The Central Square closed just after midnight on Tuesday night, April 1, 1980, according to a Boston Globe article published two days later. At the time it closed, it was under the same ownership as the Brattle.
From an obituary of Ben Sack, published in the Boston Herald on April 5, 2003:
“Opened in 1966, the Cheri was the city’s first multiplex cinema. He named it after a cruise ship he and his second wife had made a trip on.”
The Cheri’s last movies were shown on Thursday, November 8, 2001. The current Kings bowling alley and nightclub opened in March, 2003. It also includes a Jasper White’s Summer Shack restaurant.
Right, that was the second time around for the Metropolitan name.
Technically, I think it’s now called the “Wang Theatre” rather than the “Wang Center”, because the latter is now the name of the umbrella organization that operates both this venue and the Shubert across the street.
But most people I know still call this theatre the “Wang Center”.
This page says that after the city closed down the real Old Howard in 1953, the owners transferred its license to the Casino and renamed it the Old Howard Casino as a way of drawing customers.
So this entry needs to be split into two separate ones — if, that is, movies actually showed at both theatres. Did they?
The Cinema 57 showed its last movies (Original Gangstas and The Great White Hype) on Thursday, May 30, 1996.
A Boston Globe article published two days later said: “The Cinema 57 is primarily known as an exhibitor of action, adventure and horror films, and particularly those targeted at black audiences…. The Cinema 57 has been an object of controversy in recent years. Neighbors in Bay Village have complained that the theater’s programming attracted rowdy audiences that stimulated street violence in the area.”
Less than four months later, it reopened as the “57 Theatre” stage house. Its first production was “Definitely Doris”, a revue of Doris Day songs, which opened on September 24. The venue’s name was later changed to “Stuart Street Playhouse”, which it remains today.
On Friday, January 17, 1992, fistfights broke out and at least six gunshots were fired inside the Beacon Hill Theatre during a 10 pm screening of ‘'Juice,’‘ a movie about New York City street gangs.
You have to wonder if that was a factor in Sack’s decision to close this theatre a few months later.
The last picture show at the Paris began on Sunday, March 21, 1993, at 10:15 pm, according to a Boston Globe article published the following month.
“The handful of patrons watching ‘Sommersby’ probably had no idea they were saying finis to Boston’s last single-screen movie house; Loews Theaters gave no advance notice to nostalgia.”
The Pi Alley closed on Sunday or Monday, August 2 or 3, 1987, according to a Boston Globe article published a few days later. The article says:
“The Pi Alley featured what might be called B-plus movies — major Hollywood releases that were given first runs in other USA Cinema houses for two-three weeks, but did not generate sufficient box-office revenue to justify their continuing at prime locations. The recently released Eddie Murphy vehicle, Beverly Hills Cop II, which opened at Cinema 57 in the Back Bay and then moved to the Pi Alley, is a typical example.”
If you’re referring to the South Campus Gateway, it will have an 8-screen cinema at 9th and High, but it will be run by Columbus’s local Drexel Theatre Group:
The “south end group” is the Boston Center for the Arts, who run the Cyclorama and a number of adjoining artists' studios and small stage theatres.
The Huntington Theatre Company are using the new theatre space here. The ART (American Repertory Theatre) will not; they have their own new small theatre space opening at Zero Arrow Street in Cambridge this week.
“Charles River Plaza” is the outdoor shopping center where the Charles Cinema was located. It is located on the north side of Cambridge Street and is being extensively redeveloped. Both addresses are probably correct in their own way.
I doubt that a cinema will ever be located here again.
Here’s a link to the Starr Center, which is part of the Schepens Eye Research Institute. The page says “Housed in a former cinema” and has a photo of the interior, but also says “Seating for 244”, which is quite a bit less than the old Charles Cinema main auditorium used to seat.
So the Function should probably be changed from “Unknown” to “Conference Center”.
(By the way, the page also says “The Starr Center is closed until further notice due to construction in the Charles River Plaza complex.”)
Last year, the Brattle changed its scheduling policy; they no longer show a different double feature every night, nor do they still devote days of the week to particular genres or themes (e.g. Film Noir Mondays). They described their changed policy on this page.
If Loew’s divested its Boston theatres in the late 1960s, they didn’t stay away from the city very long. By the early 1970s they ran the Abbey Cinema near Kenmore Square. Once that closed, Boston didn’t see Loew’s again until they bought USACinemas (formerly Sack Theatres).
When it was still the Savoy, back in May 1967, a crowd of 15,000 people gathered for a free promotional showing of Casino Royale — scheduled for 4 am! Obviously that number of people could not fit into even this theatre, and a riot ensued.
I got another e-mail from Lee after submitting the above. There will be just one demonstration outside the theatre this week (not one each day). It will take place at noon on Thursday, January 6.
The Central Square closed just after midnight on Tuesday night, April 1, 1980, according to a Boston Globe article published two days later. At the time it closed, it was under the same ownership as the Brattle.
Another Globe article says it opened in 1968.
Berklee College of Music gutted and modernized the Fenway Theatre in the mid-1970s. It is now a concert hall called the Berklee Performance Center.
From an obituary of Ben Sack, published in the Boston Herald on April 5, 2003:
“Opened in 1966, the Cheri was the city’s first multiplex cinema. He named it after a cruise ship he and his second wife had made a trip on.”
The Cheri’s last movies were shown on Thursday, November 8, 2001. The current Kings bowling alley and nightclub opened in March, 2003. It also includes a Jasper White’s Summer Shack restaurant.
Right, that was the second time around for the Metropolitan name.
Technically, I think it’s now called the “Wang Theatre” rather than the “Wang Center”, because the latter is now the name of the umbrella organization that operates both this venue and the Shubert across the street.
But most people I know still call this theatre the “Wang Center”.
This page says that after the city closed down the real Old Howard in 1953, the owners transferred its license to the Casino and renamed it the Old Howard Casino as a way of drawing customers.
So this entry needs to be split into two separate ones — if, that is, movies actually showed at both theatres. Did they?
The Cinema 57 showed its last movies (Original Gangstas and The Great White Hype) on Thursday, May 30, 1996.
A Boston Globe article published two days later said: “The Cinema 57 is primarily known as an exhibitor of action, adventure and horror films, and particularly those targeted at black audiences…. The Cinema 57 has been an object of controversy in recent years. Neighbors in Bay Village have complained that the theater’s programming attracted rowdy audiences that stimulated street violence in the area.”
Less than four months later, it reopened as the “57 Theatre” stage house. Its first production was “Definitely Doris”, a revue of Doris Day songs, which opened on September 24. The venue’s name was later changed to “Stuart Street Playhouse”, which it remains today.
On Friday, January 17, 1992, fistfights broke out and at least six gunshots were fired inside the Beacon Hill Theatre during a 10 pm screening of ‘'Juice,’‘ a movie about New York City street gangs.
You have to wonder if that was a factor in Sack’s decision to close this theatre a few months later.
The last picture show at the Paris began on Sunday, March 21, 1993, at 10:15 pm, according to a Boston Globe article published the following month.
“The handful of patrons watching ‘Sommersby’ probably had no idea they were saying finis to Boston’s last single-screen movie house; Loews Theaters gave no advance notice to nostalgia.”
The Beacon Hill closed on Monday, November 30, 1992, according to a Globe article published two days later.
The Pi Alley closed on Sunday or Monday, August 2 or 3, 1987, according to a Boston Globe article published a few days later. The article says:
“The Pi Alley featured what might be called B-plus movies — major Hollywood releases that were given first runs in other USA Cinema houses for two-three weeks, but did not generate sufficient box-office revenue to justify their continuing at prime locations. The recently released Eddie Murphy vehicle, Beverly Hills Cop II, which opened at Cinema 57 in the Back Bay and then moved to the Pi Alley, is a typical example.”
If you’re referring to the South Campus Gateway, it will have an 8-screen cinema at 9th and High, but it will be run by Columbus’s local Drexel Theatre Group:
http://campuspartners.osu.edu/cinema.htm
Nothing to do with Rave.
It looks like a Sovereign Bank branch now occupies the former Park Square Cinema space.
This set of comments has become hopelessly confused. At the very least, the address needs to be changed from 658 to 1723 as stated by Gerald DeLuca.
The “south end group” is the Boston Center for the Arts, who run the Cyclorama and a number of adjoining artists' studios and small stage theatres.
The Huntington Theatre Company are using the new theatre space here. The ART (American Repertory Theatre) will not; they have their own new small theatre space opening at Zero Arrow Street in Cambridge this week.
No theatre in Canton is currently listed at Cinema Treasures. If you know more about one, please add a separate entry it.
I never knew about the conference center until you posted about it. Thanks for the lead!
“Charles River Plaza” is the outdoor shopping center where the Charles Cinema was located. It is located on the north side of Cambridge Street and is being extensively redeveloped. Both addresses are probably correct in their own way.
I doubt that a cinema will ever be located here again.
Here’s a link to the Starr Center, which is part of the Schepens Eye Research Institute. The page says “Housed in a former cinema” and has a photo of the interior, but also says “Seating for 244”, which is quite a bit less than the old Charles Cinema main auditorium used to seat.
So the Function should probably be changed from “Unknown” to “Conference Center”.
(By the way, the page also says “The Starr Center is closed until further notice due to construction in the Charles River Plaza complex.”)
Last year, the Brattle changed its scheduling policy; they no longer show a different double feature every night, nor do they still devote days of the week to particular genres or themes (e.g. Film Noir Mondays). They described their changed policy on this page.
If Loew’s divested its Boston theatres in the late 1960s, they didn’t stay away from the city very long. By the early 1970s they ran the Abbey Cinema near Kenmore Square. Once that closed, Boston didn’t see Loew’s again until they bought USACinemas (formerly Sack Theatres).
Does anyone know when Sack Theatres stopped regularly showing movies here?
During the mid-to-late 1970s, I remember it only as a venue for concerts and other live performances.
Does anyone know when the Orpheum stopped showing movies, and when it disaffiliated from the Loew’s chain?
I’m intrigued that a movie theatre once existed on Ocean Front Walk. Was it on the city side, or the ocean side? What now stands on its site?
And during that short time, I recall seeing ads and posters for the Modern that read:
Love a Theatre
David Archer was the guy who tried hard, but ultimately failed, to keep it open.
The Boston Globe Sunday magazine published this article about the Opera House’s restoration last spring.
When it was still the Savoy, back in May 1967, a crowd of 15,000 people gathered for a free promotional showing of Casino Royale — scheduled for 4 am! Obviously that number of people could not fit into even this theatre, and a riot ensued.
I got another e-mail from Lee after submitting the above. There will be just one demonstration outside the theatre this week (not one each day). It will take place at noon on Thursday, January 6.