Stopped by the location on Wednesday night. You can still see inside through the front door and they haven’t done anything with it as yet. I wish Alamo would seize the opportunity and grab this location to come to metro Boston…::sigh::
According to my wife, who spent a lot of her time here in her teen and tweens, the last movie to show here was “A View To A Kill”, so that puts the closing date somewhere in the summer of 1985, I believe…
The loss of Harvard Square AMC will leave a huge gap in film going for students when they return in the fall. Instead of having a multiplex showing current films within walking distance, they will now have to take the T or drive to the nearest multiplex theaters, which if I’m not mistaken are Fresh Pond, Somerville Theater, Kendall Square, and AMC Boston Common. It leaves the Brattle Theatre and the Harvard Film Archive as the only theaters within walking distance.
With AMC Assembly Hill on the map but not yet under construction (to my knowledge) and not scheduled to open until the late fall of 2013, that leaves the entire upcoming school year devoid of a major chain multiplex that’s only a few minutes away. And Assembly Hill will be more than a “few minutes” away anyway, and you certainly won’t be able to walk there.
And it leaves the RHPS devotees nowhere to go on Saturday nights…:–)
BOOOO AMC – shame on you for closing Harvard Square! Shame Shame SHAME! It wasn’t the best theater, but we loved it all the same…
Aw…that stinks. Maybe with the West Newton and the Studio Belmont it’s too much of a financial pull on them? Still, it sounds like there’s hope for the Boston Film Festival to be held there again, and that would be cool
Call me an idiot (ok, you’re an idiot), but why must the building be razed for an apartment? Why don’t the apartment people come up with a design that incorporates the current theater on the bottom and build around it? Making an historic theater the centerpiece of such a modern structure would only enhance it’s value, particularly if it’s properly restored and returned to some sort of operation. This has been done time and time again here in Boston, and while it hasn’t always worked (see the big hole in our Downtown Crossing area), sometimes it has. I would think that if the theater is indeed historic, something to preserve it as part of the new structure is very much worth a try.
While I’m over here, I hope someone can help me. I’m trying to pin down EVERY theater I’ve ever visited, and one of those is in Bellevue. My aunt lived here in the mid 70s, and we came to visit her in the spring of 1978. while in town, she and mom took me to see Disney’s “Return From Witch Mountain”. I know the theater we went to wasn’t that far from her house (don’t ask me the address, I can’t remember at all) and it was a twin, with the theater we were seated in being rather large – I remember commenting to my mom that I had only been in one other theater that was even larger, and that was the SouthCenter Cinema in Tukwila a couple years earlier. Could this have been the theater?
Anyone who might be able to help me shed some light on which cinema this might have been, I would be most appreciative and my theater list will be that much closer to being complete!
Ron – you get around as much as I do – I never knew you lived in the Columbus area before you were in Boston. So did I – Small world, eh? :–)
I’m probably on the wrong page again, as I usually am, but I’m working on columns for my website about my years of theater attending, and I need to know about a couple on the east side of Columbus. First up, what multiplex was directly or possibly diagonally across the street from Eastland? I seem to remember it having at least six screens, although I could be wrong – I was in it only once, having travelled up from Lancaster to see “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home”. I caught a bear of a cold because it was the middle of December and they had the air conditioning on; it was freezing in that place.
We also went to a couple of theaters in the Reynoldsburg/Whitehall area with my aunt and her family in the early 80s. I’m not even sure if they were the same theater. I remember seeing the films “Stripes”, “Risky Business” and “Neighbors” in this/these theaters. I don’t even know what the road was – I lived in Newark and later Lancaster, and didn’t travel to Columbus very often. But I seem to remember seeing all three movies in a single screen theater, or maybe a twin. For some reason the name “Town and Country” sticks out to me, but it’s been almost 20 years since I left the area, so I’m not at all sure.
So if anyone out there can help me out, I’d appreciate it!
I have actually tracked down the elusive second Revere Drive-in. After some research, I have discovered that the Suffolk Downs Drive-In Theatre was at 1375 Bennington Rd, and is exactly where I thought it once was – it is now Belle Isle Marsh Reservation. It appears to have been opened for a period between 1950-1970, and possibly has an East Boston address rather than a Revere address, which is news to me, although the Suffolk Downs T station is also listed as East Boston, so it’s possible – they both straddle the town lines, I guess. But hey at least I know my mother-in-law was right now!:–)
Hmmm…You have a point there! I guess it must have been a general release film then. But I’ve no idea which one it was. Definitely not Barry Lyndon, though. But it obviously was good enough to be considered educational enough as far as facts went to hold screenings for school kids in a multitude of districts.
No, I don’t think it was a “general release” but one that was made as an educational history film aimed at teenagers. It was definitely about the Revolutionary War, but it’s not a film I remember has having come out to theatres.
No, I wish it had been – I remember being bored to tears by the movie. I am sure it was the spring of either 1976 or 1977, although I must have seen the poster at another time – I was still in junior high during the field trip to the movie, and it was shown in a special screening to hoards of junior high kids from the area.
They triplexed this cinema in 1983; I remember Purple Rain being one of the first shows in the new larger theatere that was built on the far left end. They halved what became the middle theater to make room for the larger one, and I always hated that middle one from then on, it was like watching a movie in a big hallway, as it no longer had a center aisle after that, just the two side aisles – very weird. Still, I spent a lot of time in 1984 and 1985 in this cinema – I lived just down the road at the Somerford Square apartment complex, and walked down to the theatre several times a week during the summer when I wasn’t working…
They ended up becoming a second run house sometime after Hoyts opened an 8 screen cinema at River Valley Mall in 1986; somehow though I always preferred Lancaster Cinema to Hoyts, though I saw plenty of shows at Hoyts as well…
I remember seeing “Smokey And The Bandit” here in 1977 – it was opening weekend, and I had to sit all the way in front – it took my neck a week to recover, but it was a lot of fun! We also came to the Fox one day on a field trip from school to see a film about the Revolutionary War – darned if I can remember what the film was, but I know that during regular hours, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” was playing in one of the theatres, so that puts it at 1976 or so.
Incidentally, I’m doing some research on a series of articles i’m planning about my theatre experiences over the years – I grew up in the Spokane area in the 60s and 70s, and there are ton of theatres I remember – both indoor and drive-ins – that are not listed here. Anyone know of another good site or sites about Spokane area theatre history? I’d greatly appreciate any and all info I could find out – thanks!
We’d never been here until the Boston Film Festival in September, and I have to say my wife and I fell in love with this place – the seating is perfect, the sound excellent, the quality equally excellent and everyone at the festival were super nice. We’ll definitely be returning in the future for other films!
I remember attending a screening of “The Ghost And Mr. Chicken” at this theater sometime in 1972. We lived in Utica at the time, and we had come to see “Batman” but the schedules had been reversed. They stopped the film halfway through for a 15 minute intermission, which I’d never seen before, but I was about 10 or so…never went back, but it was pretty nice little theater.
Cabot St is now up for sale – here are two articles about the sale and it’s potential impact on the community:
Boston.com http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/beverly/2013/05/beverlys_cabot_street_cinema_u.html
Salem News: http://www.salemnews.com/local/x326082369/Can-Cabot-Street-theater-be-saved
Stopped by the location on Wednesday night. You can still see inside through the front door and they haven’t done anything with it as yet. I wish Alamo would seize the opportunity and grab this location to come to metro Boston…::sigh::
According to my wife, who spent a lot of her time here in her teen and tweens, the last movie to show here was “A View To A Kill”, so that puts the closing date somewhere in the summer of 1985, I believe…
Anyone hear anything about the latest plans for the location yet? Been keeping an eye out but haven’t seen anything yet…
The loss of Harvard Square AMC will leave a huge gap in film going for students when they return in the fall. Instead of having a multiplex showing current films within walking distance, they will now have to take the T or drive to the nearest multiplex theaters, which if I’m not mistaken are Fresh Pond, Somerville Theater, Kendall Square, and AMC Boston Common. It leaves the Brattle Theatre and the Harvard Film Archive as the only theaters within walking distance.
With AMC Assembly Hill on the map but not yet under construction (to my knowledge) and not scheduled to open until the late fall of 2013, that leaves the entire upcoming school year devoid of a major chain multiplex that’s only a few minutes away. And Assembly Hill will be more than a “few minutes” away anyway, and you certainly won’t be able to walk there.
And it leaves the RHPS devotees nowhere to go on Saturday nights…:–)
BOOOO AMC – shame on you for closing Harvard Square! Shame Shame SHAME! It wasn’t the best theater, but we loved it all the same…
Here’s a link to the original Patriot Ledger story http://www.patriotledger.com/entertainment/x842391792/Wollaston-Theatre-sold-to-C-Mart-owner
Aw…that stinks. Maybe with the West Newton and the Studio Belmont it’s too much of a financial pull on them? Still, it sounds like there’s hope for the Boston Film Festival to be held there again, and that would be cool
Call me an idiot (ok, you’re an idiot), but why must the building be razed for an apartment? Why don’t the apartment people come up with a design that incorporates the current theater on the bottom and build around it? Making an historic theater the centerpiece of such a modern structure would only enhance it’s value, particularly if it’s properly restored and returned to some sort of operation. This has been done time and time again here in Boston, and while it hasn’t always worked (see the big hole in our Downtown Crossing area), sometimes it has. I would think that if the theater is indeed historic, something to preserve it as part of the new structure is very much worth a try.
While I’m over here, I hope someone can help me. I’m trying to pin down EVERY theater I’ve ever visited, and one of those is in Bellevue. My aunt lived here in the mid 70s, and we came to visit her in the spring of 1978. while in town, she and mom took me to see Disney’s “Return From Witch Mountain”. I know the theater we went to wasn’t that far from her house (don’t ask me the address, I can’t remember at all) and it was a twin, with the theater we were seated in being rather large – I remember commenting to my mom that I had only been in one other theater that was even larger, and that was the SouthCenter Cinema in Tukwila a couple years earlier. Could this have been the theater?
Anyone who might be able to help me shed some light on which cinema this might have been, I would be most appreciative and my theater list will be that much closer to being complete!
Don’t know if anyone here has been there, but there’s a Tulsa site that pays homage to GCC, complete with jingle and policy trailers:
http://tulsatvmemories.com/gccvill.html
Thought you might want to check it out, seeing as you’re starting a GCC society and all…heh heh heh…
Thanks for all the suggestions – it’s definitely helpful!
Ron – you get around as much as I do – I never knew you lived in the Columbus area before you were in Boston. So did I – Small world, eh? :–)
I’m probably on the wrong page again, as I usually am, but I’m working on columns for my website about my years of theater attending, and I need to know about a couple on the east side of Columbus. First up, what multiplex was directly or possibly diagonally across the street from Eastland? I seem to remember it having at least six screens, although I could be wrong – I was in it only once, having travelled up from Lancaster to see “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home”. I caught a bear of a cold because it was the middle of December and they had the air conditioning on; it was freezing in that place.
We also went to a couple of theaters in the Reynoldsburg/Whitehall area with my aunt and her family in the early 80s. I’m not even sure if they were the same theater. I remember seeing the films “Stripes”, “Risky Business” and “Neighbors” in this/these theaters. I don’t even know what the road was – I lived in Newark and later Lancaster, and didn’t travel to Columbus very often. But I seem to remember seeing all three movies in a single screen theater, or maybe a twin. For some reason the name “Town and Country” sticks out to me, but it’s been almost 20 years since I left the area, so I’m not at all sure.
So if anyone out there can help me out, I’d appreciate it!
I have actually tracked down the elusive second Revere Drive-in. After some research, I have discovered that the Suffolk Downs Drive-In Theatre was at 1375 Bennington Rd, and is exactly where I thought it once was – it is now Belle Isle Marsh Reservation. It appears to have been opened for a period between 1950-1970, and possibly has an East Boston address rather than a Revere address, which is news to me, although the Suffolk Downs T station is also listed as East Boston, so it’s possible – they both straddle the town lines, I guess. But hey at least I know my mother-in-law was right now!:–)
There’s a larger, even better photograph over at View link
Fairly recent, since GREENBURG was playing…
There are some recent photos on this website: View link
Does anyone know if they have a website? If they don’t they’re the only theatre in the Metro Boston area that does NOT have one…
Hmmm…You have a point there! I guess it must have been a general release film then. But I’ve no idea which one it was. Definitely not Barry Lyndon, though. But it obviously was good enough to be considered educational enough as far as facts went to hold screenings for school kids in a multitude of districts.
No, I don’t think it was a “general release” but one that was made as an educational history film aimed at teenagers. It was definitely about the Revolutionary War, but it’s not a film I remember has having come out to theatres.
No, I wish it had been – I remember being bored to tears by the movie. I am sure it was the spring of either 1976 or 1977, although I must have seen the poster at another time – I was still in junior high during the field trip to the movie, and it was shown in a special screening to hoards of junior high kids from the area.
They triplexed this cinema in 1983; I remember Purple Rain being one of the first shows in the new larger theatere that was built on the far left end. They halved what became the middle theater to make room for the larger one, and I always hated that middle one from then on, it was like watching a movie in a big hallway, as it no longer had a center aisle after that, just the two side aisles – very weird. Still, I spent a lot of time in 1984 and 1985 in this cinema – I lived just down the road at the Somerford Square apartment complex, and walked down to the theatre several times a week during the summer when I wasn’t working…
They ended up becoming a second run house sometime after Hoyts opened an 8 screen cinema at River Valley Mall in 1986; somehow though I always preferred Lancaster Cinema to Hoyts, though I saw plenty of shows at Hoyts as well…
Nope, wasn’t a re-release, it was a ::shudder:: KIDDIE MATINEE!!!
I know, I can hear my wife now…“Honey, What’s a kiddie matinee?” Arrrggggghhh…
I remember seeing “Smokey And The Bandit” here in 1977 – it was opening weekend, and I had to sit all the way in front – it took my neck a week to recover, but it was a lot of fun! We also came to the Fox one day on a field trip from school to see a film about the Revolutionary War – darned if I can remember what the film was, but I know that during regular hours, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” was playing in one of the theatres, so that puts it at 1976 or so.
Incidentally, I’m doing some research on a series of articles i’m planning about my theatre experiences over the years – I grew up in the Spokane area in the 60s and 70s, and there are ton of theatres I remember – both indoor and drive-ins – that are not listed here. Anyone know of another good site or sites about Spokane area theatre history? I’d greatly appreciate any and all info I could find out – thanks!
We’d never been here until the Boston Film Festival in September, and I have to say my wife and I fell in love with this place – the seating is perfect, the sound excellent, the quality equally excellent and everyone at the festival were super nice. We’ll definitely be returning in the future for other films!
I remember attending a screening of “The Ghost And Mr. Chicken” at this theater sometime in 1972. We lived in Utica at the time, and we had come to see “Batman” but the schedules had been reversed. They stopped the film halfway through for a 15 minute intermission, which I’d never seen before, but I was about 10 or so…never went back, but it was pretty nice little theater.
I lived in Wenatchee briefly in 1975, and they only had two or three theatres at the time…sounds like things will vastly improve things there…
Mike, thanks for checking it out for me – i ’ll have to keep looking!