Elmwood Theatre
786 Elmwood Avenue,
Providence,
RI
02907
786 Elmwood Avenue,
Providence,
RI
02907
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Closed or stopped its ads in 1983.
Two screens on August 13th, 1975. Another ad posted.
Grand opening ad posted.
I’ve seen several films at the Elmwood. This would have been in the 60s. It was a pleasant community cinema.
@rudi yes! As well as the vomit bags for Mark of the Devil.
1959 photo, showing Diary of Anne Frank
Didn’t Sound Of Music play in Warwick on its original long run and not at the Elmwood?
I lived on the other side of the tracks from the Elmwood As a young I frequented the theatre when it was traditional. The admission fee for a person under age 12 was 25 cents. I harbor many fond memories of those days. Then, motivated by Cinerama. Then, inspired by a entrepreneur name Mike Todd, a 70mm format named Todd AO surfaced. The theatre converted to it 100% and long rung films would run for no less than a year. I recall viewing Oklahoma and The sound of Music there. Mike Todd was an unusual person that proclaimed that he would live to be 100. Several weeks or months later, he died in a plane crash. Sad to look back at the theatre and what has become of Elmwood Avenue. In its long days, it as a fantastic place to go both during the traditional days and the Todd AO era.
The Theatre Historical Society has the MGM Theatre Report for the Elmwood – it’s Card # 542. Unfortunately, no one filled out the form. There is an undated photo of the facade. Movie posted is Gregory Peck in “Twelve O'clock High”, plus a Joe Palooka film.
Gerald,Thanks for those great pictures from the Glory years.1986 pictures are heartbreaking.
“The Elmwood Theatre, Providence, has just completed the successful engagement of "Around the World in 80 Days” for an all-time Providence boxoffice record. In 29 weeks the Michael Todd film took in $152,000.“
(Item in Boxoffice magazine, May 12, 1958)
From Boxoffice magazine, February 4, 1956:
“In the most extensive cooperation promotion ever seen in this area, 14 Providence and nearby houses used record-breaking newspaper advertising space in heralding the joint premiere of "The Day the World Ended” and “Phantom from 10,000 Leagues.” Virtually taking over the amusement pages of the local press for several days, the following houses united in the ad: Elmwood, Hope, Uptown, Liberty, Castle, all in this city; Community, Centredale; Strand, Pawtucket; Union, Attleboro; Hollywood, East Providence; Palace, Cranston; Community, Wakefield; Park, Auburn; Palace, Arctic and Stadium, Woonsocket. A brief checkup of local houses indicated that opening days were solid."
Paging Gerald A. DeLuca. Please contact me if you see this message. I have an Elmwood question for you.
The printing company in one of the storefronts (788 Elmwood Av.) was called Esquire Printing, right? It did all the printing and distribution of accessories for 1972’s “Last House on the Left”.
My recollection is that it was a curved screen. Many memories in this theatre for me. My dad, Larry Johnson, managed it for several years in late 60’s early 70’s. He also opened a printing company in one of the storefronts to primarily print the infamous vomit bags for Mark of the Devil.
One funny anecdote of my childhood from the Elmwood is the time I decided to get up and dance for the audience while the movie was playing. My older sister chased me trying to get me to stop. The whole audience was roaring with laughter. My father looked out from his office to see why the audience was laughing at the “serious” movie that was playing (the office overlooked the theatre from the front of the building). Fortunately, I don’t remember the consequences!
Yes, I am almost certain it did. I attended a number of 70mm showings here, including a couple mentioned in the first post.
Does anyone know if the Elmwood had a true curved ToddAo screen when it was showing 70mm roadshow?
See my photos of the building at http://www.cinematour.com/tour/us/12979.html
Does anyone know what year the Elmwood finally closed down?
Unfortunately I was not yet alive during the Elmwood’s glory days, but I do recall with great fondness whenever my grandfather would take me to see kung fu movies there during my summer vacations in Providence in the early 80’s!
I know. I know. It was kind of sketchy. Especially for a 12 year-old boy.
But great memories regardless.
At the time the Elmwood opened in 1950, John Tierney, a Cranston resident, was the manager. The Cranston Herald reported a capacity crowd on opening day and said the theatre seated over 900. (The capacity might have beeen reduced when Todd-AO was installed in 1956 and the theatre became a roadshow showcase.) It noted that “the theatre is modern in design with beautiful carpeting and imported Italian marble.” The location of the Elmwood was noted in ads and reports as being “just above Columbus Square,” which is where Elmwood and Reservoir Avenues meet. The theatre was not far from Providence’s lake-filled Roger Williams Park, further up Elmwood Avenue near the Cranston boundary.
The Elmwood Theatre opened on February 1, 1950 as a neighborhod or “community” theatre. The first show began at 2 P.M. that day and was a double bill of Elia Kazan’s Pinky with Jeanne Crain and a co-feature called Law of the Barbary Coast. Daily matinees were to begin at 2 P.M. Evenings were continuous from 6:30, Sundays from 1:00 P.M. Programs would change every Wednesday and Sunday.
The large opening day ad in The Providence Journal had four photos of the theatre, inside and out. Also touted were two businesses in the theatre block: Roger Williams Beauty Salon and Elmwood Soda. The architectural firm was William Nelson Jacobs Associates of Boston. The construction company was Malony & Rubien Company.
A few days before, by coincidence, was the opening in Providence of Veterans Memorial Auditorium, which would be used for some concerts and cultural events that had previously been given at the Metropolitan Theatre. On January 28 was the opening with the R.I. Philharmonic. On January 31 was the first Boston Symphony Orcestra concert at that new facility.
The last roadshow production that played the Elmwood in its golden era was the musical “Paint Your Wagon” in 1970. The film sank at the box office nationwide. So, it’s almost certain that the movie lost a lot of money for the Elmwood, as well. I recall going there to see “MASH,” one of its last first run engagements. Soon afterwards, the theater changed ownership and began showing films like “Illsa.”
The Spanish-language programs had appeared earlier at the Art Cinema, and had been run on Saturdays by the same promoters. A Providence Journal article of February 5, 1973 reported that in an article headlined “Films Please R.I. Latin Americans.”
The first film that I ever saw at the Elmwood was “Pepe” starring Cantinflas.
Starting in 1973, and for a time afterwards, the Elmwood had programs of double features of Spanish-language films every Saturday. The programs were begun by Virgilio Grullon and Rafael Nunez. One of the films shown was Don Quixote Cabalga with the famed Mexican comic star Cantinflas. Mr. Nunez asserted it was difficult to get prints of many other films with Cantinflas because of distributor restrictons. Another of the Mexican films programmed was White Roses for My Black Sister, a story of interracial marriage. The venture generally broke even but did not become a profit-making enterprise. An article entitled “Spanish-language films broke even 1st year” appeared in the Providence Journal on February 3, 1974.