Towne Cinema

The Towne was owned and operated by the 20th Century Theatres chain. The theatre booked first-run art house fare such as: Yesterday Today and Tomorrow, Gigi, The Sky Above and the Mud Below, David and Lisa, etc. It was located right next to a subway stop in the middle of downtown Toronto and was very popular with discerning moviegoers. Unfortunately, the screen was a bit too small for the size of the auditorium which gave one the illusion of looking down a long dark tunnel. Especially if you got stuck sitting in the balcony which was located above the lobby far from the screen.

A link to a photo from the Toronto archives.

Opened April 25 1949 not 1939. This theatre was owned by Nat Taylor’s wife and when she passed her son Michael Taylor (a friend of mine) inherited it. He told me that Famous Players paid him a rent of $1000.00 a day — 365 days a year — pretty good eh??

Just came across this. I was an usher at the Towne from 1974 until 1979. Manager was Beryl Goodwin. I had to walk her dog, “Dixie” around the block. She showed me a two page, hand-written letter from Stanley Kubrick emploring her to have the projectionist remove the glass plates from the two projection windows. He had removed them because he was getting contact highs from all the cannibis smoke being sucked in. Via Warner Brothers, Kubrick had ordered those windows removed from every cinema in the world playing the film, in order to not cut back one iota of light from his movie. I wish I had kept the letter.