As nearly all the Landmark Theatres I’ve seen pictures of, this one is stylish, and is run like theatres were in the “old days” with an emphasis on good customer service. The projectionist is a perfectionist, and the theatre is clean and well maintained. You’d expect being in a city that traffic would be a hassle, and parking would too. However, the Kendall has a large parking garage, the the roads leading there from Memorial Drive are no problem. It’s located not only in an area with lots of offices, but lots of homes too, all a shorter walk than Kendall Square. In my opinion, Landmark knows how to pick good locations, and make moviegoing a pleasure.
Ron, the Green Line Chestnut Hill stop is about a 5 minute walk from Chestnut Hill Cinema. (past the Post Office, and to the right through the parking lot past Star Market. Lots of people use public transportation in the Newton Brookline area, and many who used to travel the green line from Fenway to Cleveland Circle and one stop up, Chestnut Hill, now can walk to the AMC Fenway Theatre. Of course the suburban Newton folks will continue to patronize Chestnut Hill, but the competition added by the Fenway Theatre, offered one more alternative for those who hated the lack of parking at Cleveland Circle, as well as the 4 tiny screens in the back. Those are the worst auditoriums anyone can imagine for watching a film.
With Six You Get Eggroll premiered at 3 General Cinemas on the same day, Braintree, Peabody, and Framingham, with a helicopter taking Barbara Hershey, et al to each location. When they arrived in the parking lot at Framingham, there was a High School band playing to greet them. Probably the same kind of local things happened at each location. There was even a Boston Record American with an extra front page wrap announcing the event, handed out at each theatre.
I don’t know why the Boston suburbs were chosen for the event.
Projection was handled by George Follis and John Grebauski, for most of the years, that the South Shore Plaza Cinema was in operation. Mr Follis was the business agent for the local, and ran a 16mm film rental business in Quincy on the side. Both men worked seven days a week, rather than allow a relief man in their booth.
The floor staffs generally were long tenured, and younger brothers and sisters followed in their siblings footsteps in working the Cinema. It was the only theatre in the circuit which had a Matron on the payroll, from 1966 until she retired in the late 1980’s. Her name was Miriam.
Drinks from vending were 12 oz, the concession stand had 14 and 20 oz. Popcorn had plain boxes, small was 10 oz, large 25 oz. (correct me if my memory is off a little). Buttered came in 24 oz and 46 oz. cups.
People still left their stuff under the seats after a show, but there wasn’t as much sold back then.
I think I remember that memo, but in by ‘66, the Cinema in Shoppers World Framingham was already allowing all food into the auditorium.
When I was a kid going to the show there, I remember only buying popcorn and candy, but not drinks.
I think the drink vending machine was owned by ABC Vending, as we had ABC cups with the little character on it.
In the 1960’s and into the 70’s, the variety of concession items was limited to Popcorn, drinks, and candy. (sometimes a dixie cup or ice cream sandwich was sold) Sizes were smaller, too. A small buttered popcorn was 24 oz, large 46. Drinks were 12 oz and 20 oz. Volume of business for concession was less, as I remember Cinemas used to buy butter at the local supermarket to melt in the buttermat. I’m sure ushers in the auditoriums were sent to aisles to sweep up spills in the 1960’s but the need for entire crews to pickup wasn’t there.
Once they introduced buckets of 83 oz and 123 oz, and 32 oz drinks, as well as larger candy sizes, the litter became a problem. If you go back to the earlier years, in the 1930’s and 40’s, I think concession stands were nearly nonexistent, and I’ve been told food was banned from auditoriums.
I worked at the Sack Cheri for a couple of months in the summer of 1968 as an usher/concessionaire. The Manager was Joe Sasso, who went to work at Pasek Lock when he retired. There was an assistant manager who’s name I’ve forgotten, who would cruise the city after work, chasing ambulances, I think. Sorry I don’t have any anecdotes, but it was so long ago.
I do remember parking my 63 Volkswagon on the side street and having a sign in the window which said “Theatre Employee” which helped prevent getting a parking ticket.
And one day, while walking past the Uptown, which was nearly around the corner, and being torn down at the time, I found some old painted movie posters. (read my story about that under the Uptown thread).
There was a Quintree Drive-In in Braintree before General Cinema’s South Shore Twin Drive In. The question remains, where was it located? Locals may want to check the old telephone books or microfilm at the Library.
It wouldn’t make sense for them to advertise in the Boston Globe due to the cost. Usually only large chains put in directories for all their houses, or if there’s co-op money for a particular film. The Patriot Ledger is a large circulation paper on the south shore, which should be good enough for their advertising needs. Both theatres need to attract locals in order to survive. I think film cost and the Showcase/GCC/AMC competition/influence with distributors has probably hurt their business.
How close is the red line stop to Wollaston anyway?
Interesting note on the link to the Waltham Museum web site, was the statement from an Embassy “expert” that the original design for the lobby was Oriental. According to opening day ads in the newspapers, the design was Spanish.
To Richard Dziadzio, do you have a web site with your interior photos of the State Theatre? I’d love to see them. Or maybe you’d be kind enough to email them to me at
Sometimes I wish the folks posting would research for more information before sending in the name of a theatre in a town. It’s almost like a race to see who can “publish” the most buildings. Finding the name and address in an old Film Daily Annual doesn’t help much when we don’t know when a theatre opened, nor when it closed, nor what chain it belonged to. This is especially true for the little theatres that were on every single main street in nearly every town in America. One might consider checking the public library for old phone books or town building records for the year of opening, microfilm from the town newspaper about the grand opening, town historical society, and maybe other sources as well. In other words, sometimes it’s quality and not quantity that counts.
(I might ad that sometimes a vague place can prompt someone’s memory, so all’s not so bad.)
This Cinema was originally the Worcester Center Cinema, opened by General Cinema around 1973. the three auditoriums had a total of only about 700 seats. Actually, the lobby was larger than the three screens combined. It was my first theatre as Manager, from June 1975 until November 1975. It was a busy summer, with Benji and Pete’s Dragon amoung the films shown that summer. October of that year was a distraction from the movies, as the Red Sox were in the World Series.
Thanks Charles, but the address was already mentioned by Ken Roe, and the town is Framingham, not Farmington. (I know, sometimes the Film Daily has typos)
The Waltham Cinema was called a “buck house” along with Stoneham, Fresh Pond Cambridge, and Saugus. These Cinemas played after the first run
Peabody, Framingham, Braintree, Burlington, and Westgate Mall Brockton, in the Rte 128 perimeter of Boston. They were all General Cinemas, not a small chain at all.
Blackall, Clapp & Whittemore are credited as the architects of the Boston Colonial, Wilbur, Metropolitan (later known as the Music Hall and now called the Wang Center), as well as the Modern. The Modern had the first installed sound projection equipment in New England. The St George opened in 1921, and had sound installed in 1929. The Manager of the St George was George Sumter until he retired in 1946, followed by Anthony Capobianco, then James Collins who later became the Manager of the Natick Drive In, then John Berry.
Ben Sack won this theatre in a poker game. When the film “And God Created Woman” played here, the Assistant Manager, Izzy Strier, needed Mr Sack’s intervention to avoid being arrested by the Boston Police for running a film which violated Boston’s blue laws.
Nearly all Downtown Boston theaters were owned by Ben Sack from the late 1950’s and through the 1970’s, run by Mr Sack, and Alan Friedberg with Bill Glazer, until sold to the Loews Corporation. Any anecdotes and information on the history of Sack Theatres would be appreciated.
You might start at the Boston Public Library and check architectural publications. There are also technical publications with information on equipment, as well as design. The telephone book will give you the contact information for Boston Light and Sound, as well as RCA, for technical requirements. The telephone book will also list independent film bookers who can give you information on film cost as well as their percentage. This would come under the heading of “Film”.
If you check this web site, there was a lengthy explanation on the subject of theatre startups just a couple of months ago. It’s an interesting topic with lots of things to consider.
Best of luck on your thesis.
During the summer of 1968, I worked part time as an usher at the nearby Sack Cheri. While walking to work, I saw the Uptown being torn down. Hanging from a frame on an exposed wall of the second floor, was an old painted movie poster. I asked a worker if there were any posters I might take as a souvenir. He showed me a flooded cellar, with cardboard floating around. I managed to retrieve a poster for the Judy Garland film, “A Star is Born”. It was a cardboard, part paste-up, part painted. It was probably the only undamaged poster there, although I didn’t have much time to search, as I didn’t want to be late for work.
As nearly all the Landmark Theatres I’ve seen pictures of, this one is stylish, and is run like theatres were in the “old days” with an emphasis on good customer service. The projectionist is a perfectionist, and the theatre is clean and well maintained. You’d expect being in a city that traffic would be a hassle, and parking would too. However, the Kendall has a large parking garage, the the roads leading there from Memorial Drive are no problem. It’s located not only in an area with lots of offices, but lots of homes too, all a shorter walk than Kendall Square. In my opinion, Landmark knows how to pick good locations, and make moviegoing a pleasure.
Ron, the Green Line Chestnut Hill stop is about a 5 minute walk from Chestnut Hill Cinema. (past the Post Office, and to the right through the parking lot past Star Market. Lots of people use public transportation in the Newton Brookline area, and many who used to travel the green line from Fenway to Cleveland Circle and one stop up, Chestnut Hill, now can walk to the AMC Fenway Theatre. Of course the suburban Newton folks will continue to patronize Chestnut Hill, but the competition added by the Fenway Theatre, offered one more alternative for those who hated the lack of parking at Cleveland Circle, as well as the 4 tiny screens in the back. Those are the worst auditoriums anyone can imagine for watching a film.
Chestnut Hill and the Fenway AMC are right on the same green line as the Circle. I think the Fenway hurt the Circle’s business.
With Six You Get Eggroll premiered at 3 General Cinemas on the same day, Braintree, Peabody, and Framingham, with a helicopter taking Barbara Hershey, et al to each location. When they arrived in the parking lot at Framingham, there was a High School band playing to greet them. Probably the same kind of local things happened at each location. There was even a Boston Record American with an extra front page wrap announcing the event, handed out at each theatre.
I don’t know why the Boston suburbs were chosen for the event.
Projection was handled by George Follis and John Grebauski, for most of the years, that the South Shore Plaza Cinema was in operation. Mr Follis was the business agent for the local, and ran a 16mm film rental business in Quincy on the side. Both men worked seven days a week, rather than allow a relief man in their booth.
The floor staffs generally were long tenured, and younger brothers and sisters followed in their siblings footsteps in working the Cinema. It was the only theatre in the circuit which had a Matron on the payroll, from 1966 until she retired in the late 1980’s. Her name was Miriam.
Drinks from vending were 12 oz, the concession stand had 14 and 20 oz. Popcorn had plain boxes, small was 10 oz, large 25 oz. (correct me if my memory is off a little). Buttered came in 24 oz and 46 oz. cups.
People still left their stuff under the seats after a show, but there wasn’t as much sold back then.
I think I remember that memo, but in by ‘66, the Cinema in Shoppers World Framingham was already allowing all food into the auditorium.
When I was a kid going to the show there, I remember only buying popcorn and candy, but not drinks.
I think the drink vending machine was owned by ABC Vending, as we had ABC cups with the little character on it.
In the 1960’s and into the 70’s, the variety of concession items was limited to Popcorn, drinks, and candy. (sometimes a dixie cup or ice cream sandwich was sold) Sizes were smaller, too. A small buttered popcorn was 24 oz, large 46. Drinks were 12 oz and 20 oz. Volume of business for concession was less, as I remember Cinemas used to buy butter at the local supermarket to melt in the buttermat. I’m sure ushers in the auditoriums were sent to aisles to sweep up spills in the 1960’s but the need for entire crews to pickup wasn’t there.
Once they introduced buckets of 83 oz and 123 oz, and 32 oz drinks, as well as larger candy sizes, the litter became a problem. If you go back to the earlier years, in the 1930’s and 40’s, I think concession stands were nearly nonexistent, and I’ve been told food was banned from auditoriums.
I worked at the Sack Cheri for a couple of months in the summer of 1968 as an usher/concessionaire. The Manager was Joe Sasso, who went to work at Pasek Lock when he retired. There was an assistant manager who’s name I’ve forgotten, who would cruise the city after work, chasing ambulances, I think. Sorry I don’t have any anecdotes, but it was so long ago.
I do remember parking my 63 Volkswagon on the side street and having a sign in the window which said “Theatre Employee” which helped prevent getting a parking ticket.
And one day, while walking past the Uptown, which was nearly around the corner, and being torn down at the time, I found some old painted movie posters. (read my story about that under the Uptown thread).
There was a Quintree Drive-In in Braintree before General Cinema’s South Shore Twin Drive In. The question remains, where was it located? Locals may want to check the old telephone books or microfilm at the Library.
Don Lewis' motion passes overwhelmingly. In anticipation of this, Happy New Year!
It wouldn’t make sense for them to advertise in the Boston Globe due to the cost. Usually only large chains put in directories for all their houses, or if there’s co-op money for a particular film. The Patriot Ledger is a large circulation paper on the south shore, which should be good enough for their advertising needs. Both theatres need to attract locals in order to survive. I think film cost and the Showcase/GCC/AMC competition/influence with distributors has probably hurt their business.
How close is the red line stop to Wollaston anyway?
Interesting note on the link to the Waltham Museum web site, was the statement from an Embassy “expert” that the original design for the lobby was Oriental. According to opening day ads in the newspapers, the design was Spanish.
There were 1432 seats in Cinema I. Cinema II across the lobby had 709.
To Richard Dziadzio, do you have a web site with your interior photos of the State Theatre? I’d love to see them. Or maybe you’d be kind enough to email them to me at
So, Mr VanBibber, what can you tell us about your listing?
to Jonathan9, there have been a lot of potential locations for you in the Treasures News section, including these two most recent:
http://cinematreasures.org/news/12493_0_1_0_C/
and this one: http://cinematreasures.org/news/12491_0_1_10_C/
Any reason why you’ve chosen the two you did so far?
Sometimes I wish the folks posting would research for more information before sending in the name of a theatre in a town. It’s almost like a race to see who can “publish” the most buildings. Finding the name and address in an old Film Daily Annual doesn’t help much when we don’t know when a theatre opened, nor when it closed, nor what chain it belonged to. This is especially true for the little theatres that were on every single main street in nearly every town in America. One might consider checking the public library for old phone books or town building records for the year of opening, microfilm from the town newspaper about the grand opening, town historical society, and maybe other sources as well. In other words, sometimes it’s quality and not quantity that counts.
(I might ad that sometimes a vague place can prompt someone’s memory, so all’s not so bad.)
This Cinema was originally the Worcester Center Cinema, opened by General Cinema around 1973. the three auditoriums had a total of only about 700 seats. Actually, the lobby was larger than the three screens combined. It was my first theatre as Manager, from June 1975 until November 1975. It was a busy summer, with Benji and Pete’s Dragon amoung the films shown that summer. October of that year was a distraction from the movies, as the Red Sox were in the World Series.
Thanks Charles, but the address was already mentioned by Ken Roe, and the town is Framingham, not Farmington. (I know, sometimes the Film Daily has typos)
The Waltham Cinema was called a “buck house” along with Stoneham, Fresh Pond Cambridge, and Saugus. These Cinemas played after the first run
Peabody, Framingham, Braintree, Burlington, and Westgate Mall Brockton, in the Rte 128 perimeter of Boston. They were all General Cinemas, not a small chain at all.
Blackall, Clapp & Whittemore are credited as the architects of the Boston Colonial, Wilbur, Metropolitan (later known as the Music Hall and now called the Wang Center), as well as the Modern. The Modern had the first installed sound projection equipment in New England. The St George opened in 1921, and had sound installed in 1929. The Manager of the St George was George Sumter until he retired in 1946, followed by Anthony Capobianco, then James Collins who later became the Manager of the Natick Drive In, then John Berry.
Ben Sack won this theatre in a poker game. When the film “And God Created Woman” played here, the Assistant Manager, Izzy Strier, needed Mr Sack’s intervention to avoid being arrested by the Boston Police for running a film which violated Boston’s blue laws.
Nearly all Downtown Boston theaters were owned by Ben Sack from the late 1950’s and through the 1970’s, run by Mr Sack, and Alan Friedberg with Bill Glazer, until sold to the Loews Corporation. Any anecdotes and information on the history of Sack Theatres would be appreciated.
You might start at the Boston Public Library and check architectural publications. There are also technical publications with information on equipment, as well as design. The telephone book will give you the contact information for Boston Light and Sound, as well as RCA, for technical requirements. The telephone book will also list independent film bookers who can give you information on film cost as well as their percentage. This would come under the heading of “Film”.
If you check this web site, there was a lengthy explanation on the subject of theatre startups just a couple of months ago. It’s an interesting topic with lots of things to consider.
Best of luck on your thesis.
During the summer of 1968, I worked part time as an usher at the nearby Sack Cheri. While walking to work, I saw the Uptown being torn down. Hanging from a frame on an exposed wall of the second floor, was an old painted movie poster. I asked a worker if there were any posters I might take as a souvenir. He showed me a flooded cellar, with cardboard floating around. I managed to retrieve a poster for the Judy Garland film, “A Star is Born”. It was a cardboard, part paste-up, part painted. It was probably the only undamaged poster there, although I didn’t have much time to search, as I didn’t want to be late for work.
How did this theatre become a part of the Sack Theatre chain which was in Boston, and didn’t exist until the late 1950’s?