Maplewood Theatre

Joshua Bilmes on July 25, 2021 at 9:35 pm

https://www.broadwayworld.com/new-jersey/article/Cinema-Lab-Will-Reopen-at-The-Village-Cinemas-at-SOPAC-This-Month-20210707

this article says that the Maplewood will reopen in 2022 under same group as has just reopened the South Orange theatre.

ridethectrain on December 7, 2020 at 9:09 pm

From villagegreennj.com Please update, theatre is CLOSED: Movie Theater Leases End at South Orange Performing Arts Center, Maplewood Theater By Mary Barr Mann access_timeDec-07-2020

The operators of movie theaters in South Orange and Maplewood have both ended their leases, town officials have confirmed.

Bow Tie Cinemas ended operations at the South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) several weeks ago, according to South Orange Trustee Steve Schnall.

Meanwhile, the Maplewood Theater operator removed its property from the building on Maplewood Avenue last week.

“The COVID pandemic has impacted every aspect of our community including our small businesses and broader business districts,” said Maplewood Mayor Frank McGehee when reached for comment. “We continue to work with our county, state and federal representatives to provide information and advocate for additional resources.”

Maplewood Theater (credit cinematreasures.org) “In the interim, we encourage residents to shop local and not only during this critical holiday season but in the months to come,” added McGehee. “Our small businesses are what make Maplewood such a vibrant place to live and we all need to do our part to support them now more than ever. This includes buying gift cards, shopping online and promoting them heavily. We will get through this and it’s our community that will make the difference.”

In South Orange, Schnall noted that when Bow Tie opened again during the summer, “attendance remained too low based on state guidelines, and the corresponding drop in concessions dropped revenues way too much.”

Schnall reports that “the SOPAC board has created several internal work groups to consider alternative uses for the spaces and even whether operating a movie franchise would be viable. Meanwhile, SOPAC staff is actively engaging individuals and businesses to rent some of the very special space (including the stage and performance hall) for usage and thus rental income.”

SOPAC At Night The news isn’t specific to South Orange and Maplewood, as theater chains struggle nationally and globally with COVID-19 shutting down or restricting theater audiences, major film debuts being delayed, and at least one major studio — Warner – announcing that all of its 2021 films will debut online.

Overally, businesses are struggling in the two towns. Maplewood Kings was shuttered this past weekend after its parent company, which is in bankruptcy, failed to find a buyer. South Orange Village Center announced recently that 13 businesses in the town center have closed in 2020 (although three more have opened, with another scheduled to debut before the end of the year). The towns’ special improvement districts have responded with special COVID-19 marketing and socially distanced/remote events as well as open air markets, gift cards and other incentives to shop local.

Maplewood historian and President of the Duran-Hedden House & Garden Association Susan Newberry notes that the Maplewood Theater building, which is now 93 years old, has been through hard times before — and was even closed for two years from 1988 to 1990. In January 2015, Newberry helped research and write a fascinating history of the building and its illustrious history with live theater as well as film:

crazyformovies on January 12, 2017 at 1:25 pm

remember seeing a few movies there it was a good movie theater

John on May 14, 2016 at 5:51 pm

The exhibit was… astounding. The original blueprints were found and used to build a three dimensional model of the auditorium. A Wurlitzer Style E Console (same as it originally had) was on display, with actual recordings of the organ from 1927 made by Edison Records and never released! The National Park Service had found them. The exhibit covered every decade, even the dark and dank 70’s and 80’s era… with a few highlights like when they managed to get Jaws and sell the place out every night. The theater manager in the 80’s saved the posters, including the Ghostbusters poster that hung out front for months. (Not a poster, THE poster from THIS theater). The best had to be the 1940’s when the theater brought back the lives shows and ran through a different show every week with A-names in the cast like Helen Hayes, Ethel Barrymore, Tallulah Bankhead, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Robeson, Teresa Wright (who lived in Maplewood!) among endless more. The climax was the first revival of the thus-far-failed Porgy and Bess where Cheryl Crawford cut down the opera into a musical which was moved to Broadway after leaving Maplewood. Amazingly, there were photographs of these productions from the Billy Rose Library… as well as huge clippings binders reviewing every show. The exhibit was simply everything this theater deserved and more.

John on January 8, 2013 at 4:13 pm

Remember or hear family tales about the Maplewood Theater’s glory days? The Durand Hedden House and Garden Association wants to hear from you! In preparation for a forthcoming exhibit, Durand Hedden is collecting pictures, ephemera, and anecdotes about the Maplewood Theater’s 86 year run. Did you happen snap a Polaroid when Ghostbusters was playing? Found something on eBay you want to share with the world? Even as much as an old ticket stub, we want it! Stories and memories are also welcome. Contact or 973-763-7712 to help make this exhibit a success.

John on November 26, 2011 at 4:45 pm

I posted some pictures including a handbill from 1936, some exterior shots from 60’s/70’s, an interior shot from about 5 years ago (Manager let me pop a ceiling tile and shoot the original ceiling)… and best of all, Bill Bojangles Robinson on stage in the 1940’s. Yes, that is Mr. Bojangles, and the show is “The Hot Mikado”. Glory days of the Maplewood Theater were the early 40’s that’s for sure.

kencmcintyre on April 11, 2009 at 11:16 am

Here is another life photo, circa 1953:
http://tinyurl.com/czbrps

JerseyChris on January 19, 2009 at 9:04 am

I grew up in Maplewood and have many fond memories of going to the movies at the Maplewood Theatre during the 1970’s, when it was one big auditorium. I especially remember going to Saturday matinee or having pizza at the Roman Gourmet before or after a show. I recall as a very young kid, during which must have been the very late 1960’s or maybe 1970, of seeing live singers before the movie began -I think it was a Christmas show. Great memories!

MPol on November 23, 2008 at 4:56 pm

FilmNoir1944: I don’t reside in, nor have I ever resided anywhere in NJ, including Maplewood, but I think that this:

“ The only thing that will motivate them to go to the theatres again are large high quality event pictures—an animated family picture, an excellent horror picture, a restored classic which baby boomers want to see and share with a house full of other boomers. This is what I predict will happen to the Maplewood Theatre. I’m hoping that it will happen faster than we think.”

is right on the money, and, if yours (and mine) prediction is correct, it will not only happen to the
Maplewood Theatre in New Jersey, but to various movie palaces throughout the country.

jpcollins on August 6, 2007 at 5:06 pm

Do they still not allow people to bring in anything larger than a purse? I remember me and my buddies used to try to sneak in food and sodas, and we would always get busted and have to put our bags in the janitor’s closet.

FilmNoir1944 on July 4, 2007 at 10:33 am

Hi,
Thank you for your pictures. When I was in high school I worked in the Maplewood Theatre behind the concession stand from about 1980-1984. It was probably one of the best jobs I ever had and will ever have. I used to look up at the ceiling and wonder about its past. It was so cold, lonely and empty and I remember thinking that it was not long before someone hacked it up and destroyed it. Like so many other old theatres it is a local tragedy.
The concession stand was the old school kind—located at the end of the aisle where one could view the movies while serving or purchasing. I went to college in the city and was stunned when I came back to visit Maplewood one day and discovered it had been carelessly chopped up into a painful eyesore. I now have family who have returned to Maplewood and the demographics have drastically changed. For the last 5 years i have been feeling that the current movie theatre will eventual fade and the Maplewood Theatre will be restored and turned into a community theatre featuring: revival movie festivals, live theatre and big scale commercial family “event” pictures all rolled into one. I think that this use mirrors what the current community needs. I also think it might be a part of trend that happens in many other communities around the country. I believe this might happen in the next 5 or 10 years possibly sooner. People do not watch movies in theatres as much and wide screen HD TV’s will become very inexpensive. People do not want to spend their money to see a movie which will go straight to DVD in less than 3 months. The only thing that will motivate them to go to the theatres again are large high quality event pictures—an animated family picture, an excellent horror picture, a restored classic which baby boomers want to see and share with a house full of other boomers. This is what I predict will happen to the Maplewood Theatre. I’m hoping that it will happen faster than we think.

Thanks again for the pictures.
Shirley
s h u a n g 8500 at yahoo………com
Feel free to email me as I think I might know a person who might have some interesting memorabilia from the theatre.

hollister22nh on October 30, 2006 at 1:35 pm

Whoops how did you all find my pictures? We were hiding those pending the publication of an article about the Maplewood Theatre in a local magazine. Steve Weintraub found the 1968 and 1973 pictures for my article (soon to be printed) about the Maplewood Theatre’s interesting past. If you click on here: View link you can see what the interior looks like behind the false walls and dropped ceilings. I went with the long time management team and they were gracious enough to grab me a ladder from the neighboring pizzaria… lift a few ceiling tiles… and grab these pictures using a huge flash. Its pitch black, and completely invisible, until you pull the camera down and see what you found. I know you old school theater buffs would call it a tragedy, but you have to remember how beat and destroyed this place was BEFORE it was triplexed. Now with 5 screens, this theater keeps the downtown vibrant in a way no single screen could (or did). Luckily its mostly still up there, just out of view.