually was gutted and turned into office space.
I snapped a photo of the Old Colony’s facade on Saturday afternoon, July 9, 1983. The theater was in good condition externally but it was closed with no sign of life. I can’t recall if I ever heard of any attractions playing there after that.
There is a new cinema operation in Plymouth. It’s called Plimouth Cinema, and has been operating for the past few months in the Linn Theatre at the Plimouth Plantation complex, 137 Warren Avenue in Plymouth. Single-screen, shows recent movies.
The Old Colony was on a long list of theaters and halls in MA receiving state licenses for the year ending Oct 31, 1914. Also on the list was the Plymouth Theatre in Plymouth.
At one time there was two theaters in Plymouth the Old Colony and its sister theater in North Plymouth. The theater owner use to bicycle prints between the two theaters.
I remember performing at the Old Colony Theatre back in the early 1980s. Sad to learn that it is no longer a stage theatre.
Can we rightly say that it was “demolished?” The building still stands.
Also, the address is incorrect; it’s 34 Main Street Extension, and a couple blocks from Leyden Street.