Orson Welles Cinema

The Harder They Come(Jimmy Cliff reggae movie) ran at this theatre for over 10 years.

The fire Gerald mentions occurred during the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, 1986; two of the final three features were 'Dreamchild' and the Michael Caine-starrer, 'Water'.

I also believe that Jean-Luc Godard's controversial HAIL MARY, protested by some conservative Catholic groups as it had been in New York and elsewhere, played here not long before the theatre's demise.

This was located at 1001 Mass. Ave. The building also included a restaurant, a bicycle shop and a video arcade -- all gone now. Currently it has a CVS drugstore and various other retail shops.

Yes, Ron, I remember eating in that restaurant where initially you were asked to share tables with strangers in a spirit of social camaraderie. Late in the evening remaining food was served free to the needy. I remember attending the pilot session of an auteurist film class given by a gentleman named Benson. We watched Douglas Sirk's "The Tarnished Angels" and were invited to sign up for his course at the Orson Welles Film School which also existed there at the time. I also remember attending a film and discussion session with Hollywood director Nicholas Ray, of "Rebel Without a Cause" fame. This took place in the downstairs screening room, the smallest of the three. And I remember some very rowdy near-violent anti-Vietnam-war demonstrations taking place outside on Massachusetts Avenue (near Harvard) in 1970 as I came out of a showing of Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West." I also remember the place when it was called the Esquire and had a single screen. "Point of Order", a documentary compilation of the Joe McCarthy hearings, was the first film I ever saw there.

This is bringing back memories - and raising some questions that are going to bug me. The building -a two story, stair-fronted, 8 shop mini mall, with an small outside terrace downstairs- briefly had a "name" besides its address. Does anyone recall what it was?

In the late 70s, other tenants included Games People Play (a game shop) America's Game/1001 Plays (the arcade), Dolphin Seafood, The Laughing Wheel (IIRC, the name of the bicycle shop) and a small specialty grocery store. I think Aujourd'hui (a French cafe) opened before 1980. One of the early Chi Chi's ("Mexican") chain arrived in 1981. But I can't recall the name or cuisine of the original restaurant described in the comment by Gerald.

These background details would be immediately useful to me. I'm writing a novel novel series whose protagonist frequented this area in the 70s/80s, and found this site while fact-checking the date of the fire (BTW - Thanks for that!)

The Orson Welles was truly a treasure, and I'll post some of my recollections later (the details above will undoubtedly jog more). Right now, I have to get back to my writing. It's so easy to squander a day off on digressions!

I have to amend my remarks. I was a bit confused (though perhaps with reason, based on the conflicting addresses on Cambridge nostalgia sites I've looked at). The mini-mall I was thinking of may have been 1007 Mass Ave, not 1001. I still have a vague sense that the Orson Welles was there for a while, perhaps as a brief temporary expansion, or during an earlier fire or renovation. I seem to recall that it wasn't always in the same location or form.

In penance, let me link a site with photos [1] [2] of the Orson Welles in the early 80s, before its demise.

Probably the building had all of the addresses 1001-1007. The theatre's address was 1001 and some of the other businesses might have had addresses 1003, 1005, or 1007.

The restaurant was called simply "The Restaurant At the Orson Welles" in its early days. It may have changed its name to something else before Chi-Chi's replaced it.

I was a Box Office Manager there in the early 70's and we World-Premiered Neil Young's "Journey Through The Past" ... Neil and Carrie Snodgrass and Zeke, as well as David Crosby and Graham Nash, were around a lot at that time since the sound system had to be revamped to present the film in Cinema One, and needed their approval. Neil gave a terrific, impromptu acoustic set to the staff over in the restaurant one night, and already at that early stage was apologizing for not being able to hit all the high notes any more. The film bombed, but it was a blast having all those interesting people around, and Carrie played a mean game of Pong.

There was a lot of labor union activity around the popcorn sellers, and I believe the owners eventually opened a restaurant in Harvard Square called "Molly's", or something like that.

Hello to Ralph, Molly, Marty, Mary and the whole crew.

More random memories from my time at the Orson Welles Cinemas:

I remember that we had Jean Pierre Leaud and the director Jean Eustache visit us briefly when we opened "The Mother and the Whore", I think it was 1973.

At some point between 1972 and 1973, we expanded to three cinemas, and parked "The Harder They Come" in Cinema 3 for the duration.

The restaurant served killer Baklava I remember, and hi to Jerry behind the bar ...

Toward the end of this period, we were selling firewood out of the parking lot just to try to make ends meet ...

For one summer or so we tried an additional little cinema called Toad Hollow, I think it was in Lenox ...

Thanks for all those great memories, Fogwrestler. Just out of curiosity, who was it who owned the Orson Welles and, if you don't have any knowledge of this, no big deal, but why was it that the Orson Welles didn't reopen after its fire in May of '86?

In response to br91975's questions, I can no longer remember the owners' last name, but their first names were Ralph and Molly, a married couple. Your best bet for further info on this might be to try to contact Larry Jackson, who was the Director/Film Programmer for the Orson Welles at that time. He is now President of the Amherst Center for Stage and Screen, and you might try to reach him at info@amherststagescreen.org

As I mentioned in my post above, I believe the owners opened a restaurant in Harvard Square, which I think was called Molly's, or Molly's at 33 Dunster Street, or maybe just 33 Dunster Street, I'm not certain of the history of names prior to the current brew pub at that address. Whether they continued to be involved with the Orson Welles Cinemas or not I am not sure, but Larry may well know the story if you are able to reach him in Amherst.

I moved to the west coast in 1980, so I have little information regarding the fire and its' aftermath, and I don't know if Ralph and Molly were still involved with the theatres at that time.

Hope this helps.

Actually, I've finally jogged loose those old memory cells, and remember that the owners' last name was Hoagland, Ralph and Molly Hoagland. I've even found a picture of them taken by Elsa Dorfman, circa 1973, which can be seen here: http://elsa.photo.net/housebook/flagg-street-II.html#hoagland

The film and discussion session with legendary director Nicholas Ray took place on the evening of January 2, 1975. Mr. Ray fielded questions after the showing of the documentary on his life and career by David Helpern, "I'm a Stranger Here Myself." Ray died four years later of lung cancer in 1979.

I believe this is the same Ralph Hoagland who founded the CVS drugstore chain. Anyone know for sure?

Yes Ron, you can see both Ralph and Molly referenced in this local Boston article about their son's business success: http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2000/07/03/smallb1.html?page=1

Following up on the interest in Ralph Hoagland since his days with the Orson Welles Cinema, here is a more current link/picture:
http://hbshealth.org/docuploads/hbspa12a.htm

I remember Orson Welles. It was one of my favorite hang-outs. I lived on the streets for years in Cambridge. Played music in front of the theatre, ate leftovers in the restruant when I could, and on cold days go watch The harder they come or El Topo for hours or The Marx brothers. SOmetimes I even slept in the back of the place.

Interesting site, folks! I live in L.A. now,but still have friends and family so I visit often enough.
In the late 70's and early 80's the Orson Welles was run by a company called ROXY (Roxy Enterprises, perhaps). The theater Manager then was MARK DIAMOND (he now runs the PALM SPRINGS FILM FESTIVAL among other things).
Boston journalist (now also living in L.A.) NAT SEGALOFF produced an audio documentary on the Cinema. One of the tidbits I recall is how the theater was named. In the bohemian spirit of the times (60's), the group of founders just tossed off name ideas. Naming it after the great Orson Welles was chosen. Less than 24 hours before the theater was to open, some responsible "adult" thought it might be a good idea to contact the very alive Mr.Welles to get his permission! Whereupon a mad scramble commenced to locate the Director. Finally, he was located somewhere in Europe. He was honored and the rest is history.

Perhaps the most enduring legacy of the Orson Welles (besides the memories) was its Science Fiction Film Marathon. Begun in 1976, the Marathon (nicknamed 'IT CAME FROM THE ORSON WELLES') still continues to this day, some 30 years later and about 19 years after its demise! The Marathon was a full 24 hours in length and was wall-to-wall Science Fiction Cinema. Everything from FLASH GORDON to WAR OF THE WORLDS to ZARDOZ was shown at the event at the Welles.
For info on the event go to: http://bostonsci-fi.com/
On the event's MESSAGEBOARD you will find a history of the event (http://sf.theboard.net/board/YaBB.cgi?board=news;action=display;num=1102966381;start=)

As a student at a nearby college in the early 1980s, I made quite a few visits to the Welles. The complex often featured top independent and foreign films, but in its final years it turned increasingly to mainstream releases. I suspect this may have been the result of losing films to the Nickelodeon and Copley Place, which were competing with the Welles for the same type of product (in its early years, the Copley Place emphasized foreign and indie fare on many of its screens). I remember seeing "Blame It On Rio" at the Welles; not exactly the type of film you would expect to be shown there. Competition from the Nickelodeon and Copley Place would also help explain why the Welles didn't reopen following the fire.

Also, I believe that Welles himself visited the theater in the 1970s for the premiere of his film "F For Fake."

For some time, a group was trying to open a new Orson Welles Cinema at One Kendall Square. It never happened, but eventually Landmark opened their Kendall Square Cinema in the same complex. It occupies roughly the same niche that the Welles once did.

An odd memory from the Welles that you have to be a Bostonian to appreciate. They had a sign on the concession counter "I'll have a lodge budded pupcorn."
The same sign was also seen at the Somerville Theatre along with a telling quote for theatre lovers. "There are no more theatres, just concrete boxes at the end of the mall."
Not quite as true these days with the modern multiplexes.

The Orson Welles was destroyed by fire on Saturday, May 24, 1986. The fire started when cooking oil in a popcorn machine ignited around 2 pm.

According to a Boston Globe article published the next day, about 50 movie patrons were evacuated from the theatre unharmed, along with about 35 people in the adjoining Chi-Chi's restaurant and 10 in the basement Videosmith video-rental store.

The previous November, 200 people had demonstrated in front of the theatre to protest its showing of Jean-Luc Godard's Hail Mary. The film was booked into the Welles after Sack Theatres suddenly cancelled its plans to premiere it at the Paris Cinema in Boston.

In a September 1970 Boston Globe theatre listing, the Orson Welles is a single-screen cinema. Does anyone know (a) when it was renamed from Esquire to Orson Welles, and (b) when cinemas 2 and 3 were added?

In response to Ron's post, just copying in my comment from my previous post, re adding Cinema 3:

"At some point between 1972 and 1973, we expanded to three cinemas, and parked "The Harder They Come" in Cinema 3 for the duration."

Cinema 2 was already there when I got there.

Take me back! All these facts - some people actually remember. Yes, the Esquire... saw Warhol's "My Hustler" there as a mere teen. Yes, the Restaurant, serving in groups of four only. Does anyone have any takes on Odette Berry, the restaurant's chef? I studied with her for a year - she was a Cordon Bleu chef and wrote an African cookbook for Time/Life - then did the Turtle Cafe in Inman Sq. and the something like For All Seasons on Beacon Hill. Recalling an empty space at 1001 Mass Ave (or thereabouts) with a full Red Grooms installation "Red Grooms' Department Store." And as to the sound system at the Welles - it was done by Marshall Goldberg, who at the time was the sound engineer at the Ark/Tea Party on Landsdowne St., and thus brought that whole deal with Neil Young home for me, as he bought speakers from Goldberg also, as did MIT for their auditorium, even with Bose teaching there. Does anyone recall the sister theater to the Esquire - the Fine Arts over by Berkley School of Music? When Warhol's "Chelsea Girls" opened there in 1968 or '69, the Bosotn Police confiscated and burned the print!
There was a record shop attached to the Welles around 1970 too. A food coop functioned through the auspices of that locale that traveled from home to home to disperse the goods. Unbelievable in this day and age.
I always found someone willing to buy an Old Mole from me there when a new edition came from the press. Oh yeah, the smell of tear gas in Harvard Square....

We've got a listing for the Fine Arts. Check it out.

At various times, I think the Paris, Kenmore Square, and Park Square were also part of the Esquire 'chain'. What's now the Boston University (Huntington) Theatre was also called the Esquire when it was a movie theatre, so I wonder if it too was affiliated.

Another unique item from a history of the Orson Welles Cinema that appeared in (I believe) the Boston Phoenix paper. It mentioned that what was Cinema 3 was once an adult sandbox.

It was a very special time in history we all shared then. Sadly, it seems likely that no later generation will ever love or experience cinema in quite that way again.

They were the happiest days of my life I'd say now (undoubtedly to the chagrin of both women who were married to me). I was the Managing Director of the Welles from 1971-1978, and it was the theater version of what Orson said about filmmaking while directing KANE with no strings attached: "The greatest electric train set a boy ever had!"

Anybody remember that in the 24-hour Sci-Fi Marathon (which I began in the early Seventies on President's Day Weekend to fill the theater on a weekend the audience often took out of town for vacation) that in 1977 we had the first public showing anywhere of a reel of preview footage from STAR WARS?! The marathon was getting a little creaky with little new material to offer and many favorites repeating ad infinitum, so I asked around for ideas from friends in the biz. Gary Meyer in Berkeley said "You know I hear George has a clip reel from this new picture of his Fox is supposed to release called STAR WARS, but they seem to be just sitting on it. Maybe you could get that." So I called the branch manager of Fox in Boston, Marty Berman, and asked him. He said he knew they had this picture in the line-up that they referred to as some silly sort of sci-fi/western, but it wasn't scheduled yet and they weren't saying too much about it, but he'd ask "the guys on the Coast." He called back the next day to say Fox HQ said "OK" after he suggested that this theater famous for its wacky college audience might shed some light into how people reacted to the film they didn't want to expose yet. A week or so later we got the reel, about 10 minutes long, I think, all clips, and three of us looked at it one morning in Cinema 1 with our mouths agape. Needless to say it went into the marathon program and was bicycled between both Cinema 1 and 2. The audience went nuts, especially in the clip (completely out of context) when R2D2 does a face plant like Arte Johnson on Laugh-In. On Tues. I called Marty Berman. He asked how it played to "the kids." "Pretty good, pretty good, Marty," I said. "By the way, what are you doing for first run Boston area on it?" He told me they had no plans yet because sci-fi had been out of favor since SPACE ODYSSEY and westerns hadn't been popular since THE WILD BUNCH. The studio had no hopes for it and was even thinking about not releasing it to save embarrassment. I told him I wanted it for the Welles, even though we didn't play first run studio films. We'd even put up an advance guarantee. He agreed to see it he could get the bosses to go along and maybe let the college kids set the compass for the release. Again, next day he called back and said he was sorry but "The Coast" decided they could not vary from a normal first-run theater pattern, because this guy Lucas was a big shot since AMERICAN GRAFFITI and they might get sued for messing his film up if they got creative in marketing. They would just put it in a couple of the usual first run houses and let it die of its own merits in May. I knew he was powerless, so I thanked him, went to the Coolidge Bank in Harvard Square, withdrew my entire $1500 savings and bought Fox stock at about 4 bucks a share. After the picture opened in May I sold it at $47 a share.

One last anecdote: Anyone remember the very first House Manager of the Welles? Tommy Lee Jones in spring of his senior year at Harvard.

I'd love to be in touch with some of the old gang from those days. I'm releasing films now from a base in Northampton, MA, after 22 strange years in Hollywierd. (Current pic is "DON'T MOVE.) You can reach me at info@northernartsentertainment.com

Cheers,

Larry Jackson

i was the supervisor on duty on the day of the fire.
it did not start with oil in the popcorn machine.
this was a first impression that was never corrected in the media.
it was an electrical fire that was first noticed in the area above the popcorn machine.
i went for a fire extinguisher but the fire was spreading too fast across the ceiling so i dropped the extinguisher, called the fire departmentment and projectionista, and evacuated the theatre.
because of a clause in the lease, the owners of the building were unable to sue the hoaglands, who were leasees, but they were allowed to sue employees of the hoaglands.
for five years, i fought in court to vindicate myself from accusations of negligence and was finally successful.
the orson welles fire was only one of several fires on that stretch of mass ave that began mysteriously and were never seriously investigated.
that area was immediately redeveloped.

I never knew that you or other employees were sued. I would have written about it for some newspaper had I known about it. Who were the building owners?

I recall another fire across the street from the Welles that destroyed Jack's nightclub and Uncle Bunny's ice cream parlor.

the jack's fire was very similar to that of the welles.
it was also an old building that stood in the way of re-development.
i dont know who owned the building in which the theatre was housed.
the hoaglands and, for that matter, the union, never contacted me through the five-year span of the trial, and i wasnt told until afterward why i was selected as defendant. there was another employee named, but i will withold her name, as the whole affair affected her more deeply than it did me. secure in my lack of culpability, i successfully defended myself of all charges.

The Jacks-Uncle Bunny's building was replaced with new high-rise development, but the Orson Welles just became a row of small retail stores; it wasn't really redeveloped.

This is true. The area wasn't razed for high-rise development. It became an elevated strip mall for those occupying the high rises.

I still miss the Orson Welles Theater. I lived around the corner from it and saw so many unusual, fun movies--some of the memorable ones: The Brother from Another Planet, Liquid Sky, Fanny and Alexander, Repo Man.... It was a terrible loss when the building burned. I moved to New York years ago and I know Cambridge has changed a lot, but it still holds fond memories for me.

RE:"Anybody remember that in the 24-hour Sci-Fi Marathon (which I began in the early Seventies on President's Day Weekend to fill the theater on a weekend the audience often took out of town for vacation) that in 1977 we had the first public showing anywhere of a reel of preview footage from STAR WARS?! The marathon was getting a little creaky with little new material to offer and many favorites repeating ad infinitum, so I asked around for ideas from friends in the biz. Gary Meyer in Berkeley said "You know I hear George has a clip reel from this new picture of his Fox is supposed to release called STAR WARS, but they seem to be just sitting on it..." Cheers, Larry Jackson on Apr 1, 2005 at 10:07am"

As the sort of unofficial Historian of the Marathon (which is STILL going 30 years on! www.bostonsci-fi.com), I applaud Mr.Jackson for helping get the event going. I would be remiss if I didn't also note the critical input and involvement of Justin Freed, Mark Diamond, J.D.Pollack, Bruce Bartoo and so many others in getting the event to the place where it has survived for 3 decades.
One other note. The Marathon began in 1976, so I think Mr.Jackson mis-remembers history when he writes that the Marathon was getting "creaky" after just 1 year! At that time no films had been repeated, yet alone "ad infinitum". Somehow, we've continued to find and book films to keep the event alive and interesting for 28 more years!
Thanks again to Mr.Jackson and all those who have made this a signature Boston movie event!

This Boston Phoenix article shows a photo of the Orson Welles, whose marquee advertises "Gone With the Wind", "The Producers", "Hi Mom", and "Une Partie De Plaisir".

Dear La Connection:

I'm glad that a "Historian of the Marathon" cares so diligently about the history of the event, but I must correct your correction. I hold in my hand the flyer for the 1976 24-Hour SciFi Marathon, which clearly heralds it as the "Second Annual." I started the event in 1975, not 1976.

Thanks to Justin, J.D. et al for picking up the torch after I moved to Los Angeles in 1979. That new sci-fi films came back into production following the 1977 Lucas benchmark is something that has been a boon to us all.

Larry Jackson

Again, I am here to applaud Larry Jackson, but, I must sincerely correct him. I have the programs for ALL 30 years of the Marathon.

Year ONE was 1976. And, year TWO (the year the STAR WARS reel was shown was in 1977 (February 20th & 21st, to be exact. And we all know that STAR WARS was released in May, 1977. Pull out your Perpetual Years calendar to confirm). Indeed, right in the Year TWO program, there's the following note: "Plus more treats including scenes from soon to be released STAR WARS and Ralph Bakshi's WAR WIZARDS" (later simply WIZARDS). Further, as 2005 was the 30th year of the event, with NEVER a missed year - Well, you can do the math. The Marathon began on February 15th and 16th, 1976 (again, consult your perpetual years calendar to confirm that this was the Sunday and Monday of President's Day weekend).

My point is not to nitpick, but to just correct the historical record and to point out that since 1977 was only the 2nd year of the event, it was far from becoming stale and full of repeated movies.

Did this marathon perhaps begin with a Year Zero?

RE: "Did this marathon perhaps begin with a Year Zero?"
posted by Ron Newman on Jun 28, 2005 at 11:17am


No, there wasn't a Year Zero (but there WAS a 'Panic in Year Zero' (THAT movie has been part of a marathon :) ). Seriously, though, a many point to the Orson Welles Cinema's showing of classic films, including double-bills of Classic SF films as the kernal which eventually popped into the full blown Marathon in 1976. So, you were on to something.

The documentary MIDNIGHT MOVIES that is playing on the ENCORE/STARZ network has several bits on the ORSON WELLES CINEMA and their showing of THE HARDER THEY COME, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and other midnight shows.
Also, ran across this archived HARVARD CRIMSON article on the Welles' opening in 1969: http://www.thecrimson.com/printerfriendly.aspx?ref=210310

The documentary MIDNIGHT MOVIES that is playing on the ENCORE/STARZ network has several bits on the ORSON WELLES CINEMA and their showing of THE HARDER THEY COME, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and other midnight shows.
Also, ran across this archived HARVARD CRIMSON article on the Welles' opening in 1969: http://www.thecrimson.com/printerfriendly.aspx?ref=210310

Very interesting article from the Crimson. It's probably worth noting that the author of that article, Frank Rich, is one of the op-ed contributors to The New York Times (and before that, he was the film critic for Time magazine, and then the theater critic for the Times; nicknamed "The Butcher of Broadway"). His son, Simon, is co-editor in chief of the Harvard Lampoon, which just published a very amusing parody of Premiere magazine.

Here's another brief Harvard Crimson piece about the announced opening of the Esquire Theatre in 1964.

I have been trying to find the name of a film that I saw at the Orson Welles Cinema, sometime around 1978-9. It was not a great film, but I really liked it. It was charming and I saw it three times in two days. As you can tell it has gotten under my skin.

The film was set in Toronto. There were two friends, a schizophrenic young woman and a man who worked as a female impersonator/transvestite, in a club, singing. I thought the film was out of the Film Board of Canada, but haven't been able to find it on their website. Does anyone here remember anything about this? I will attempt to contact some of the people mentioned earlier in these comments, but if you know who may have been involved in programming the films around then it would be a help.

Thanks!

Starny, that sounds like the 1977 Outrageous. Info on it can be found by clicking here.

Thanks Gerald! That's it!

I didn't write back immediately because I was on my way to Cambridge, Ma. I passed the old site of the Orson Welles Cinema and was able to connect my memories even better because of the information on this list.

Thanks again!

Does anyone remember the short animated film that played with "Outrageous" at the Wells? It was kind of a collage, may have been made by a couple...can't remember much else except I thought it was fantastic!

This is a great site..brings back memories...I was on the usher staff in 72/73, did program notes and had a wonderful time. Since leaving, I lived in nyc, portland, ore. and now in seattle -- nowhere have I been to as complete a theatre complex (school, restaurant, theatre) as the OWC. Here are some thoughts:
Regarding "Outrageous," Craig Russell was a gifted impersonator and performed live in P-town when the film was in first initial release. I was on the staff when we made the decision to unionize. I remember that Ralph and Molly went bonkers. I'm ashamed to say, after listening to their rants, I voted agains the union (I had my reasons). Luckily, the others voted for it. I occasionally did the program notes -- it was fun to look up old reviews at the BPL and put the thing together. The concession stand was great -- had baklava and some fresh baked apple oat squares.
Ok -- Nicholas Ray appeared for an "appreciation." He wore an eyepatch, was with a real young woman and seemed drugged -- totally out of it. There was another special screening -- Harold Russell (Best Years of Our Lives) was there -- nice to talk to. The staff went crazy over Pong. Larry J. was a great guy and the best programmer!! I remember Paul B????, actor from the Jeffersons, used to come and David Helpern would be there all the time eating licorice and hanging out in the lobby. In retrospect, things really seemed to be happening at that theatre then. It was a happy time!!!

I lived in Cambridge back in the late 60's early 70's and was very much a part of the Orson Welles scene in the beginning. The initial owners were Dean and Frances Gitter. My best friend, Jennifer, lived with them and was also on the crew that built the restaurant. I spent many nights at Dean's house. I just did a search for Dean's name and hes now some impresario kind of developer in upstate NY. I found this site because I was just thinking about the time Neil Young played and it was great to read that someone else was there that night, too. It was my son's first official concert...he was about 14 mos at the time. He crawled right up in Neil's lap that night. and Neil let him play with his guitar. I remember Odette and there were problems that came up soon after her hire. I cant remember the whole story, but something came up missing in the kitchen and she wanted everyone who worked there to have a lie detector test. This was also at the time of the labor union thing and I know a lot of the kitchen staff didnt like her. In the beginning it was an amazing place and there was much camaraderie amongst the staff, but the hiring of Odette was when that whole love and sharing thing ended. The shine was defihitely off the bloom as in the begining it was amazing to be amongst such great visionary energy. There was an maitre'd i can picture today. His name was David Deam (i think) and I wonder whatever happened to him. They had some outrageous after hours parties there, too. Does anyone remember Peter White Bus? Curly red haired guy who lived in a white bus with his two black and white dogs? I think ke taught there. He was a photographer. Its so cool to remember all this stuff. That whole period was a very exciting time.

IN 1977, ORSON WELLES APPEARED AT THE ORSON WELLES THEATER

In regards to Odette Bery (one r in her surname, not two), my mother worked under her as a line cook for her Beacon Hill restaurant, Another Season. I know Another Season is out of buisiness, I'm not sure why, and can't recall when it died (my mother stopped working for her in the mid 80's, and left the food biz shortly after that.) I do know Lala Rokh is now where it used to be-and you can still see vestiges of the former place. After Another Season, I believe that she went to teach at BU for a while, in the early 90's, as well as making pasties and nibbles for wine tastings at Brookline Liquor Mart. Then sometime around 1995, she was managing another establishment called Pudding it First-a pudding parlor. Opened by Don Perrin it was like an ice cream store, only they served a large variety of puddings. This store was in the Coolidge Corner Theater building and didn't last long. Now, last I heard, she's the chef/manager at Collins Cafe in the Davis Museum at Wellesley College. For a while, she was teaching cooking at Another Season, but that stopped, not sure why (she might not have had the proper licensing to conduct cooking classes.) I did study a little under Odette as a child, and always liked her. Also, she did author a book, "The Another Season Cookbook", which is esstentially a collection of recipes of dishes served at her establishment. It's actually quite good, with tips and lessons as well as some menu suggestions. Haven't seen her in well over a decade, but I remember her as being really nice, as well as an amazing chef.

To update this prior post by br91975:

"The fire Gerald mentions occurred during the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, 1986; two of the final three features were 'Dreamchild' and the Michael Caine-starrer, 'Water'.
posted by br91975 on May 8, 2004 at 10:28pm"

Today on the Bostonsci-fi.com Marathon Messageboard, former Orson Welles Cinema employee Bruce Bartoo posted that the 3rd film playing at the Welles at the time of its demise was ALWAYS.

You can read his full post here:

http://sf.theboard.net/board/YaBB.cgi?board=Announcements;action=display;num=1148612735;start=18#18

I started attending the Sci-Fi Marathon's with my father when I was about 10. If I remember correctly, there were 3 concurrent marathons in the 3 theaters: 12hr, 24hr, and 36hr versions.

We started at the 12hr version but soon started attending the 24hr one.

A few memories:
- Every year a group of MIT students dressed as the 'Martian Liberation Organization' (MLO) would briefly take the theater hostage.

- FREAKING out during the opening scene of 'The Thing' (dog running across the snow) when I realized it was a version of "Who Goes There?", a classic sci-fi story I'd just read, that gave me nightmares for days.

- Drinking WAY too much 'Jolt' cola

But even more than the Sci-Fi Marathon I _loved_ the "Schlock Around the Clock" marathon. Especially during the usual Russ Meyer movie when my dad would say "Close your eyes. Go to sleep!"

La Connection--Thank you for the Sci-Fi Marathon site! I was able to look up the name of a film I've been trying to remember for years "Quiet Earth"

Anyone have a list of the Schlock marathon movies?

When did "The Harder They Come" end its ten-year run?

I worked at the Orson Welles Restaurant during the
mid-70s, while I was in grad school, as busboy,
waiter, and eventually as weekend manager. It was
a crazy but a nice place to work, filled with interesting
and often eccentric people. We watched movies next door
when we weren't working. The Cinema provided patrons with
excellent credits for and critical comments on each movie,
mimeographed on colored paper, and I still have a couple
of hundred of these tucked away somewhere. The Cinema
also sold the coolest tee shirts in the world, designed
by somebody with a great graphic sense (portraits of
movie stars, for the most part, but I can also remember
Bugs Bunny and Alfred Hitchcock). I also still have a
silk-screened poster for the "Orson Welles Film Festival"
signed by Orson himself when he came for dinner at
the restaurant. He was not very mobile at that point
but extremely kind and generous. He told me that
I looked like Albrecht Durer, which I took for a compliment
until I located a portrait of A.D. Eventually the owner
of the restaurant ran out of money and odd new owners
materialized. Among other things, they informed the staff
(free spirits all) that from now on everybody would be
wearing uniforms. A strike ensued, and then a fire,
and that was it for the restaurant.

If DCC has anything on the early years of the SCIENCE FICTION FILM MARATHON (sf.theboard.net) I would love to hear about it!

The Harder They Come's director says a seven-year run in this article from Index Magazine:
http://www.indexmagazine.com/interviews/perry_henzell.shtml

Of course, that wouldn't discount the Orson Welles from having soon brought the film back for another extended run, probably as a midnight show.

Ah, the Orson Welles... From back in my student days, I've saved a few of the old program notes on colored paper.

Oh,I loved the Orson Welles. It was always an experience to go there. I learned to love baklava there, saw some of the best movies, and always met someone interesting along the way. So many memories I had forgotten.

The theatre opened on February 14, 1964, according to my private notes. It was called the Esquire then. The first film was Emile de Antonio's documentary Point of Order! about the 1954 Senate Army-McCarthy hearings and consisted entirely of edited TV footage. I went there with two friends the following day after our dinner at Würsthaus off Harvard Square.

For the opening of the theatre as the Orson Welles Cinema on April 8, 1969, Frank Rich, then a student at Harvard, wrote THIS ARTICLE for the Harvard Crimson.

I'm the dude that hopped up in Neil Young's lap when I was 14 mos old (see post from Feb 3, 2006), what a trip! I'm just clearing out Mom's email account after her valient passing a few months ago. Mom and I had a bunch of memorable experiences from Boston to SF and all the way to Hawaii. She was quite a talent...www.pamelabrooke.com. Health and happiness to all...G

anyone familiar with Dwight "Bud" Orton? Bud passed away last Sunday and I was told that he was involved with this theatre? anyone have info on that?

Is there a directory for films shown at the Orson Welles Cinema, besides the newspaper listings? I saw many from 1978-1981, and enjoyed the information printed out on long, colored paper handouts, in the lobby before the showings. The Thief of Paris, Aguirre Wrath of God, Get Out Your Handkerchiefs, Murmer of the Heart, Lacombe Lucien, Kaspar Hauser, Tess, Nicholas and Alexandra, The Green Wall, The Third Man, Of Human Bondage, The Clockmaker. Terrific! I cannot recall the name of the movie concerning the young, beautiful actress who falls in love and loses everything, including her life, in the Bolshevist revolution in Georgia?

I doubt it at this late date - but, I would Love to see such a Directory myself!

I can give you a listing of the films shown at the Orson Welles for its annual SF FILM MARATHON (which continues to this day. Now, at the Somerville theater. Info: http://sf.theboard.net/)

Click on this link: http://sf.theboard.net/film_archive/index.php?SF1

That will give you the films shown at the very first Marathon (in February 1976). Then, by clicking on the numbers at the top of the page 2 thru 11, You will get the films shown at the other 10 Marathons held at the Welles. Not exactly what you asked for, but I hope it's of some interest (and there are a LOT of films listed!).

Here are a few of the films that were shown at the Orson Welles.
I'll add more when I have time!
best to all,
DCC

Adam's Rib
Aquirre, the Wrath of God
All My Sons
All the King's Men
An American in Paris
And then There Were None
The Andromeda Strain
Anna Karenina
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz
The Awful Truth
The Bachelor and the Bobbysoxer
The Bad and the Beautiful
Bananas
The Bandwagon
Battling Butler
Beat the Devil
Bedazzled
The Bed-Sitting Room
Before the Revolution
The Big Heat
Black Orpheus
The Blacksmith
The Blue Dahlia
The Boy Friend
Brewster McCloud
The Bride Wore Black
Bringing Up Baby
Burn!
The Butcher Boy
Cabaret
The California Reich
California Split
Camille
The Candidate
Cartouche
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Cesar and Rosalie
The Chase
Chinatown
Citizen Kane
City Lights
The Clock
Clockmaker
College
Colossus: The Forbin Project
Coney Island
The Conformist
The Conversation
Cops
Cousin/Cousine
The Creature From the Black Lagoon
Cries and Whispers
Cul de Sac

Thanks, La Connection, for reminding me of "The Day of the Triffids"! Actually, a directory would be quite simple to compile, I suppose best from microfilm copies of "The Boston Phoenix" or "The Real Paper". The movie reviews were always on the same page, making finding them simple and fast? I forgot to mention the great "Boudou Saved From Drowning", the original French movie from the Thirties, which would certainly be out of place nowadays, when we drown in moral relativities. I seem to recall a restaurant by the Orson Welles called the "Au Chose"?

Does anyone remember the December 1983 screening at the Orson Welles of the hip-hop film Wild Style, at the Orson Welles? The theater was painted up by several graffiti artists from NYC. I am in search of photos of this artwork, or leads to some photos, whether personal snapshots or pro. This is for a book project that I'll be happy to explain for anyone with leads or photos... anyone? I can be reached at calebneelon@gmail.com

The Orson Welles Cinema was a real keeper. As a student during the 1970's, and through the miod-1980's, after I'd gotten out of school, I'd go to movies pretty regularly there. Back in the seventies, an evening would be made of it, by having dinner at the nearby Orson Welles Restaurant before it burned down, and then attending a movie at the Cinema. For several years after I finished school, I lived right around the corner from Orson Welles Cinema, and I'd still go to movies pretty regularly there. Among the movies that I saw at Orson Welles cinema were Bonnie & Clyde, Performance, Road Warrior, The Harder They Come, Pink Floyd's "The Wall", and, not to mention some others, last but not least, West Side Story.

Curious to know if anyone knows anything about Cate Enterprises. O came across a Film Comment article from 1979 ("Alls not Welles that Ends Welles," by Sam Lasoff) that says this "Massachusetts realty trust" bought the Welles sometime after 1976, as well as a bunch of other theatres in New England (including Boston's Esquire chain) totaling 33 & showing "everything from gay, skin, and blaxploitation to first-run American and foreign movies." Anyone know how long these guys were in the Boston film scene? Which theatres they owned?
I'm trying to googlemap every theatre & film-exhibition venue in Boston/ Camb./ Somerville during May 1977, showing the films that were playing, chains that owned the theatres, etc.

People and events I remember about the Welles #1:

One night a couple of scruffy young guys (accompanied by one of their girlfriends) ambled in and asked if they could show their newly finished animated film at the theater. So we ran their print of this short film called "Cosmic Cartoon". All that I remember about the film was that it "borrowed" (i.e. stole) heavily from the drawings of Winsor McCay's "Little Nemo in Slumberland". One of the creators was an artist named Ladd who had done most of the actual graphic work. The other guy came across as being a very aggressive hustler who had probably been instrumental in raising the money to make it. His name was Steven Lisberger. Years later, they formed a company called Lisberger-Ladd. I have no idea whatever happened to Ladd, but some time later, after I arrived in Hollywood, Disney Studios was releasing a major motion picture directed by none other than Steven Lisberger. It was a summer "tentpole" event film called "TRON."

-John Semper
johnsemper@aol.com
(Welles Cinema "alumnus" circa 1973-1978)

P.S. I would love to hear from John Rossi, Leslie Miller, Jimmy Robi, Mary Galloway, Bill Gitt or anybody else who worked at the Welles during that era who remembers me!

My first wife (then girlfriend) and I lived down one block and around the corner at 99 Hancock Street when the Orson Welles opened in the spring of '69 and had Sunday brunch at a restaurant that was part of that building in late '77 or early '78 during our last visit to Cambridge before the end of our marriage. Frank Rich was a sophomore, recently elected to the Crimson as I recall when he wrote the article about the theater's opening. It seemed like such a cool place.

I took over the Cinerama Providence in 1976, which was then a twin showing 99 cent sub-run films to a tough crowd. I convinced the powers at SBC to take a chance on art programing for the house and used the Welles and others as a proving ground for features.

I would make regular pilgrimages to the theatre to catch the films, see audience reaction and talk to regulars. I even convinced some film critics to make the trip with me to gauge their reaction and anticipate a review. This also made sure that a review would appear as the film broke or before, rather than waiting for days to lapse.

All in all, a great place to see a film and even better memories on when a theatre manager had input on how his house was run.

In his posting above of Feb. 3, 2006, pbrooke writes of one Dean Gitter who was associated with the Esquire/Orson Welles in the 1960s. Dean Gitter was the chairman of the Howard National Theatre Museum Committee in Cambridge in early 1961. Their goal was to preserve the historic Old Howard Theatre in Scollay Square, Boston (1846-1962) and to turn it into a theatre museum and performance center. A copy of the committee's proposal, written by Dean Gitter and dated March 1961, is in the archives of the Theatre Historical Society in Elmhurst IL. I had no idea that Dean Gitter was associated with the Orson Welles cinema.

Aha...The Orson Welles. Memory lane! I miss that place. Too bad about what happened to it.

The Boston Science Fiction Film Festival and Marathon will hold it's 34th Annual Festival on Feb.15 & 16 at the Somerville Theater. The event began at the Orson Welles in February 1975 and was held there until the Welles' demise.

Here are the films showing this year:
THE THING (1951),
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978),
LOGAN'S RUN,
REPO MAN,
CHRYSALIS (Premiere),
ALIEN RAIDERS (Premiere),
IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE in 3-D!,
TRANSFORMERS,
RUNAWAY,
I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE,
KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE,
STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN

Visit our messageboard and make your comments: www.sf.theboard.net

I believe I first saw "Thank You Masked Man", the Lenny Bruce animation at the Orson Wells.

More films shown at the Orson Welles:

Damsel in Distress
Day for Night
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Dead End
Dead Reckoning
Destry Rides Again
The Devil's Eye
Dial 'M' for Murder
Dinner at Eight
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
D.O.A.
Dr. Strangelove
Don't Look Now
Double Indemnity
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers
East of Eden
8 1/2
Electra Glide in Blue
Elizabeth and Essex
F for Fake
Farewell, My Lovely
The Fire Within
Fists of Fury
Five Easy Pieces
Forbidden Planet
Force of Evil
Foreign Correspondent
Freaks
French Provincial
The Freshman
Gaslight
The General
Gigi
Gilda
The Glass Key
Go West
The Godfather Part II
Gone with the Wind
Goodnight, Nurse
Grand Illusion
The Great McGinty
Gun Crazy
Gunga Din

Best to all,
DCC

I went to several Sci-Fi Marathons at the Orson Welles Cinema. I believe it was in 1977 that they scheduled They Came From Within in both theaters. Knowing how controversial Cronenberg was I decided to watch it first in the theater showing it first. Just before the film started I was the guy who shouted out, "Get the kiddies out of here." No one listened to me. After the film was over the manager came in to apologize for showing the movie and announced that it would not be shown in the other theater. As I remember it all these years later I think it was the most uncensored version shown.

Ahhhhhh....the Orson Welles Cinema. That was a cool place, which I still miss to this very day. I used to go there a great deal in the seventies as a student, and in the early to mid eighties, after finishing school, and before it and the restaurant burned down. Movies that I saw there included Pink Floyd: the Wall, Performance, Bonnie and Clyde, Road Warrior, Blade Runner, The Harder They Come, Southern Cross, and, last but not least, to name a bunch of others, my alltime favorite film, West Side Story.

For a number of years after I finished school, I lived right around the corner from the Orson Welles Cinema and went there quite often. It was a cool place, with cool people working there.

It was actually February 1978 at SF/3, the 3rd year of the event. As the event still continues (http://sf.theboard.net/), we've thought about showing it again 3 decades later. With all the gore and nudity in films today, it will likely cause nary a ripple. Of course, Cronenberg's films have a way of getting under the skin that few others can match.

And, yes, the film was withdrawn from showing at Cinema Two after the reaction to it in Cinema One!

Now, trivia buffs. What film replaced THEY CAME FROM WITHIN in Cinema Two that year??


re: "I went to several Sci-Fi Marathons at the Orson Welles Cinema. I believe it was in 1977 that they scheduled They Came From Within in both theaters. Knowing how controversial Cronenberg was I decided to watch it first in the theater showing it first. Just before the film started I was the guy who shouted out, "Get the kiddies out of here." No one listened to me. After the film was over the manager came in to apologize for showing the movie and announced that it would not be shown in the other theater. As I remember it all these years later I think it was the most uncensored version shown." -posted by Shivers

posted by Shivers

the science fiction marathons were fun, but "schlock around the clock" offered more variety..
from santa claus conquering the martians to russ meyer.....
anybody remember those?

1986 Photo

A new article in MOVIE COLLECTOR'S WORLD (June 2009, Issue #732) references the Schlock Around the Clock marathon and the Orson Welles. I co-wrote it. You can find it at newstands or in pdf form here (article begins on page 12): http://www.mcwonline.com/assets/MCW732.pdf

The marquee in the 1986 photo reads CLOSED DUE TO FIRE. To the left of the theatre and downstairs was a Videosmith store, which I think was damaged but did reopen for a while. Further left is Chi-Chi's restaurant, which I think replaced The Restaurant At The Orson Welles. It too was damaged in the fire and I don't think it ever reopened.

Here is a real treat for everyone.

This is a 1970 radio aircheck from WBCN. If you forward to 1:15 in, a commericial advertising The Orson Welles' one-day-only offerings for that day begins(with a musical interlude, spoken ad starts at 1:50 in).

The movies show on this particular day were I'M A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG(1932) and LARCENY INC(1942). The ad also mentioned the The Orson Welles Cinema Bookstore, and notes that both are located at 1001 Mass Ave in Cambridge.

Here is a transcription of the ad.

"Gangster movies and prison movies at The Orson Welles. Today Only: I'M A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG and LARCENY INCORPORATED. The Orson Welles Cinema and the Orson Welles Cinema Book Store are located at 1001 Mass Ave in Cambridge."

As an added bonus, this is an aircheck from Charles Laquidara's show. Talk about Boston radio history. Enjoy!

Note: You can right-click and download the airchgeck, or just click the link and stream it.

Here are more films shown at the Orson Welles:

A Hard Day’s Night
The Harder They Come
Harold and Maude
Harry & Tonto
Hi, Mom!
The High Sign
His Girl Friday
Holiday
House of Strangers
House of Wax
I Wake Up Screaming
I Was A Male War Bride
Idi Amin Dada
Illicit Interlude
Images
Imitation of Life
Immortal Story
In a Lonely Place
The Incredible Shrinking Man
The Informer
The Invisible Man
It Came From Outer Space
It Happened One Night
Jane Eyre (1943)
Johnny Guitar
Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000
Journey Into Fear
Jules and Jim
Just Before Nightfall
The Kennel Murder Case
The Killers
Kind Hearts and Coronets
King Kong
The King of Marvin Gardens
Kiss Me Deadly
Knife in the Water
The Lady Eve
The Lady From Shanghai
The Lady Vanishes
The Ladykillers
Lancelot of the Lake
Last Tango in Paris
The Lavender Hill Mob
The Little Shop of Horrors
Life of Oharu
Little Murders
The Lodger
Lolita
Lord of the Flies
Lost Horizon
Love and Death
M
Macbeth
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
The Magician
The Magnificent Ambersons
Make Way For Tomorrow
Le Magnifique
The Man in the White Suit
Man on the Roof
The Man Who Fell to Earth
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Marnie
The Marquise of O . . .
M.A.S.H.
Meet Me in St. Louis
The Middle of the World
Minnie & Moskowitz
Mr. Arkadin
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
Mr. Lucky
Moby Dick
Modern Times
Monkey Business
Mondo Cane
Morgan
Morning Glory
Murder
Murmur of the Heart
Mutiny on the Bounty
A Night at the Opera
Night Moves
The Night of the Hunter
Night of the Iguana
Night of the Living Dead
Night Moves
92 in the Shade
Ninotchka
None But the Lonely Heart
North by Northwest
Notorious

Best to all,
DCC

The good old Orson Welles Cinema! Ahhhh...who could forget it? Another one bit the dust ages ago, so there's fewer movie art-repertory movie houses in this area as a result.

As I said, though, I still miss it.