One attraction which played the Old Colony after it reopened as a live house was a touring play with the husband and wife team of Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy. I think it was either “The Four Poster” or “The Gin Game”. It played a one week stand at the Old Colony around 1980, or maybe a little later. When the house reopened sometime in the 1970s, there was a feature article about it in the Quincy Patriot-Ledger which included a photo taken in the auditorium.
Yes, I am correct ! I would bet on it! The Capitol was not used for anything after it closed, and remained unoccupied for many years prior to being demolished in the spring of 1962.
The boxoffice record at the Cape Cinema was broken by a 5-day engagement of a new film “The Golden Boys” which played Nov. 17 – 21 and grossed $ 36,290. The movie, originally titled “Chatham”, features David Carradine, Bruce Dern, Rip Torn and Mariel Hemingway. This was reported in the entertainment section of the Boston Herald of Nov. 26, 2007.
Prometheus- I don’t get your point either. Why are you surprised that the building is still there? It has tenants in it. It was built in the 1910-era and once had a department store in part of it. The RKO Boston was constructed in space at the rear of the building in 1925. The MBTA entrance at the front of the building is fairly recent and occupies what was the theatre’s outer lobby. You can go to the Landmarks office in Boston City Hall and read the info they have on the structure.
I have heard a vague rumor that the Paramount/Hipp in Springfield is not in compliance with some new fire safety regulations and may have to close – anyone know anything about this ??
In the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide, there are 2 theatres listed for Berlin NH, the Clement Opera House with 1200 seats and the Whitney Opera House with 800 seats. Unfortunately, there are no street addresses listed in this guide. I believe that Berlin was a busy papermill and forest products town.
This is 3rd-hand hearsay, but I was told that during the fall campaign he stated, or wrote, that he favored the theatre becoming a local performing-arts facility.
I have heard that the Strand will reopen on Nov. 16, 2007 with a benefit concert. Most of the work on the building scheduled for the past 6 months has been completed.
The gala 80th birthday bash for the theatre was apparently held at 7PM Friday Nov. 9th. Tickets were $80 each, and it served as a fundraiser for restoration of the theatre’s marquee.
I have heard that the operation closed because of rising costs. I believe that the cinema pub operators were not also the owners of the building. The Little Theatre had planned to present their Christmas production on stage in December – I don’t know what their status is now.
The theatre now offers beer and wine. I have heard that some time this fall (2007) there will be a gala 80th birthday party for the house, which opened in 1927.
For those unfamiliar with this cinema: in the very nice color photo posted above by Howard Haas, the original poster cases can be seen on the right and left just inside the opening under the marquee. The cinema was just a short distance up the alley, on the left side. In the distance you can see daylight at the east end of Pi Alley.
The Real Estate page of the Boston Herald of Nov. 2, 2007 has an article titled “Theatre’s Restoration Livens Up Downtown – Stoneham Square is Getting Hipper” which credits the reopening of the Stoneham Theatre as the driver for the commercial resurgence in Stoneham Square. The article states that the theatre reopened in 2000 after being vacant for 3 decades and that it now has 350 seats.
The first Academy of Music was the most prestigious theatre for opera in New York prior to the opening of the first Metropolitan Opera House. It’s listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. At that time it was under the direction of E.G. Gilmore and Eugene Tompkins. The latter was also director of the Boston Theatre on Washington Street in Boston. Admission prices ranged from 25 cents to $1.50. Seating capacity: Orchestra- 498; Orchestra Circle- 436; Balcony- 508; Second Balcony- 150; Gallery- 518; Total: 2,110. The theatre had both gas and electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 44 feet wide X 40 feet high, and the stage was 66 feet deep. There were 15 in the house orchestra. In Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper of Feb. 21, 1880, there is an interior drawing made during the Masquerade Ball of the Liederkranz. That drawing, showing the very elaborate interior, plus an exterior photo shot around 1865, are in the book “The Liederkranz of New York, 1848-1948” published in NY in 1948.
According to an article about the Fiddlehead Theatre Company in the Quincy Patriot Ledger of Oct. 25, 2007, the company is no longer an amateur group and now hires actors for lead roles from the Actors Equity union. A capital improvement program is underway and it is hoped to purchase 500 new theatre seats and a new stage curtain as well as perform other renovation projects. Recently, ornamental plaster and gold-leaf lion heads around the proscenium were restored. The article never mentions the name of the theatre.
The fire was featured on the 11PM news on Channel 7 last night; the fire was still raging at the time. Since then, no follow-up; I’m guessing that “no news is good news” and hoping the theatre is OK.
The Stoneham Theatre was endangered by fire on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007. A fire started in the wood-framed building next to the theatre, on the left, and because it was a very windy evening, soon turned into a raging inferno. Firefighters with hoselines were stationed on the roof of the theatre to put out the flaming embers landing up there. There were good shots of the theatre front on local TV news.
Richard- I’m not from Woburn, so I don’t know much about the theatre. However, it almost certainly featured silient films in the 1920s. I doubt if there is a book about the theatre because you will note above that Don Borchelt of the Woburn Redevelopment Authority expressed his inability to find info about the Strand last January. If the local library has a file of old newspapers then you could at least find some period ads.
Most of the films I saw at the Stuart were last runs of mainstream feature films. As for the predators, you could tell who they were because they were constantly changing seats. Sometimes if they saw some youth in there by himself they would all sit around him at once, like bees around honey. Those who objected to this attention could loudly stand up and move elsewhere, or even walk out. Those who did not object could leave later counting their “tip” money. Such was life at the Stuart Theatre after school in the 1950s.
Someone who worked as a projectionist at the Mayflower in the 1960s told me that in order to access the booth it was necessary to go to the rear of the theatre and climb up to an attic space above the auditorium ceiling, cross the attic on a catwalk, then climb down into the booth. He felt that in the event of a serious fire the projectionist’s chance of getting out alive was slim to none !
Where is the Reeves Theatre? This news story is headed “Elkin MA”, but there is no such town in Massachusetts.
One attraction which played the Old Colony after it reopened as a live house was a touring play with the husband and wife team of Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy. I think it was either “The Four Poster” or “The Gin Game”. It played a one week stand at the Old Colony around 1980, or maybe a little later. When the house reopened sometime in the 1970s, there was a feature article about it in the Quincy Patriot-Ledger which included a photo taken in the auditorium.
Yes, I am correct ! I would bet on it! The Capitol was not used for anything after it closed, and remained unoccupied for many years prior to being demolished in the spring of 1962.
The boxoffice record at the Cape Cinema was broken by a 5-day engagement of a new film “The Golden Boys” which played Nov. 17 – 21 and grossed $ 36,290. The movie, originally titled “Chatham”, features David Carradine, Bruce Dern, Rip Torn and Mariel Hemingway. This was reported in the entertainment section of the Boston Herald of Nov. 26, 2007.
Prometheus- I don’t get your point either. Why are you surprised that the building is still there? It has tenants in it. It was built in the 1910-era and once had a department store in part of it. The RKO Boston was constructed in space at the rear of the building in 1925. The MBTA entrance at the front of the building is fairly recent and occupies what was the theatre’s outer lobby. You can go to the Landmarks office in Boston City Hall and read the info they have on the structure.
I have heard a vague rumor that the Paramount/Hipp in Springfield is not in compliance with some new fire safety regulations and may have to close – anyone know anything about this ??
In the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide, there are 2 theatres listed for Berlin NH, the Clement Opera House with 1200 seats and the Whitney Opera House with 800 seats. Unfortunately, there are no street addresses listed in this guide. I believe that Berlin was a busy papermill and forest products town.
This is 3rd-hand hearsay, but I was told that during the fall campaign he stated, or wrote, that he favored the theatre becoming a local performing-arts facility.
A new mayor, Koch, was elected on Nov. 6th. I understand that he is also supportive of the reopening of the Wollaston Th.
I have heard that the Strand will reopen on Nov. 16, 2007 with a benefit concert. Most of the work on the building scheduled for the past 6 months has been completed.
The gala 80th birthday bash for the theatre was apparently held at 7PM Friday Nov. 9th. Tickets were $80 each, and it served as a fundraiser for restoration of the theatre’s marquee.
I have heard that the operation closed because of rising costs. I believe that the cinema pub operators were not also the owners of the building. The Little Theatre had planned to present their Christmas production on stage in December – I don’t know what their status is now.
The theatre now offers beer and wine. I have heard that some time this fall (2007) there will be a gala 80th birthday party for the house, which opened in 1927.
The theatre has closed, apparently around Nov. 1st, or possibly a little earlier. I don’t know what the last movies were.
For those unfamiliar with this cinema: in the very nice color photo posted above by Howard Haas, the original poster cases can be seen on the right and left just inside the opening under the marquee. The cinema was just a short distance up the alley, on the left side. In the distance you can see daylight at the east end of Pi Alley.
The Real Estate page of the Boston Herald of Nov. 2, 2007 has an article titled “Theatre’s Restoration Livens Up Downtown – Stoneham Square is Getting Hipper” which credits the reopening of the Stoneham Theatre as the driver for the commercial resurgence in Stoneham Square. The article states that the theatre reopened in 2000 after being vacant for 3 decades and that it now has 350 seats.
The first Academy of Music was the most prestigious theatre for opera in New York prior to the opening of the first Metropolitan Opera House. It’s listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. At that time it was under the direction of E.G. Gilmore and Eugene Tompkins. The latter was also director of the Boston Theatre on Washington Street in Boston. Admission prices ranged from 25 cents to $1.50. Seating capacity: Orchestra- 498; Orchestra Circle- 436; Balcony- 508; Second Balcony- 150; Gallery- 518; Total: 2,110. The theatre had both gas and electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 44 feet wide X 40 feet high, and the stage was 66 feet deep. There were 15 in the house orchestra. In Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper of Feb. 21, 1880, there is an interior drawing made during the Masquerade Ball of the Liederkranz. That drawing, showing the very elaborate interior, plus an exterior photo shot around 1865, are in the book “The Liederkranz of New York, 1848-1948” published in NY in 1948.
According to an article about the Fiddlehead Theatre Company in the Quincy Patriot Ledger of Oct. 25, 2007, the company is no longer an amateur group and now hires actors for lead roles from the Actors Equity union. A capital improvement program is underway and it is hoped to purchase 500 new theatre seats and a new stage curtain as well as perform other renovation projects. Recently, ornamental plaster and gold-leaf lion heads around the proscenium were restored. The article never mentions the name of the theatre.
Yes, that is definitely the Watertown Square Th., minus its fancy marquee.
Alto – sounds like fun; you have a great imagination !
The fire was featured on the 11PM news on Channel 7 last night; the fire was still raging at the time. Since then, no follow-up; I’m guessing that “no news is good news” and hoping the theatre is OK.
The Stoneham Theatre was endangered by fire on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007. A fire started in the wood-framed building next to the theatre, on the left, and because it was a very windy evening, soon turned into a raging inferno. Firefighters with hoselines were stationed on the roof of the theatre to put out the flaming embers landing up there. There were good shots of the theatre front on local TV news.
Richard- I’m not from Woburn, so I don’t know much about the theatre. However, it almost certainly featured silient films in the 1920s. I doubt if there is a book about the theatre because you will note above that Don Borchelt of the Woburn Redevelopment Authority expressed his inability to find info about the Strand last January. If the local library has a file of old newspapers then you could at least find some period ads.
Most of the films I saw at the Stuart were last runs of mainstream feature films. As for the predators, you could tell who they were because they were constantly changing seats. Sometimes if they saw some youth in there by himself they would all sit around him at once, like bees around honey. Those who objected to this attention could loudly stand up and move elsewhere, or even walk out. Those who did not object could leave later counting their “tip” money. Such was life at the Stuart Theatre after school in the 1950s.
Someone who worked as a projectionist at the Mayflower in the 1960s told me that in order to access the booth it was necessary to go to the rear of the theatre and climb up to an attic space above the auditorium ceiling, cross the attic on a catwalk, then climb down into the booth. He felt that in the event of a serious fire the projectionist’s chance of getting out alive was slim to none !