North Shore Theatre
283 Main Street,
Gloucester,
MA
01930
283 Main Street,
Gloucester,
MA
01930
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The North Shore Theatre was the leading movie theatre in Gloucester during the 1940’s and 1950’s. It was on the east side of Main Street in the center of the business district. It had an arch over the marquee and a balcony inside. Any further information about it will be appreciated.
Contributed by
Ron Salters
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My older brother and I used to attend movies at the North Shore during the late-1940s and early-1950s when we spent summers in Lanesville. We saw (I think) “Strangers on a Train” there, and on Tuesday evening, July 29, 1952, we saw Martin & Lewis in “Jumping Jacks”. The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the North Shore Theatre lists the seating as: Orchestra, 978; Balcony, 98; Loges, 72; total seats: 1148. I assume that the theatre was probably built around 1915 -25 period. Nearby, on Main Street was the Strand Theatre, which had 975 seats and was run by the Levinson Circuit at one time. The Strand also had the characteristic arch over the entrance like the North Shore. The North Shore was a M&P theatre, as was the Union Hill Theatre somewhere in Gloucester, a house about which I know nothing.
Oh my, I worked at the Cape Ann Cinema (aka North Shore Theatre) from about 1981 to 1986 or 87. A guy named Tony DiSantis owned it from, I would guess, the 70s through the early 80s. He also owned the now-defunct Gloucester Drive-In (that many people remember from driving down Route 128 North) and he also owned the Georgetown Drive-In as well. In maybe the early 80s he sold it to a company called JABE that was located in Chinatown in Boston but owned many independent movie theatres.
The cinema was called North Shore Theatre until maybe the early 80s until DiSantis changed it to Cape Ann Cinema.
It was indeed on the east-end of Main Street and had been there for years. By the time I worked there, the place was pretty old and dusty and decrepit but that was part of its charm.
Cinema 1 was the very large auditorium which had the balcony. The balcony was closed to the public by about 1983 for safety reasons (although us employees watched movies up there). Cinema 2 was a little creepy… you had to walk down a long hallway that was always dark and it was a much smaller theatre. People would always try and sneak into Cinema 2 from the emergency exits as it was so removed from the lobby (and many times managed to successfully sneak cases of beer in the aforementioned emergency exits as well).
I went to the cinema constantly as a kid, through the 70s and 80s – even on my days off. There was not much for a kid to do in Gloucester at that time so I went to the cinema with my friends and family quite often. Plus the nearest other movie theatres were “up the line” in Danvers/Peabody and required at least a 25 minute drive.
I began working there around 1981 (which I know for a fact as ET was the movie playing when I started). I began in candy and eventually sold tickets as well. It was a great job for a teen as you could do homework during the movie and eat as much popcorn as you could stuff down your throat. I worked there for most college breaks and summers too. For minimum wage, these were some serious perks. Plus you got to see all flicks for free… some 80s movies I can still quote by heart to this very day: Ghostbusters, Trading Places, the Sure Thing, etc. I don’t even know I am doing it… I just start quoting verbatim.
When I was in college my friend from high school and I used to do the phone recordings, stating movies & movie times. We wrestled the job away from my brother, the manager, who for some strange reason described 98% of the movies on the recording as “uproarious”. With us at the helm, the recordings eventually spiraled into drippingly sarcastic cinematic movie descriptions (“come see that brilliant jingoistic display of American aeronautical know-how, Top Gun in Cinema 1, 7pm and 9pm”) as only snarky college girls could deliver adequately. We had a fan club after awhile as people would call just to hear the recording after the movie changed.
I wish I could remember more details about the history of the place. The Gloucester Daily Times had a big article about the cinema once in the late-80s but I lost it somewhere through the years.
In about 1987 or 1988, JABE finally sold the place and it was demolished. When I came to Gloucester around that time I drove by and stole a brick from the wreckage which I still have in my bookcase (functioning as a book end) to this very day. Just thinking/writing about the cinema is making me laugh… it was a very happy place in my life and something I remember fondly from growing up in my hometown.
A Wurlitzer theater organ opus 256 style 135A was installed in the North Shore Theater on 11/8/1919.
The North Shore in Gloucester is listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook as having 1200 seats and open daily.
I remember being at this theater twice. Once in the very early 60s to see Babes in Toyland and the other in the late 60s to see Joy in the Morning with Richard Chamberlain and Yvette Mimieux. Oh wait…I also saw…i had forgotten this….a rather racy film called The Fox.
Kind of difficult to remember all the details but I worked at the North Shore for two years, back in 1953 and 1954, during my junior and senior high school years. Worked as an usher, ticket collector, and marquee/poster changer. For a kid, just a great job, lots of perks. Really a great group of people where working there at the time, I got quite an education from the guys in the projection booth. It was during the days of the movie industries early attempts at the 3-D movie, 3-D glasses and all. At the time the “House of Wax” was the name of one of the 3-D movies we running. I recall it was a Mr. Bryant was the general manager, worked days and a Mr. Sprague (same person as the career counselor at GHS) was the night manager. Didn’t make much money but saw a lot of movies of free. We also had a agreement with the Strand Theater where North Shore employee’s could go to there theater to see a movie and visa-a-verse. I can still recall the late nights closing up the theater, eating at the Cape Ann dinner, heading of Nick’s before it closed, taking the bus home and getting up the next morning of school. Ted Carroll ()