Warner Theatre
62 Front Street,
Worcester,
MA
01608
62 Front Street,
Worcester,
MA
01608
1 person
favorited this theater
A lost theatre of Worcester.
Contributed by
Gerald A. DeLuca
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Recent comments (view all 15 comments)
What’s the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project? Are there photos of theatres all over New England?
Back in 1941 MGM began a project to identify movie theatres and to note the ones which were presenting MGM product. Some lucky guy got the job of driving around with his camera, finding theatres and snapping a photo of their facades and interviewing the manager and filling out a very brief form. Apparently, the project covered the entire USA, but I’m not sure of that. About 20 years ago, someone, and I can’t remember who, gave me a big handful of Xerox copies of these cards, for theatres in eastern- Massachusetts. Then, Donald King, author of the recent book on Boston theatres, and now, sadly, deceased, gave me a bunch of them, too. I don’t know where he got his. I understand that there are a selection of these cards in the archives of the THSA in Elmhurst IL. Who knows, possibly the MGM company still has the originals on file. Anyway, there is a card for the Warner Th. in Worcester.
Does the group of theatres you have, show the theatres in Framingham Massachusetts?
to: dwodeyla – I have reports only for the Gorman Th. in Framingham and the Colonial Th. in Natick, both filled out in 1941.
Ron Salters, you mentioned the “other” Warner Theatre on the campus of Worcester Academy. It was called that because it was originally presented to Worcester Academy as a gift from Harry Warner, then president of the Warner Brothers Studio in memory of his son Lewis (Worcester Academy, Class of 1928). It is the Lewis J. Warner Theatre, Ross Auditorium. I did visit this theatre a week or so ago for a Christmas show just to see the place, and it is a wonder to behold, a fantastic renaissance-style period piece inside with great ceiling frescoes, and a classic columned exterior front. It was built in the tradition of other early 20th century grand movie palaces. It has the original 35mm projection booth still in place. It must be one of the greatest “unknown” cinema treasures of New England if not the country and should be visited by theatre fans who come to Worcester.
EXTERIOR
INTERIOR
Thank you, Gerry DeLuca ! I had heard that the Warner at Worcester Academy was a little gem, and that the name had something to do with the Warner family of movie-studio fame. You have confirmed both stories. I wonder if it was in operation while the old Warner Th. downtown was still open ??
More about the Warner Memorial Th. at Worcester Academy. It opened in April 1932, so it was in operation at the same time as the Warner Theatre downtown. It was designed by the noted theater architect Drew Eberson. It has 336 seats on the main floor and 40 in the balcony, total: 376. I have seen some additional color photos of it and, as Gerry DeLuca points out above, it is a real “treasure” – no wonder the staff at the school are so proud of it !
The Warner Theatre was part of the Mark Strand New England Circuit acquired by Warner Brothers in 1929. It was known as the Strand Theatre and after Warner Brothers took it over they closed it April 2, 1930 and made renovations and reopend it as the Warner on April 19, 1930. It closed in 1965 after Stanley Warner opened the White City in Shrewsbury. The White City was designed by Drew Eberson.
In the October 30, 1961 issue of Boxoffice Magazine, an ad was run showing how many mainstream theatres were showing Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, a subtitled Italian movie. This theatre was one of those. Link to ad, then expand:
View link
Lobby becomes train station.
“Murray Howard, manager of the Warner, converted the lobby into a railroad station and had the doormen attired as conductors for "Strangers on the Train.”
(item in Boxoffice magazine, July 7, 1951)