Somerville Theatre
55 Davis Square,
Somerville,
MA
02144
55 Davis Square,
Somerville,
MA
02144
27 people
favorited this theater
Showing 51 - 75 of 163 comments
Hi, Ian.
Thanks for the compliments. I understand why you have the policy of not letting young children into the theatre after six p. m. I was just curious—that’s why I asked. I remember that you also had a summer midnight movies program. What happened to that? Again, just curious. Again, you’ve screened many wonderful movies, have had many wonderful concerts, and it’s a great, old movie palace. Here’s hoping this theatre stays on forever, and that you keep up the great work. Btw, would it be possible to get some more of the older classic films into your theatre? That would be cool. Again, had a great time at the screening of WSS last year.
Hi Mpol,
Thank you for the kind words.
We do still have that policy of no children after 6pm – it is my personal preference, and audiences have responded positively to it. Obviously we would make an exception if we had a kid-oriented film (like last year when we screened “The Wizard of Oz”) but generally we do not book kids movies there unless forced to by the studios.
-Ian Judge/Somerville Theatre General Manager
The Somerville Theatre in Davis is another cool place, and I’m glad that it, too, along with the Coolidge Corner Theatre, was saved from the wrecking ball. I’ve seen some cool movies there, including:
THE DEPARTED
PAN’S LABYRINTH
SHREK III
THE GOOD SHEPHERD
and afew others.
I’ve also seen Arlo Guthrie live in concert, in the big main theatre—he was really cool.
A year ago last March, there was a singalong screening of the film West Side Story. What a wonderful afternoon it was. It was a pleasure to be in line and in the audience with all the other WSS movie-goers, and, it was great sitting on the balcony. The main theatre of the Somerville Theatre, in addition to being one of two theatres left here in this area that has a balconied theatre, is also quite baroque-looking inside, as a real movie-theatre palace generally is. Wonderful for a movie
experience. It’s also the only moviehouse around that one can get in for under 9 or ten dollars, even in the evening. Hope it stays that way. Does anybody know, btw, if they still have the policy of not letting kids under 8 years of age into the theatre for evening shows? Just curious.
Correction- Dec. 24th was a Sat. in 1921. The Somerville Theatre’s ad in the newspaper was unusual in that it was printed on its side, with the top of the ad to the right and the bottom to the left; one had to pivot the page in order to read it. Perhaps this was an attention-getting device.
The play ran the entire week. However, it’s not clear if the twice-daily performance was just on Christmas day, or every day during the week. I’m not sure, but I think that Dec. 24th was a Sunday in 1921.
If you have that ad, I’m curious: did the show run on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day?
For its Christmas week attraction in December 1921, the Somerville Theatre presented the Somerville Players, “New England’s Finest Stock Company”, in the play “The Night Cap”, direct from the Wilbur Theatre in Boston. Performances at 215PM and 8PM. They ran a fairly large ad in the Boston Globe on Dec. 24, 1921.
Ian What A Great Job Your doing at The Somerville Theatre AAA+++
Yes indeed! The Museum of Bad Art has found a home in our basement. This is in a storage area opposite the restrooms. This space has been storage since the building was built; it originally contained 10 stalls for the 10 storefronts that lined the ground floor, but has been one large storage room for years. Some paint and carpet and voila – MOBA! Admission to the museum is free with a movie ticket.
The MOBA opening is tonight at 7 pm.
According to articles in the Boston Herald (May 14 2008) and the Quincy Patriot Ledger, the Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) at the Dedham Community Theatre has opened a second exhibit gallery in the basement of the Somerville Theatre. Even with 2 exhibit spaces, the MOBA has room to showcase only a portion of its dubious collection. The MOBA gallery will add still another attraction to the Somerville Theatre complex.
Rosebud is still here. I think the Uptown Cafe is now Johnny D’s. The basement of the Hobbs building now contains two of the newer small cinemas, as Ian Judge mentioned above.
David & Ron – Thanks for the comments. It will probably be next year before we get to visit back home. Have lived in the Houston Texas area since 1975. I did sip a few at the Rosebud back then. Is the Uptown Cafe on Holland Street still there? One of my English teachers in high school frequented that establishment. I was on a bowling league at Bowl-Haven back then (I think it had a different name at the time, not sure about that). I also bowled at the alleys in the basement of the Hobbs building. I think there were 6 or maybe 8 alleys there. If you were in the theater, on a quiet day, one could hear the bowling ball hit the pins. You guys have a healthy and happy New Year.
And if you’re visiting before the end of April, try to stop by Sacco’s Bowl-Haven on Day Street. It will soon be sold and converted to other uses, though the buyer says she wants to keep some of the bowling lanes.
Ken – yes, if you haven’t seen the square since ‘75, you are in for quite a surprise. You’ll probably need to just sit on one of the benches in the square for a while to absorb the changes. When I was living in an apartment on the 3rd floor of the theatre building in the early 80s, a friend of mine looked out the living room window one day (which overlooked the entire square) and said “this neighborhood is in for some big changes.” Man, was he right-on. The “gentrification” has marched in. I was so sad to see the closing of La Contessa in '07. Fortunately, some of the good old places are still around – like the Rosebud, Johnny D’s and of course, the theatre itself. When you do make it to the area, check out Porter Square also. You won’t recognize it either. Even with all the changes in Davis Sq., fortunately it hasn’t been cannibalized and over-developed (my opinion anyway) as much as Porter Square.
If you have not seen Davis Square or the theatre since 1975, you are in for quite a surprise!
Talk about the freight trains, before the train gates were controled from the building between Holland St. and College Ave. the gates were operated manually. There was a very small enclosure in the Pine Tree Diner area that housed the gentleman that operated the gates.
When a train was due he would walk over the the manual gate cranks (located next to the sidewalk on Holland St.)and manually crank the gates up and down. The time frame that I remember was in the late 40’s. The train engines at the time were steam with a coal tender behind it. The worst part of the old trains, besides the smoke, were the open cattle cars at the end of the train, usually 3 or 4. One could smell them comming and long after the train passed.
Can’t wait to get back to Mass. and see the Theatre. Haven’t seen it since 1975
I wish everyone a very Happy and Healthy New Year.
What great picture. Oh By the way I do remember the freight train going by the theatre it use to be about 100 cars. I liked to sit in the front row the old gal sure did shake. But the show keep running. What a great place.
What great picture. Oh By the way I do remember the freight train going by the theatre it use to be about 100 cars. I liked to sit in the front row the old gal sure did shake. But the show keep running. What a great place.
When I worked there in the ‘80s, we used to call our manager the “Marlboro Light Man”—touseled hair, angled cigarette and checkered Palestinian scarf. Was that Bill?
I passed the theater last weekend as the marquee was changing. Since the renovations, staff have it much easier than when Garen Daley used to send me climbing on top of the icy old awning in February while local kids took my ladder. Of course, the coffee was an even worse danger. We had no fridge, keeping the milk in the freezer and leaving it on the counter to defrost. You had to catch it at the right stage, after it was no longer gelato but before it had turned to yogurt.
The current management ought to sponsor a reunion for all former employees. There are probably enough of us to fill the entire main theater. Maybe you could show “Diva,” which all of us have only seen eleven hundred times anyway.
That place held a lot of hidden treasures, including a gigantic flyspace. Any clues what happened to the old vaudeville banner?
OK, now it says Movies (First Run), but it should also say Movies (Second Run) and Movies (Film Festivals).
And “The Bourne Ultimatum” I might add….
I’ve submitted that as a correction several times, but nobody has fixed it. The theatre will also show “The Simpsons Movie” as a first run.
The Somerville Theatre is converting one of its outside box office windows to a walk-up ice cream window, selling Richardson’s Ice Cream from Middleton, MA.
I was watching a movie last night on TV and it reminded me of when I worked at the Somerville Theatre back in the 50’s. The movie was “Strategic Air Command” with James Stewart. The movie played at the Somerville and was held over for two weeks. The 1st weekend was a sellout I believe. For the 1st weekend showing we had 2 search lights positioned in front of the theatre lighting up the sky. Back in those days it was a fun thing to get in the car and “follow the search lights” to see where they originated.
The U.S.Air Force had a display at the second floor entrance to the balcony with all types of Air Force equipment being displayed and explained by Air Force personnel. The Somerville Theatre was the 1st theatre to get the print after it finished it’s run at the downtown Boston theatres.
This is just one of the many fond memories I have while working at the theatre.
Ken MacLeod