Yes, the second photo posted above by Lost Memory shows the rear stage wall and the left exterior auditorium wall. You can clearly see the scar on the rear wall caused by bricking-up the old scene loading door at the time that Berklee College took over the Fenway Theatre. In the front view, in the far right distance, is Symphony Hall.
On the CT page for the Hyannis Theatre (13661) there is a beautiful color postcard from the 1920s of the theatre exterior. It is obviously the same building as photographed in 1941 on the Center Theatre’s MGM Report, as mentioned above. In that photo, there is no theatre name on the marquee. So the MGM Report is obviously wrong and does not pertain to this theatre, the Center, but rather to the Hyannis Theatre.
The 1920s postcard shown above is the same building shown on the MGM Report in May 1941 supposedly of the Center Theatre in Hyannis. In that photo, the theatre name does not show on the marquee. Obviously, the MGM Report is incorrect (what a surprise).
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Center Theatre on Main St. in Hyannis has an exterior photo taken in May 1941. There is a triangular marquee with 3 lines of black letters on white background. There are shops on either side of the entrance and the building is quite distinctive in appearance. The boxoffice is centered under the marquee. Posted on the marquee is: “On Stage Sat. May 10 / 1941 Edition "3 Cheers” / Fun-Fast & Furious “. The Report states that the Center has been a MGM customer for one year; that it was built in 1940, that it’s in Excellent condition, and has 570 seats on the main floor and 134 balcony seats, total: 704 seats. The competing theatre is the Hyannis Theatre. The 1940 population of Hyannis was 3,100.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Mahaiwe Theatre on Castle St. in Great Barrington has a facade photo taken in May 1941. There is a fancy boxy marquee with the name in huge letters on its front. There are 3 lines on its sides for the attraction. Movie playing is Joan Crawford and Melvyn Douglas in “A Woman’s Face”. Above the marquee is a large arch. The Report states that the theatre has been a MGM customer for over 10 years; that it’s in Fair condition; and has 461 orchestra seats and 400 balcony seats, total: 861 seats. The Report also states that there were no competing theatres in town.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Garden Theatre on Main St. in Greenfield has an exterior photo taken in May 1941. The attraction is “Tobacco Road”. The Report states that the Garden has been a MGM customer for over 10 years old; that it’s over 15 years old; that it’s in Good condition; and has 1318 orchestra seats and 559 balcony seats, total: 1877 seats.
To Steve Fredrick- a theatre will not be found here in Cinema Treasures if movies were never presented in it… I never saw a show at the Astor, but I remember it in the 1970s when there was a “flea market” inside the auditorium. The seats had been removed and there were rows of tables. You entered thru the fire exit doors on the left auditorium wall.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Wollaston Theatre on Beale St. in Quincy has a facade photo taken in April 1941. There was a vertical blade sign above the marquee. Attractions, in white letters on a black background, were “Strawberry Blonde” and “Play Girl”. Attached to the bottom edge of the marquee was a cloth banner stating that Blue Orchid Dinnerware was available with admission tickets. (“Dish Night”) To the immediate right of the theatre’s one-story entrance block was a building with at least 2 or 3 stories. That building has been gone for awhile. The Report states that the Wollaston has been a MGM customer for over 10 years; that the Condition is Good; and that it has 1259 seats, all on one floor.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Wilmington Theatre on Main St. in Wilmington has a facade photo taken in 1941. It is definitely the same building as in the recent color photos posted above. The theatre entrance was in the center, under the arch. In 1941, it did not have a marquee, but did have poster cases on each side of the entrance. The Report states that the theatre has been a MGM customer for 5 years; that it was built about 1925, that it’s in Fair condition, and has 400 seats, apparently all on one floor.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Winchester Theatre on Main St. has a exterior photo taken in May 1941. The attraction is “Strawberry Blonde”. There is a rectangular marquee with “Winchester” in the front center with E.M. Loew logos on each side of the name, plus one line for attractions below. The sides of the marquee have the name above and 3 lines below. The boxoffice is situated below the marquee, centered in the entrance. The facade is fancy brick. The Report states that the theatre has been a MGM customer for 3 years, that it was built in 1938, that it’s in Good condition, and has 874 seats, apparently all on one floor.
The rats weren’t just running around on stage in this period of decline for the Saxon (up to 1983). I seem to recall that 2 rats got into a fight outside the lower-level men’s room and one stabbed the other. Emerson College really saved the place.
The Boston Herald of Nov. 10th states that Citibank “currently has no plans to change the name of either the Wang or Shubert theatres. The official name of the arts center will be announced at a later date.”
The edition of the Boston Herald which I have states that Citigroup beat out several other bidders for the renaming rights and that the Wang Center for the Performing Arts will be renamed Citibank Center for the Performance Arts, a slight twist on the name. The article does not mention if the Wang Theatre itself will be renamed. I suspect that the Wang name will not be changed, as per the Globe article mentioned above.
Ron- there is no street number given for the Brookline Theatre. Just “Washington Street”. The photo was taken in April 1941. The theatre entrance was at the right end of a business block at least 3 stories high. One door down on the left is “Boylston Candy Kitchen”. The theatre had a rectangular marquee with the letters spelling out “Brookline” on its top-front. Movies are “Hudson’s Bay” and “Jennie”, black letters on white background. The Report states that the theatre was opened in 1939 (it looks older than that); that it shows MGM films; that it’s in Excellent condition; that it has 800 orchestra seats and 400 balcony seats.
There is a MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Hancock Village Theatre. It includes an undated photo, with autombiles in front of it which appear to be of post-War vintage. The theatre is listed as being in Brookline.(see comments above). The photo shows that the entrance was at the corner of an L-shaped structure in what today is called a “strip mall”. To the left is a (First) National Store; to the right is a store with signage in script letters which says (I think) “Youth Corner”. The theatre has a tower with the name and the ATC logo. Above the entrance is the attraction board indicating matinee at 145P and Evening at 745P; Childrens mat. Sat. at 2P. Attractions appear to be “Chain Lighning” and “High Fury”. There is a set of 5 wide steps leading up from the parking lot to the entrance. Unfortunately, no one filled out the form itself, so there is no info about the cinema. I seem to recall that the Village in W. Rox. lasted well into the 1980s.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Coolidge Corner Theatre has an exterior photo taken in April 1941. This shows the original entrance on Harvard Street. There is a rectangular marquee with “Coolidge Corner” on the front and just “Coolidge” on the side. The movie is “Back Street”. The Report states that the theatre is not a MGM customer; that it’s in Excellent condition and has 800 seats on the main floor and 400 in the balcony. There are also MGM Reports for the Circle Th. in Brookline and the Brookline Th. on Washington St., both filled out in 1941. Plus a later report for the Hancock Village Theatre in Brookline, which appears to be a strip-mall cinema circa 1950.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for Loew’s State on Mass. Ave. in Boston has an exterior photo taken in 1941. Attractions posted in white letters on a dark background are Cary Grant in “Penny Serenade” and Robert Young in “The Trial of Mary Dugan”. The Report states that the theatre is a MGM customer, that it’s in Good condition; and has 2054 orchestra seats, 1225 balcony seats, and 318 loge seats; total: 3597 seats.
People literally did come from miles around to see Cinerama in Boston in the 1950s. The shows were very popular. And 50 cents for a Coke in the mid-1950s was indeed a rip-off !! The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the RKO Boston has an exterior photo taken in 1941. The front of the rather small marquee says, in white letters on a dark background, “2 Big First Run Features!” attached to the lower edges of the marquee are cloth banners which read “2 Big First Run Features 2”. The Report states that the theatre does not present MGM product; that it’s in Good condition; and has 1934 seats on the orchestra floor, and 1289 in the balcony; total: 3223 seats.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Paramount in Boston has a facade photo taken in April 1941. The feature film posted on the long marquee stars Alice Faye, Don Ameche and Carmen Miranda, but the title is not possible to read. The second attraction is “Shadows on the Stars”. The Report states that the theatre does not present MGM product, that it’s in Good condition, and seats 1061 on the main floor and 736 in the balcony; total: 1797 seats.
I agree. The Colonial’s office building was called the “Colonial Building”. The New York City theatres listed in the program were probably all controlled by the Klaw & Erlanger syndicate.
The Circle was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project. There is an exterior photo dated April 1941. There was a parking lot in front and the building had 2 wrap-around marquees, one at each front corner. The entrance appears to be under the one on the right. Attractons are “Lady Eve” and “Flight from Destiny”. Both movies are posted on each marquee. The Report states that the address is “339 Chestnut Hill Avenue” (probably a typo). It states that the theatre has been a MGM customer for one year; that it was built in 1940, that it’s in Excellent condition, and has 1000 seats on the main floor and 207 seats in the balcony. The patronage is “Neighborhood – High Class”. Competing theatres are listed as Capitol, Allston, Egyptian.
The Boston Opera House is profiled on pages 186-8 of “National Trust Guide to Great Opera Houses in America” by Karyl Lynn Zietz (1996 John Wiley & Sons). The author relates that financial troubles for the Boston Opera Company became fatal when the Company embarked on a tour to Europe in 1915. Eben Jordan sold the theatre to Sumner Draper and Murray Howe in 1916 and they in turn sold it to the Shubert brothers in 1918. Thus, the movie engagement of “For Napoleon and France” in 1914 occured before the Shuberts owned the building. The author further states that the demolition contract was signed by Northeastern University in November 1957.
There is some info about the Boston Theatre on pages 185-6 of the book “National Trust Guide to Great Opera Houses of America” by Karyl Lynn Zietz (1996, John Wiley & Sons). The author points out that the B.F. Keith organization paid $1M for the theatre in April 1909. She contends that when it closed there was no gala farewell performance. The Boston Herald of October 4, 1925 carried an item that the theatre would close that night. After the usual Sunday evening movie (title not given) ended at 1045PM, the curtain was lowered with no further fanfare.
Yes, the second photo posted above by Lost Memory shows the rear stage wall and the left exterior auditorium wall. You can clearly see the scar on the rear wall caused by bricking-up the old scene loading door at the time that Berklee College took over the Fenway Theatre. In the front view, in the far right distance, is Symphony Hall.
On the CT page for the Hyannis Theatre (13661) there is a beautiful color postcard from the 1920s of the theatre exterior. It is obviously the same building as photographed in 1941 on the Center Theatre’s MGM Report, as mentioned above. In that photo, there is no theatre name on the marquee. So the MGM Report is obviously wrong and does not pertain to this theatre, the Center, but rather to the Hyannis Theatre.
The 1920s postcard shown above is the same building shown on the MGM Report in May 1941 supposedly of the Center Theatre in Hyannis. In that photo, the theatre name does not show on the marquee. Obviously, the MGM Report is incorrect (what a surprise).
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Center Theatre on Main St. in Hyannis has an exterior photo taken in May 1941. There is a triangular marquee with 3 lines of black letters on white background. There are shops on either side of the entrance and the building is quite distinctive in appearance. The boxoffice is centered under the marquee. Posted on the marquee is: “On Stage Sat. May 10 / 1941 Edition "3 Cheers” / Fun-Fast & Furious “. The Report states that the Center has been a MGM customer for one year; that it was built in 1940, that it’s in Excellent condition, and has 570 seats on the main floor and 134 balcony seats, total: 704 seats. The competing theatre is the Hyannis Theatre. The 1940 population of Hyannis was 3,100.
The marquee pictured in the 1941 MGM Report photo appears to be the same one in the recent photos posted by Lost Memory on Oct 19 2006.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Mahaiwe Theatre on Castle St. in Great Barrington has a facade photo taken in May 1941. There is a fancy boxy marquee with the name in huge letters on its front. There are 3 lines on its sides for the attraction. Movie playing is Joan Crawford and Melvyn Douglas in “A Woman’s Face”. Above the marquee is a large arch. The Report states that the theatre has been a MGM customer for over 10 years; that it’s in Fair condition; and has 461 orchestra seats and 400 balcony seats, total: 861 seats. The Report also states that there were no competing theatres in town.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Garden Theatre on Main St. in Greenfield has an exterior photo taken in May 1941. The attraction is “Tobacco Road”. The Report states that the Garden has been a MGM customer for over 10 years old; that it’s over 15 years old; that it’s in Good condition; and has 1318 orchestra seats and 559 balcony seats, total: 1877 seats.
To Steve Fredrick- a theatre will not be found here in Cinema Treasures if movies were never presented in it… I never saw a show at the Astor, but I remember it in the 1970s when there was a “flea market” inside the auditorium. The seats had been removed and there were rows of tables. You entered thru the fire exit doors on the left auditorium wall.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Wollaston Theatre on Beale St. in Quincy has a facade photo taken in April 1941. There was a vertical blade sign above the marquee. Attractions, in white letters on a black background, were “Strawberry Blonde” and “Play Girl”. Attached to the bottom edge of the marquee was a cloth banner stating that Blue Orchid Dinnerware was available with admission tickets. (“Dish Night”) To the immediate right of the theatre’s one-story entrance block was a building with at least 2 or 3 stories. That building has been gone for awhile. The Report states that the Wollaston has been a MGM customer for over 10 years; that the Condition is Good; and that it has 1259 seats, all on one floor.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Wilmington Theatre on Main St. in Wilmington has a facade photo taken in 1941. It is definitely the same building as in the recent color photos posted above. The theatre entrance was in the center, under the arch. In 1941, it did not have a marquee, but did have poster cases on each side of the entrance. The Report states that the theatre has been a MGM customer for 5 years; that it was built about 1925, that it’s in Fair condition, and has 400 seats, apparently all on one floor.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Winchester Theatre on Main St. has a exterior photo taken in May 1941. The attraction is “Strawberry Blonde”. There is a rectangular marquee with “Winchester” in the front center with E.M. Loew logos on each side of the name, plus one line for attractions below. The sides of the marquee have the name above and 3 lines below. The boxoffice is situated below the marquee, centered in the entrance. The facade is fancy brick. The Report states that the theatre has been a MGM customer for 3 years, that it was built in 1938, that it’s in Good condition, and has 874 seats, apparently all on one floor.
The rats weren’t just running around on stage in this period of decline for the Saxon (up to 1983). I seem to recall that 2 rats got into a fight outside the lower-level men’s room and one stabbed the other. Emerson College really saved the place.
The Boston Herald of Nov. 10th states that Citibank “currently has no plans to change the name of either the Wang or Shubert theatres. The official name of the arts center will be announced at a later date.”
Yes, it was renovated / restored circa late-1990s; I think that Evergreen Studios did the work (not sure of that). It looks great today.
The edition of the Boston Herald which I have states that Citigroup beat out several other bidders for the renaming rights and that the Wang Center for the Performing Arts will be renamed Citibank Center for the Performance Arts, a slight twist on the name. The article does not mention if the Wang Theatre itself will be renamed. I suspect that the Wang name will not be changed, as per the Globe article mentioned above.
Ron- there is no street number given for the Brookline Theatre. Just “Washington Street”. The photo was taken in April 1941. The theatre entrance was at the right end of a business block at least 3 stories high. One door down on the left is “Boylston Candy Kitchen”. The theatre had a rectangular marquee with the letters spelling out “Brookline” on its top-front. Movies are “Hudson’s Bay” and “Jennie”, black letters on white background. The Report states that the theatre was opened in 1939 (it looks older than that); that it shows MGM films; that it’s in Excellent condition; that it has 800 orchestra seats and 400 balcony seats.
There is a MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Hancock Village Theatre. It includes an undated photo, with autombiles in front of it which appear to be of post-War vintage. The theatre is listed as being in Brookline.(see comments above). The photo shows that the entrance was at the corner of an L-shaped structure in what today is called a “strip mall”. To the left is a (First) National Store; to the right is a store with signage in script letters which says (I think) “Youth Corner”. The theatre has a tower with the name and the ATC logo. Above the entrance is the attraction board indicating matinee at 145P and Evening at 745P; Childrens mat. Sat. at 2P. Attractions appear to be “Chain Lighning” and “High Fury”. There is a set of 5 wide steps leading up from the parking lot to the entrance. Unfortunately, no one filled out the form itself, so there is no info about the cinema. I seem to recall that the Village in W. Rox. lasted well into the 1980s.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Coolidge Corner Theatre has an exterior photo taken in April 1941. This shows the original entrance on Harvard Street. There is a rectangular marquee with “Coolidge Corner” on the front and just “Coolidge” on the side. The movie is “Back Street”. The Report states that the theatre is not a MGM customer; that it’s in Excellent condition and has 800 seats on the main floor and 400 in the balcony. There are also MGM Reports for the Circle Th. in Brookline and the Brookline Th. on Washington St., both filled out in 1941. Plus a later report for the Hancock Village Theatre in Brookline, which appears to be a strip-mall cinema circa 1950.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for Loew’s State on Mass. Ave. in Boston has an exterior photo taken in 1941. Attractions posted in white letters on a dark background are Cary Grant in “Penny Serenade” and Robert Young in “The Trial of Mary Dugan”. The Report states that the theatre is a MGM customer, that it’s in Good condition; and has 2054 orchestra seats, 1225 balcony seats, and 318 loge seats; total: 3597 seats.
People literally did come from miles around to see Cinerama in Boston in the 1950s. The shows were very popular. And 50 cents for a Coke in the mid-1950s was indeed a rip-off !! The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the RKO Boston has an exterior photo taken in 1941. The front of the rather small marquee says, in white letters on a dark background, “2 Big First Run Features!” attached to the lower edges of the marquee are cloth banners which read “2 Big First Run Features 2”. The Report states that the theatre does not present MGM product; that it’s in Good condition; and has 1934 seats on the orchestra floor, and 1289 in the balcony; total: 3223 seats.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Paramount in Boston has a facade photo taken in April 1941. The feature film posted on the long marquee stars Alice Faye, Don Ameche and Carmen Miranda, but the title is not possible to read. The second attraction is “Shadows on the Stars”. The Report states that the theatre does not present MGM product, that it’s in Good condition, and seats 1061 on the main floor and 736 in the balcony; total: 1797 seats.
I agree. The Colonial’s office building was called the “Colonial Building”. The New York City theatres listed in the program were probably all controlled by the Klaw & Erlanger syndicate.
The Circle was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project. There is an exterior photo dated April 1941. There was a parking lot in front and the building had 2 wrap-around marquees, one at each front corner. The entrance appears to be under the one on the right. Attractons are “Lady Eve” and “Flight from Destiny”. Both movies are posted on each marquee. The Report states that the address is “339 Chestnut Hill Avenue” (probably a typo). It states that the theatre has been a MGM customer for one year; that it was built in 1940, that it’s in Excellent condition, and has 1000 seats on the main floor and 207 seats in the balcony. The patronage is “Neighborhood – High Class”. Competing theatres are listed as Capitol, Allston, Egyptian.
The Boston Opera House is profiled on pages 186-8 of “National Trust Guide to Great Opera Houses in America” by Karyl Lynn Zietz (1996 John Wiley & Sons). The author relates that financial troubles for the Boston Opera Company became fatal when the Company embarked on a tour to Europe in 1915. Eben Jordan sold the theatre to Sumner Draper and Murray Howe in 1916 and they in turn sold it to the Shubert brothers in 1918. Thus, the movie engagement of “For Napoleon and France” in 1914 occured before the Shuberts owned the building. The author further states that the demolition contract was signed by Northeastern University in November 1957.
There is some info about the Boston Theatre on pages 185-6 of the book “National Trust Guide to Great Opera Houses of America” by Karyl Lynn Zietz (1996, John Wiley & Sons). The author points out that the B.F. Keith organization paid $1M for the theatre in April 1909. She contends that when it closed there was no gala farewell performance. The Boston Herald of October 4, 1925 carried an item that the theatre would close that night. After the usual Sunday evening movie (title not given) ended at 1045PM, the curtain was lowered with no further fanfare.