This looked to me like the original projection booth for sporadic movie events with 35mm equipment, in the silent era and later as well. It is in the rear of the second balcony.
I went to a show at the Bradley Playhouse yesterday. It was a musical-comedy-review entitled Broadway Live…Christmas put on by the Theatre of Northeastern Connecticut, which occupies the house and does many shows throughout the year, and while the show was not my cup of tea, the audience at the sold-out performance was having a grand time. Besides a chance to see one of the many reasonably-priced shows here, many might have come to see friends and relatives and many children in the cast comprised of locals. The atmosphere is very friendly and community-oriented. The staff is particularly pleasant and accomodating. I walked all about the theatre before the show and during intermission to check out various parts of this wonderful old 1901 theatre. It served as a movie house for many decades, and the projection booth structure is still intact, though movies haven’t been shown here in close to three decades. I couldn’t help wondering as I sat there and as I roamed and took a few photos, that this is what every small-town former movie theatre in American might have become instead of facing destruction. My thoughts went to the recently-demolished Pastime Theatre in Bristol, RI. Preservationists were unable to get the town to save it, and so Bristol, which might have had the likes of a Bradley, will be doomed not to. In recent years the town of Putnam has become a Mecca for its antique shops which have brought new life to the place and given it a new identity. How much of that has been instrumental in keeping the Bradley alive is hard to say, but it certainly hasn’t hurt. Let’s just be thankful and hope that this gem of an old house will continue to survive and succeed. FRONT OF HOUSE BALCONY LOBBY DISPLAY
This vintage postcard shows Seventh Avenue and the B.F. Keith’s Alhambra. It was mailed in 1916. The marquee says “Opens Labor Day, Sept. 1.” Since Labor Day occurred on September 1 in 1913, this image could be from that year.
Jeremy, I have encountered no documentation or ads showing that those films you mention were shown at the Avon, or in our area. There was no Stanley or Cameo in Rhode Island that programmed Russian films routinely. Any that showed up on local screens during that period would have been rare exceptions. That is not to say there weren’t screenings by private organizations or at Brown University, for example. Moscow Strikes Back might have filled out bills in regular mainstream theatres, since it was distributed by Republic Pictures and had Edward G. Robinson as the narrator! Heroic Leningrad was distributed by Paramount. So I would guess they filled out wartime programs in some regular theatres across the country, especially in major cities.
The building which housed the Star Theatre many decades ago has been demolished just this past week. I was told that it had been a furniture store. Around the corner on Bradford Street the Pastime Theatre is history. It too has been recently demolished.
The Pastime Theatre was not the only one to have existed in this town. Another Bristol theatre is the long-forgotten Star Theatre that was on Hope Street next to the Rogers Free Library. It seems to have survived into the 1920s. An old postcard image can be linked to on the Star Theatre page. Information about the Star is most welcome.
Here is a postcard image of the Rogers Free Library and the Star Theatre next to it, circa 1916. The Star was in the red brick building. It’s entrance is to the left and the “Star” sign can be faintly made out. The theatre auditorium may have occupied an upper floor.
The address for the Star Theatre was 537 Hope Street, according to a 1922 directory. How long the theatre existed in the 1920s is unclear. How long it co-existed with the Pastime Theatre is unclear as well.
The Paris was used in the early 1980s by Cinema 320, a group dedicated to showing art-house fare in the city. This article in the Worcester Telegram tells of the group’s experiences before the place was leased to others for a higher-rent porno operation.
Rev Jeff S,
You got it wrong! It was not at this Palace Theatre! That was at what is now PPAC and what was for decades Loew’s State. That theatre was known as the Palace for a while in the 1970s. You can find it HERE. Perhaps you might want to re-post there.
An entry in MY Travel Guide gives the following information about the theatre:
“Located in the center of the city, this theater was constructed between 1933 and 1937, under the direction of the architect Antonino Russo. Many years ago it was a very active movie theater. Right now it is only used for concerts or cultural events from time to time. There is a foyer and an anteroom that leads to the seats, the stage and the dressing rooms. The interior of this construction in brick, iron, and wood, is very simple. The galleries on the central section of its facade are framed by arches in the ground floor and by architrave over Doric columns at the top part.”
Dick, I didn’t notice that closing date discrepancy. I was quoting written sources I found, some of which may have contained errors. The other x-rated house on Main Street was Cinema I. It was opened, I am assuming, by the folks that had run the one on Pleasant Street once it closed. So there were two theatres named Cinema I at different times. The later one was the porno house of which you speak, diagonally across from the Capitol. I believe it was a small new theatre, carved out of an existing building. That theatre also has a page on Cinema Treasures, right here.
Nancie, your husband’s memories, and yours as well, should be posted where appropriate. That’s what Cinema Treasures is all about. I made sure that ALL the known Fall River theatres were represented on this site. Every recollection is valuable for those seeking to counter the slowly disappearing history of old movie theatres. Incidentally, the Capitol Theatre, for decades a bowling alley and a furniture store, is now in the process of being (slowly) restored. I hope the project comes to completion. As you must kown, it was located right across from the Plaza.
The theatre e-newsletter just announced the following:
The Jane Pickens Theater is poised to become Washington Square’s first live performance center. The movie house on Touro Street will continue to show films, but owner Kathy Staab plans to add live performances. “This gives us more opportunities to bring in people with a variety of events,” Staab said.
More information can be found at the theatre’s website:
The film projection booth at Real Art Ways Cinema before the showing of the 1994 Polish film Crows (Wrony) by Dorota Kedzierzawska.
I saw that building yesterday and that portion is now a U.S. Post Office sub-station.
This looked to me like the original projection booth for sporadic movie events with 35mm equipment, in the silent era and later as well. It is in the rear of the second balcony.
I went to a show at the Bradley Playhouse yesterday. It was a musical-comedy-review entitled Broadway Live…Christmas put on by the Theatre of Northeastern Connecticut, which occupies the house and does many shows throughout the year, and while the show was not my cup of tea, the audience at the sold-out performance was having a grand time. Besides a chance to see one of the many reasonably-priced shows here, many might have come to see friends and relatives and many children in the cast comprised of locals. The atmosphere is very friendly and community-oriented. The staff is particularly pleasant and accomodating. I walked all about the theatre before the show and during intermission to check out various parts of this wonderful old 1901 theatre. It served as a movie house for many decades, and the projection booth structure is still intact, though movies haven’t been shown here in close to three decades. I couldn’t help wondering as I sat there and as I roamed and took a few photos, that this is what every small-town former movie theatre in American might have become instead of facing destruction. My thoughts went to the recently-demolished Pastime Theatre in Bristol, RI. Preservationists were unable to get the town to save it, and so Bristol, which might have had the likes of a Bradley, will be doomed not to. In recent years the town of Putnam has become a Mecca for its antique shops which have brought new life to the place and given it a new identity. How much of that has been instrumental in keeping the Bradley alive is hard to say, but it certainly hasn’t hurt. Let’s just be thankful and hope that this gem of an old house will continue to survive and succeed.
FRONT OF HOUSE
BALCONY
LOBBY DISPLAY
This vintage postcard shows Seventh Avenue and the B.F. Keith’s Alhambra. It was mailed in 1916. The marquee says “Opens Labor Day, Sept. 1.” Since Labor Day occurred on September 1 in 1913, this image could be from that year.
Here is a photo of the Park Theatre in 1909 while a movie was being shot in front of the theatre.
Here is an early 20th Century postcard showing the Bliven Opera House.
Jeremy, I have encountered no documentation or ads showing that those films you mention were shown at the Avon, or in our area. There was no Stanley or Cameo in Rhode Island that programmed Russian films routinely. Any that showed up on local screens during that period would have been rare exceptions. That is not to say there weren’t screenings by private organizations or at Brown University, for example. Moscow Strikes Back might have filled out bills in regular mainstream theatres, since it was distributed by Republic Pictures and had Edward G. Robinson as the narrator! Heroic Leningrad was distributed by Paramount. So I would guess they filled out wartime programs in some regular theatres across the country, especially in major cities.
The Pastime Theatre has been demolished. Today I saw the fenced-in vacant lot.
The building which housed the Star Theatre many decades ago has been demolished just this past week. I was told that it had been a furniture store. Around the corner on Bradford Street the Pastime Theatre is history. It too has been recently demolished.
The Pastime Theatre was not the only one to have existed in this town. Another Bristol theatre is the long-forgotten Star Theatre that was on Hope Street next to the Rogers Free Library. It seems to have survived into the 1920s. An old postcard image can be linked to on the Star Theatre page. Information about the Star is most welcome.
Here is a postcard image of the Rogers Free Library and the Star Theatre next to it, circa 1916. The Star was in the red brick building. It’s entrance is to the left and the “Star” sign can be faintly made out. The theatre auditorium may have occupied an upper floor.
Yes, in fact as you can see by my above photo links, the theatre is still there, fully intact, except for the seats, screen, and projectors.
The address for the Star Theatre was 537 Hope Street, according to a 1922 directory. How long the theatre existed in the 1920s is unclear. How long it co-existed with the Pastime Theatre is unclear as well.
The Paris was used in the early 1980s by Cinema 320, a group dedicated to showing art-house fare in the city. This article in the Worcester Telegram tells of the group’s experiences before the place was leased to others for a higher-rent porno operation.
Rev Jeff S,
You got it wrong! It was not at this Palace Theatre! That was at what is now PPAC and what was for decades Loew’s State. That theatre was known as the Palace for a while in the 1970s. You can find it HERE. Perhaps you might want to re-post there.
Here is a photo I took of the theatre in 1994.
Here is a photo I took in 1994 of the exterior of the theatre.
An entry in MY Travel Guide gives the following information about the theatre:
“Located in the center of the city, this theater was constructed between 1933 and 1937, under the direction of the architect Antonino Russo. Many years ago it was a very active movie theater. Right now it is only used for concerts or cultural events from time to time. There is a foyer and an anteroom that leads to the seats, the stage and the dressing rooms. The interior of this construction in brick, iron, and wood, is very simple. The galleries on the central section of its facade are framed by arches in the ground floor and by architrave over Doric columns at the top part.”
Dick, all I have in pictures of this theatre are the following two made from poor photocopies:
CENTER THEATRE, 1941
CENTER THEATRE, 1968 sketch of proposed alterations.
Here is a photo taken around 1996 and before the façade was reconstructed.
Dick, I didn’t notice that closing date discrepancy. I was quoting written sources I found, some of which may have contained errors. The other x-rated house on Main Street was Cinema I. It was opened, I am assuming, by the folks that had run the one on Pleasant Street once it closed. So there were two theatres named Cinema I at different times. The later one was the porno house of which you speak, diagonally across from the Capitol. I believe it was a small new theatre, carved out of an existing building. That theatre also has a page on Cinema Treasures, right here.
Four lovely photos of the interior of the Casino Theatre, an unknown treasure of Rhode Island.
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
Nancie, your husband’s memories, and yours as well, should be posted where appropriate. That’s what Cinema Treasures is all about. I made sure that ALL the known Fall River theatres were represented on this site. Every recollection is valuable for those seeking to counter the slowly disappearing history of old movie theatres. Incidentally, the Capitol Theatre, for decades a bowling alley and a furniture store, is now in the process of being (slowly) restored. I hope the project comes to completion. As you must kown, it was located right across from the Plaza.
The theatre e-newsletter just announced the following:
The Jane Pickens Theater is poised to become Washington Square’s first live performance center. The movie house on Touro Street will continue to show films, but owner Kathy Staab plans to add live performances. “This gives us more opportunities to bring in people with a variety of events,” Staab said.
More information can be found at the theatre’s website: