Center Theatre
339 Main Street,
Hyannis,
MA
02601
339 Main Street,
Hyannis,
MA
02601
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There was a MGM Theatre Report for the Center Theatre in Hyannis, with an exterior photo dated May 1941. The Report says the Center (which they spell “Centre”) was on Main St., was a MGM customer and had been playing MGM product for one year; was built in 1940 (that’s when it was apparently remodeled), was in Excellent condition, and had 570 seats on the main floor and 134 balcony seats. Total: 704.
The 1927 Film Daily Yearbook lists the Idle Hour Theatre in Hyannis as having 500 seats, open 6 days/week.
From the early 1900s a picture postcard of the Idle Hour Theatre in Hyannis before it became the Center Theater.
I found an even better picture of the Center Theater c1950.
View link
The Idle Hour Theater became the Center Theater during the 1930s.
From Hy FD website: Dec 23 ‘71 – A mid day fire heavily damaged the Center Theater on Main Street. July 2 '72 – A general alarm fire destroyed the previously damaged Center Theater on Main Street. Mutual aid responded from several communities to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby structures.
Here is a picture of the Centre Food Market c1950. To the immediate left a movie poster on the front of the theater can be seen. View link
My husband and I recently dined at Alberto’s Ristorante on Main St in Hyannis with his 93 yr old grandmother. We conversed about the shops that used to be located on Main Street in the old days. Across the street from the restaurant is “Jack’s Drum Shop”. The vacant lot to the left of the drum shop was where the Idle Hour Cinema was located. The theatre was owned (at some time or another, in-part or otherwise) by my husband’s great-grandfather Harold Hammett and Jack Collins. More info to come after some more research…perhaps another luncheon with “Gram” is in order.
My grandfather grew up on the Cape and somehow acquired an Idlehour Poster. He said it came from an old movie theater that he use to go too and told us it burned down. The poster is from 1929 featuring several “talking pictures” the most famous person listed poster is Gloria Swanson staring in “The Trespasser”. Other movies include, “Acquitted”, and “Jazz Heaven”.
Another post-card from my own collection. Enjoy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevp/1964704118/
A postcard view of the Idle Hour Theatre during the silent era:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/idlehourpc.jpg
It seems that you have searched out most of the info in the Idle Hour /Center . I was manager of the Center Theater in 1954 and projectionist in later years. It indeed was built as Idle Hour and changed to Center (Year unknown) It was operated by Interstate Theaters, Boston. The fire that demolished the theater in 71-71 is correct. Ir was burned once in 1971. Started by vagrants who had broken in and set fire to the stage area. And again burned before it was finally torn completely down. It has been a vacant lot for many years.
The Center theater was the drop off point for many cans of film destined for showing at the home of Joseph P. Kennedy. His home in Hyannisport included a theater.
The Center was a first run theater. I remember Sound of Music had an extensive run there.
I submitted this theater on Cinema Treasures under Center Hyannis.
Oh yes. I visited that drum shop. Great owner. Lots of famous people have come in.
There’s a vacant lot between a drum shop and an empty building (formerly the Shaughnessy theater), that’s where Idle Hour/ Center Theater used to be. It’s on the south side of Main Street.
I was just in Hyannis a few times last week. I didn’t recall seeing a facade or rear of the building that mirrored a cinema and I found it quite odd since it’s a real happening town.
I recall a downtown movie theater on Main St. back in the late ‘70’s. I don’t recall the name. As of the late '90’s the building was still there but continued as market place.
I didn’t find anything else on the Idle Hour Theater yet but I did solve another mystery. The Hibel Museum of Art was sold in July of 2003. The short lived Shaughnessy Theater opened in 2003. They both had the same address of:
337 Main Street
Hyannis, MA 02601
Shaughnessy Theater on Cinema Treasures:
/theaters/10188/
I did a search of the Hyannis Fire Department History looking for any mention of the Idle Hour Theater burning down in 1972. There was no mention of it. I did find a Center Theater located on Main street that had a fire on Dec 23, 1971 that damaged the building and a second fire on July 2, 1972 that destroyed the Center Theater. Coincidence, or did the Idle Hour Theater become the Center Theater and burn down in 1972?
Another website has a timeline of events in Hyannis and both theater names appear. The Idle Hour Theater is mentioned as having cypress western siding installed in 1922. The Center Theater is mentioned in 1942 as showing the movie “Juke Girl” with Ann Sheridan and Ronald Reagan.
The following text is from the real estate site where I first found this theater:
“The Hibel Museum of Art: On the corners of Ocean and Main Streets, Downtown Hyannis. The 7,500 SF Hibel building was once the home of First National, a grocery store, back in the 1940’s. In the late 1920’s, the .17-acre vacant lot next door was the Idle Hour Theatre where adults paid only 35 cents to see the show. The Idle Hour burned to the ground in 1972 and has remained vacant ever since”.
If anyone knows anything about this theater I would appreciate you posting it.