The Stuart Street Playhouse will be home to the 26th annual Boston Film Festival, September 17-23. This festival started at the Sack Copley Place cinema, then moved to Loews Boston Common where it was increasingly neglected. I hope that bringing it to a true independent cinema will put it back into the limelight.
See my message above dated Jun 28, 2005 at 3:12am: “The Orpheum is listed in the 1966 annual report of Loew’s Theatres, Inc., but not in the 1967 annual report.”
The Screening Room will show Shanghai Express, which was the Paramount’s opening film in 1932, as well as When the City Sleeps, En Attendant Godard, The Sound of Music, and a program of Warner Brothers Vitaphone shorts.
The Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Boston Natural Areas Network have been showing free movies on summer Thursday evenings at Pope John Paul II park, part of which used to be the Neponset Drive-In.
This week’s Dorchester Reporter has two long articles about the Strand’s failure to attract programming and serve the young people of the surrounding community as it did in the 1990s:
A restaurant called Bijou will open this fall at 51 Stuart Street. Stuff Magazine and Zagat both report that the name was inspired by the former Bijou Theatre a few blocks away, because it was “the first in the country to be equipped with an electrical lighting system”.
In addition to suite-style housing, the building will feature a 184-seat theater that can be converted from a classic proscenium format to a flat-floor function room. It will be used for performance, lectures, films and receptions. The lobby space in front of the theater will double as a gallery."
Dr. Maria Idali Torres, Director of the Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy;Dr. Paul Watanabe of the Institute of Asian American Studies at UMass Boston; and Marvin Venay, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus join State Representative Linda Dorcena Forry to explore how the newly-elected and -reelected officials will address legislation and policies affecting Asian American, Black, and Latino populations.
A light breakfast will be available at the event.
SPECIAL BREAKFAST FORUM: Thursday, November 4, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
This started out as an Entertainment Cinema, then became a Showcase Cinema, and ended life as a Flagship Cinema. I know that the comment thread used to say this, but someone deleted it.
In its final years, it was a third-run cinema, showing only movies that had long exhausted their runs elsewhere.
Old theatres are often converted to churches, or sometimes synagogues, but how often is a multiplex reused this way? I don’t even see how it is possible.
Just to clarify the above comment (since it confused someone else): The Sack Theatres chain as a whole changed its name to USACinemas before selling out to Loews. They did not change the name of this theatre, which remained the 57 even through its first few months as a live stage in 1996.
Definitely not this one, which opened in 1968 (see earlier comments)
It was just listed as ‘Lexington’ in Loews (and before that, USACinemas and Sack) advertisements.
The Stuart Street Playhouse will be home to the 26th annual Boston Film Festival, September 17-23. This festival started at the Sack Copley Place cinema, then moved to Loews Boston Common where it was increasingly neglected. I hope that bringing it to a true independent cinema will put it back into the limelight.
I’m amused that the article describes Applebee’s and Ground Round as “restaurant concepts” rather than actual restaurants.
According to today’s Boston Globe, Suffolk University students yesterday began moving into the dormitory part of the Modern Theatre building.
See my message above dated Jun 28, 2005 at 3:12am: “The Orpheum is listed in the 1966 annual report of Loew’s Theatres, Inc., but not in the 1967 annual report.”
Can you post the photos?
Do you know about where this was located? (Which “main highway” ?)
Don’t the yellow places also include live-stage theatres?
The Paramount has a large number of public events, some free and some ticketed, for Opening Weekend, September 23-26.
The Screening Room will show Shanghai Express, which was the Paramount’s opening film in 1932, as well as When the City Sleeps, En Attendant Godard, The Sound of Music, and a program of Warner Brothers Vitaphone shorts.
The Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Boston Natural Areas Network have been showing free movies on summer Thursday evenings at Pope John Paul II park, part of which used to be the Neponset Drive-In.
The show Fraulein Maria is scheduled to open on September 23[/url], which is probably why the Open House was cancelled.
I’m hoping to take a tour next Wednesday.
The mayor of Boston personally vetoed the name ‘Citizens Bank Opera House’.
This week’s Dorchester Reporter has two long articles about the Strand’s failure to attract programming and serve the young people of the surrounding community as it did in the 1990s:
Despite millions in funding by city, little is happening at Strand Theatre
Once a haven for youth, Strand Theatre now seen more as history
A restaurant called Bijou will open this fall at 51 Stuart Street. Stuff Magazine and Zagat both report that the name was inspired by the former Bijou Theatre a few blocks away, because it was “the first in the country to be equipped with an electrical lighting system”.
What do you mean by building it “presumptively” ?
From that web page:
“Performance space
In addition to suite-style housing, the building will feature a 184-seat theater that can be converted from a classic proscenium format to a flat-floor function room. It will be used for performance, lectures, films and receptions. The lobby space in front of the theater will double as a gallery."
Also, Ford Hall Forum, a popular local lecture series, has scheduled an event at the Modern for November 4:
Election 2010 and Communities of Color
Dr. Maria Idali Torres, Director of the Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy;Dr. Paul Watanabe of the Institute of Asian American Studies at UMass Boston; and Marvin Venay, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus join State Representative Linda Dorcena Forry to explore how the newly-elected and -reelected officials will address legislation and policies affecting Asian American, Black, and Latino populations.
A light breakfast will be available at the event.
SPECIAL BREAKFAST FORUM: Thursday, November 4, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
This started out as an Entertainment Cinema, then became a Showcase Cinema, and ended life as a Flagship Cinema. I know that the comment thread used to say this, but someone deleted it.
In its final years, it was a third-run cinema, showing only movies that had long exhausted their runs elsewhere.
From today’s Boston Globe: Old mall makes way for the new. Subhead: Razing is a key step toward road bisecting Quincy Center
The status of this theatre should be changed to Closed/Demoliished.
Thanks for these posts. Do you know when the bomb was placed?
Old theatres are often converted to churches, or sometimes synagogues, but how often is a multiplex reused this way? I don’t even see how it is possible.
Just to clarify the above comment (since it confused someone else): The Sack Theatres chain as a whole changed its name to USACinemas before selling out to Loews. They did not change the name of this theatre, which remained the 57 even through its first few months as a live stage in 1996.
A couple of years before they sold out to Loews, Sack changed its name to ‘USACinemas’.
Some other cinemas converted to bookstores:
Varsity Theatre, Palo Alto CA, now a Borders
Plaza Theatre, Memphis TN, now a Bookstar
A few more are listed in the comments here. Any others not yet mentioned?
didn’t know there were two different Brentwoods in California! The one I’m familiar with is next to Santa Monica and UCLA, quite far from this one.