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.
T.R., if you can find out when it orginally opened, then perhaps, using public library microfilm, you can find the Worcester Telegram article which, might have appeared at its opening. It could have some of that information. Contact someone in the music/entertainment department at the newspaper. They might be willing to help. The Worcester Historical Society could have something. I’ve done similar things with some success for Providence area theatres.
Cranston city directories list this theatre as the V.C. Theatre in the editions of 1931, 1932-33, 1935, 1936, 1938-39. There is no 1939-40 listing. It could have closed for a while. In the 1941-42 edition it becomes the Rainbo and is listed in the 1943, 1945-46, 1948, & 1950 volumes. These were the ones that were available. By 1952 there was no listing. So, basically, in the 1930s it was the V.C. Theatre and became the Rainbo Theatre in the 1940s. Then it closed for good and was demolished in the 1950s.
The Star, at 360 Dyer Avenue, was listed in Cranston city directories I found for the years beginning 1916 and ending in 1930. A good guess would be that it was open from around 1915 to 1929 and possibly did not equip for sound. Later editions of the directory list that address as being “Star Hall,” so it possibly became just a social club of some kind at that point.
The Casino Theatre was directly across the street from its grander neighbor, Scenic Temple (later named Rialto) and lived in its shadow, so to speak. It opened on May 16, 1910. Its movies were projected on a screen of plate glass one inch thick. There was a basic stage where a few vaudeville acts could perform between films. On opening night there was music by Eddy Fay’s Orchestra. The vaudeville programs could not compete with the ones across the street and by 1912 the little stage was removed and the theatre went to a grind-run movie policy. It was the first theatre in Providence to do so.
In this detail from an early 1960s aerial shot, you can see the Capitol Theatre at the top center. To the far left is Interstate 95, nearing completion through Providence. On the right is the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul, seen from the rear. Note the proximity to the Capitol just across the street, a bit to the left. That square was Cathedral Square, now subsumed by the plaza in front of the Cathedral. The two streets at that point were portions of Westminster and Weybosset which were eliminated. The city street to the right of Rte. 95 and paralleling it is Service Road No. 8. The Capitol is now a parking lot. Facing Service Road No. 8, smack in the path of Westminster Street, is where the Diocese of Providence auditorium is.
It is not true that the Capitol, as stated above, made way for Interstate 95. An aerial view of the area from the early 1960s shows us Route 95 nearing completion. One can clearly make out the Capitol Theatre well east of it. The exact spot is today a parking lot, between Washington Street and the Diocese of Providence Auditorium. If you are driving into the city on Westminster Street, you cross the bridge over the expressway toward the Diocesan Auditorium. Turn left and the lot where the theatre used to be is to the left of that auditorium. Before the Weybosset Hill renewal one could continue (had the traffic pattern allowed) straight through into downtown along that portion of Westminster Street that no longer exists. You could have taken a right down a portion of Weybosset Street that no longer exists. So the Capitol was at the precise intersection of Westminster and Weybosset Streets at what was known as Cathedral Square. That intersection/swquare is gone. The Diocese of Providence could have purchased that historic theatre and used it as their diocesan auditorium and office building instead of building a new one!
As I wrote earlier, the Bijou Theatre closed as the Bijou on August 16, 1947. It then reopened as the “New” Empire on April 4, 1948. So the place was dark for about eight months in between. I don’t have any information as to whether the staff from the Empire at 260 Westminster moved over to the “New” Empire at 368.
This has nothing to do with the Apple Valley Cinemas, but I found an ad from July, 1949 publicizing a “Roseland Movie Theatre Restaurant,” located at the junction of Route 44 & 5 in Smithfield. That would place it right near or at Apple Valley, which is at this same junction. The films for Wednesday thru Saturday, July 6 to July 9 were Friendly Enemies (1942) with Charles Ruggles and Pride of the Bowery (1940) with Leo Gorcey and the East Side Kids. My guess is that these two older movies were 16mm prints, probably locally obtained, shown in a makeshift setup. At any rate, the place seems to anticipate by decades the numerous food-and-film places that have popped up in recent years. I wonder how it all went. As a bit of esoterica I could add that these two films might today be of interest to auteur film cultists since they were directed by Allan Dwan and Joseph H. Lewis respectively.
Earlier I mentioned Henry V as being the only reserved seat engagement at the Avon that I knew of. Not so any more. Beginning June 1, 1949 there was a reserved seat run of another British movie, the beloved ballet story The Red Shoes, directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger and starring Moira Shearer. Here is AN AD FOR OPENING DAY. Admission prices ranged from 90¢ to $2.40.
This theatre as the EMPIRE, twice:
About five weeks after the Empire Theatre a few blocks away at 260 Westminster Street shut down on February 29, 1948 to be soon demolished, a “New Empire Theatre” opened at 368 Westminster Street, according to newspaper ads. The address was given in the ads for the opening program on April 4, 1948. Now, 368 Westminster was the address of this theatre, which seemed to be given the name Empire once more. (It had previously been called the Empire from about 1915-1924.) This “New” Empire would itself shut down a year later on June 18, 1949, to be demolished in the winter of that year. In his book on Providence theatres, Temples of Illusion, Roger Brett does not mention this final renaming of the Westminster/Empire/Bijou, but Providence Journal newspaper ads, with addresses, give the evidence.
The first program for the “New” Empire on April 4, 1948 was Black Friday with Lugosi and Karloff and The Black Cat with Basil Rathbone and Alan Ladd. HERE IS THE AD for that opening day of the Bijou as the “New” Empire. The last advertised program for this theatre, on June 18, 1949, was Karloff and Lugosi in The Raven and Bela Lugosi in Murders in the Rue Morgue. This theatre and the previous Empire should have been named the Karloff Theatre or Lugosi Theatre. They constantly showed many of those films, which were even then oldies. Roger Brett wrote that in the last years of these two theatres, they were mostly frequented by a handful of people, often old derelicts, whose only interest was to escape the cold or to sleep. There was no real “culture of old films” then as there is more of today, though film-buff Brett expressed gratitude at all the cinema history he was able to see there. These films were booked because they were cheap and filled up the screen time. But it was no longer possible for run-down theatres like these, despite their characterful classic beauty, to survive.
History of “Empire” as a theatre name in Providence:
1) 410 Westminster Street (1899-1915) = Empire
2) 260 Westminster Street (1936-1948) = Low’s-Keith’s-Victory-Empire
3) 368 Westminster Street (1915-1924) = Westminster-Empire-Bijou-Empire (this theatre)
4) 368 Westminster Street (1948-1949) = Westminster-Empire-Bijou-Empire (this theatre again)
The name EMPIRE
About five weeks after this theatre shut down on February 29, 1948 to be soon demolished, a “New Empire Theatre” opened up a couple of blocks away at 368 Westminster Street, according to newspaper ads. The address was given in the ads for the opening program on April 4, 1948. Now, 368 Westminster was the address of the Bijou Theatre, which seemed to be given the name Empire once more. (It had previously been called the Empire from about 1915-1924.) This “New” Empire would itself shut down a year later on June 18, 1949, to be demolished in the winter of that year.
History of “Empire” as a theatre name in Providence:
1) 410 Westminster Street (1899-1915) = Empire
2) 260 Westminster Street (1936-1948) = Low’s-Keith’s-Victory-Empire (this theatre)
3) 368 Westminster Street (1915-1924) = Westminster-Empire-Bijou-Empire
4) 368 Westminster Street (1948-1949) = Westminster-Empire-Bijou-Empire
Before the building had been converted to a cinema in 1976, it had been vacant a bit after being the Burns Michael Trucking Company for several decades. The Providence City Directory lists 204 South Main Street under that business name way back to the 1930s.
The Columbus Theatre opened on November 1, 1926. Featured were stage comedy, music, and dance. On the screen was King Vidor’s La Boheme, an M.G.M. film with Lillian Gish and John Gilbert. Here is the NEWSPAPER AD announcing that opening day program. It appeared in the Providence Journal the day before. Also in the Journal on October 31 was an article describing the new theatre and showing a photo of the interior.
The last film program at the Empire, judging by ads in the Providence Journal, seems to have been on Sunday, February 29, 1948. It was a typical older double bill of Betrayed, a.k.a. When Strangers Marry (1944) and Western Gold (1937). No ads appeared after that date. On February 27 a Journal article had announced the impending closing and planned demolition: “Herbert M. Copellman, managing director of the theater, explained today that the last showng of movies at the Empire will be either tomorrow night or next Tuesday night.”
The article said too that the the theater auditorium had been admired increasingly during the previous few years by students of the architecture of its period and was praised for its “quaint charm.” The interior boasted attractive moldings, paintings, and decorations. Asked if any attempt would be made to save them, Copellman chuckled, “They can give it to an art museum as far as we’re concerned.”
When the theatre opened as Low’s Opera House on March 4, 1878, a theatrical production of Uncle Tom’s Cabin was featured. By the time of its demolition in 1948, the theater was Providence’s then oldest theater: 1878-1948 or exactly 70 years.
On January 16, 1977 there was a short piece in the Providence Journal about Ray Bilodeau, who had recently opened the Cable Car Cinema less than three months before. In it Mr. Bilodeau complains about smallish audiences, losing money on the venture, even going broke, not being able to get films from some of the major distributors because of oppressive guarantees, and other problems.
Told to Shun Baby Doll
In January of 1957, when Elia Kazan/Tennessee Williams Baby Doll was playing at the Majestic, the Most Rev. Russell J. McVinney, D.D., Bishop of the Diocese of Providence, had told Rhode Island Catholics that they should not see the picture. I myself remember, as a student at LaSalle Academy at the time, that we were told by the principal in a P.A. announcement that the film was off-limits. A Providence Journal article from January 14 reported that Rev. Augustine F. Burns, pastor of Saint Mark’s Church in Jamestown, reminded his parishioners at services that they could not see the picture which was playing in Providence and also in Newport. Here is an ad for the film.
Perhaps someone at Pike Productions could help. They have an office in Newport, R.I. on Clarke Street, adjacent to the Jane Pickens Theatre. This is the Pike Productions website.
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.
He might have been but I don’t know. That information was taken from a newspaper piece on the opening of the Paramount.
Yes, I remember Joe Jarvis mentioning the Gilbert Stuart when he was running Newport’s Jane Pickens, the last place he ran before he died.
The theatre was still open in December, 1960 (ads shown in Providence Journal) and perhaps later.
T.R., if you can find out when it orginally opened, then perhaps, using public library microfilm, you can find the Worcester Telegram article which, might have appeared at its opening. It could have some of that information. Contact someone in the music/entertainment department at the newspaper. They might be willing to help. The Worcester Historical Society could have something. I’ve done similar things with some success for Providence area theatres.
Cranston city directories list this theatre as the V.C. Theatre in the editions of 1931, 1932-33, 1935, 1936, 1938-39. There is no 1939-40 listing. It could have closed for a while. In the 1941-42 edition it becomes the Rainbo and is listed in the 1943, 1945-46, 1948, & 1950 volumes. These were the ones that were available. By 1952 there was no listing. So, basically, in the 1930s it was the V.C. Theatre and became the Rainbo Theatre in the 1940s. Then it closed for good and was demolished in the 1950s.
The Star, at 360 Dyer Avenue, was listed in Cranston city directories I found for the years beginning 1916 and ending in 1930. A good guess would be that it was open from around 1915 to 1929 and possibly did not equip for sound. Later editions of the directory list that address as being “Star Hall,” so it possibly became just a social club of some kind at that point.
The Casino Theatre was directly across the street from its grander neighbor, Scenic Temple (later named Rialto) and lived in its shadow, so to speak. It opened on May 16, 1910. Its movies were projected on a screen of plate glass one inch thick. There was a basic stage where a few vaudeville acts could perform between films. On opening night there was music by Eddy Fay’s Orchestra. The vaudeville programs could not compete with the ones across the street and by 1912 the little stage was removed and the theatre went to a grind-run movie policy. It was the first theatre in Providence to do so.
In this detail from an early 1960s aerial shot, you can see the Capitol Theatre at the top center. To the far left is Interstate 95, nearing completion through Providence. On the right is the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul, seen from the rear. Note the proximity to the Capitol just across the street, a bit to the left. That square was Cathedral Square, now subsumed by the plaza in front of the Cathedral. The two streets at that point were portions of Westminster and Weybosset which were eliminated. The city street to the right of Rte. 95 and paralleling it is Service Road No. 8. The Capitol is now a parking lot. Facing Service Road No. 8, smack in the path of Westminster Street, is where the Diocese of Providence auditorium is.
It is not true that the Capitol, as stated above, made way for Interstate 95. An aerial view of the area from the early 1960s shows us Route 95 nearing completion. One can clearly make out the Capitol Theatre well east of it. The exact spot is today a parking lot, between Washington Street and the Diocese of Providence Auditorium. If you are driving into the city on Westminster Street, you cross the bridge over the expressway toward the Diocesan Auditorium. Turn left and the lot where the theatre used to be is to the left of that auditorium. Before the Weybosset Hill renewal one could continue (had the traffic pattern allowed) straight through into downtown along that portion of Westminster Street that no longer exists. You could have taken a right down a portion of Weybosset Street that no longer exists. So the Capitol was at the precise intersection of Westminster and Weybosset Streets at what was known as Cathedral Square. That intersection/swquare is gone. The Diocese of Providence could have purchased that historic theatre and used it as their diocesan auditorium and office building instead of building a new one!
Here is a so-so photo of the Wales Theatre.
As I wrote earlier, the Bijou Theatre closed as the Bijou on August 16, 1947. It then reopened as the “New” Empire on April 4, 1948. So the place was dark for about eight months in between. I don’t have any information as to whether the staff from the Empire at 260 Westminster moved over to the “New” Empire at 368.
This has nothing to do with the Apple Valley Cinemas, but I found an ad from July, 1949 publicizing a “Roseland Movie Theatre Restaurant,” located at the junction of Route 44 & 5 in Smithfield. That would place it right near or at Apple Valley, which is at this same junction. The films for Wednesday thru Saturday, July 6 to July 9 were Friendly Enemies (1942) with Charles Ruggles and Pride of the Bowery (1940) with Leo Gorcey and the East Side Kids. My guess is that these two older movies were 16mm prints, probably locally obtained, shown in a makeshift setup. At any rate, the place seems to anticipate by decades the numerous food-and-film places that have popped up in recent years. I wonder how it all went. As a bit of esoterica I could add that these two films might today be of interest to auteur film cultists since they were directed by Allan Dwan and Joseph H. Lewis respectively.
Earlier I mentioned Henry V as being the only reserved seat engagement at the Avon that I knew of. Not so any more. Beginning June 1, 1949 there was a reserved seat run of another British movie, the beloved ballet story The Red Shoes, directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger and starring Moira Shearer. Here is AN AD FOR OPENING DAY. Admission prices ranged from 90¢ to $2.40.
This theatre as the EMPIRE, twice:
About five weeks after the Empire Theatre a few blocks away at 260 Westminster Street shut down on February 29, 1948 to be soon demolished, a “New Empire Theatre” opened at 368 Westminster Street, according to newspaper ads. The address was given in the ads for the opening program on April 4, 1948. Now, 368 Westminster was the address of this theatre, which seemed to be given the name Empire once more. (It had previously been called the Empire from about 1915-1924.) This “New” Empire would itself shut down a year later on June 18, 1949, to be demolished in the winter of that year. In his book on Providence theatres, Temples of Illusion, Roger Brett does not mention this final renaming of the Westminster/Empire/Bijou, but Providence Journal newspaper ads, with addresses, give the evidence.
The first program for the “New” Empire on April 4, 1948 was Black Friday with Lugosi and Karloff and The Black Cat with Basil Rathbone and Alan Ladd. HERE IS THE AD for that opening day of the Bijou as the “New” Empire. The last advertised program for this theatre, on June 18, 1949, was Karloff and Lugosi in The Raven and Bela Lugosi in Murders in the Rue Morgue. This theatre and the previous Empire should have been named the Karloff Theatre or Lugosi Theatre. They constantly showed many of those films, which were even then oldies. Roger Brett wrote that in the last years of these two theatres, they were mostly frequented by a handful of people, often old derelicts, whose only interest was to escape the cold or to sleep. There was no real “culture of old films” then as there is more of today, though film-buff Brett expressed gratitude at all the cinema history he was able to see there. These films were booked because they were cheap and filled up the screen time. But it was no longer possible for run-down theatres like these, despite their characterful classic beauty, to survive.
History of “Empire” as a theatre name in Providence:
1) 410 Westminster Street (1899-1915) = Empire
2) 260 Westminster Street (1936-1948) = Low’s-Keith’s-Victory-Empire
3) 368 Westminster Street (1915-1924) = Westminster-Empire-Bijou-Empire (this theatre)
4) 368 Westminster Street (1948-1949) = Westminster-Empire-Bijou-Empire (this theatre again)
The name EMPIRE
About five weeks after this theatre shut down on February 29, 1948 to be soon demolished, a “New Empire Theatre” opened up a couple of blocks away at 368 Westminster Street, according to newspaper ads. The address was given in the ads for the opening program on April 4, 1948. Now, 368 Westminster was the address of the Bijou Theatre, which seemed to be given the name Empire once more. (It had previously been called the Empire from about 1915-1924.) This “New” Empire would itself shut down a year later on June 18, 1949, to be demolished in the winter of that year.
History of “Empire” as a theatre name in Providence:
1) 410 Westminster Street (1899-1915) = Empire
2) 260 Westminster Street (1936-1948) = Low’s-Keith’s-Victory-Empire (this theatre)
3) 368 Westminster Street (1915-1924) = Westminster-Empire-Bijou-Empire
4) 368 Westminster Street (1948-1949) = Westminster-Empire-Bijou-Empire
Nice shot. I remember at times seeing signage saying “Adult Films Cont from 6:30.” I assumed the abbreviated word was “continuous” but had to laugh.
Before the building had been converted to a cinema in 1976, it had been vacant a bit after being the Burns Michael Trucking Company for several decades. The Providence City Directory lists 204 South Main Street under that business name way back to the 1930s.
Life of the Empire Theatre: September 4, 1899 to January 16, 1915 (last program).
The Columbus Theatre opened on November 1, 1926. Featured were stage comedy, music, and dance. On the screen was King Vidor’s La Boheme, an M.G.M. film with Lillian Gish and John Gilbert. Here is the NEWSPAPER AD announcing that opening day program. It appeared in the Providence Journal the day before. Also in the Journal on October 31 was an article describing the new theatre and showing a photo of the interior.
The last film program at the Empire, judging by ads in the Providence Journal, seems to have been on Sunday, February 29, 1948. It was a typical older double bill of Betrayed, a.k.a. When Strangers Marry (1944) and Western Gold (1937). No ads appeared after that date. On February 27 a Journal article had announced the impending closing and planned demolition: “Herbert M. Copellman, managing director of the theater, explained today that the last showng of movies at the Empire will be either tomorrow night or next Tuesday night.”
The article said too that the the theater auditorium had been admired increasingly during the previous few years by students of the architecture of its period and was praised for its “quaint charm.” The interior boasted attractive moldings, paintings, and decorations. Asked if any attempt would be made to save them, Copellman chuckled, “They can give it to an art museum as far as we’re concerned.”
When the theatre opened as Low’s Opera House on March 4, 1878, a theatrical production of Uncle Tom’s Cabin was featured. By the time of its demolition in 1948, the theater was Providence’s then oldest theater: 1878-1948 or exactly 70 years.
On January 16, 1977 there was a short piece in the Providence Journal about Ray Bilodeau, who had recently opened the Cable Car Cinema less than three months before. In it Mr. Bilodeau complains about smallish audiences, losing money on the venture, even going broke, not being able to get films from some of the major distributors because of oppressive guarantees, and other problems.
It wasn’t until well into the 1980s, under the ownership of his brother Al Bilodeau and subsequent management by Al’s son and Ray’s nephew Eric Bilodeau that the cinema began enjoying some apparent success, due in no small measure to the enormously profitable café portion of the cinema, which is open all day, even outside of film screening times and caters to the abundant number of students from RISD, which abuts the cinema-café. The café generates interest in the films; the films bring money to the café. In some ways this is not a cinema with a café but a café with a cinema. Which is just fine.
Told to Shun Baby Doll
In January of 1957, when Elia Kazan/Tennessee Williams Baby Doll was playing at the Majestic, the Most Rev. Russell J. McVinney, D.D., Bishop of the Diocese of Providence, had told Rhode Island Catholics that they should not see the picture. I myself remember, as a student at LaSalle Academy at the time, that we were told by the principal in a P.A. announcement that the film was off-limits. A Providence Journal article from January 14 reported that Rev. Augustine F. Burns, pastor of Saint Mark’s Church in Jamestown, reminded his parishioners at services that they could not see the picture which was playing in Providence and also in Newport. Here is an ad for the film.
Perhaps someone at Pike Productions could help. They have an office in Newport, R.I. on Clarke Street, adjacent to the Jane Pickens Theatre. This is the Pike Productions website.