Bellevue Community Theatre

I was just told by a friend who works for the post office in West Roxbury that the building was torn down about five years ago. It was replaced with townhouses.

In numerous theater pages of the Boston Post in the late-1940s, the Bellevue (no “Community”) shared a small ad with the Rialto, also in Roslindale. The two theatre names were at the top of the ad, with the same movies showing at both theatres simultaneously. One would have thought that management would have booked a different movie into each theatre for the sake of variety.

The theatre was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project. There is an exterior photo dated May 1941. It’s difficult to make out, but although the theatre entrance and the shop to its left are right on the sidewalk (and are one story high), the theatre building in back (which is two-plus stories) seems to be sited at an angle to the sidewalk. The theatre has a 1920s-style marquee with “Bellevue Community” in bulbed letters on its front. There was a verticle blade sign above. The Report states that the theatre is at 338A Belgrade Avenue (not Belgrave) in Roslindale, that it has been playing MGM product for over 10 years, and is over 15 years old; is in Fair condition, has 780 seats and is a neighborhood theatre (“Nabe”). It’s listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook, but there is no info; in the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac, it’s listed as part of M&P Theatres.