A Providence Journal newspaper article on August 13, 1956 carried the banner “Thornton Girl to Star in Movie.” The girl was 13-year-old Frances Manfredi who had a role in the film Rock, Rock, Rock under the name of Fran Manfred. The film starred Tuesday Weld and Alan Freed. Ms. Manfredi surely saw movies many times at this theatre in the village of Thornton. I don’t know what became of her, and her name does not appear on IMDb, apart from the credits of this one movie.
The world premiere of the wartime film about an aircraft carrier, Wing and a Prayer, took place here on July 28, 1944. A day later stars Dana Andrews and Sir Cedric Hardwicke made appearances on stage at the Majestic. The Quonset Officers Glee Club sang. Here is the opening day newspaper ad for the program.
On April 5, 1940 singer Nelson Eddy, born in the Olneyville section of Providence, performed at the Metropolitan after an absence of three years. Ticket price range: $1.00 – $3.50.
Liam, thank you very much for this much-needed clarification. The Providence Journal article I based the posting on said the Woonsocket Cinemas opened in 1989 without mentioning that it had been the Walnut Hill Cinemas as far back as the 1970s. I have vague memories of having visited the place under both names. Do you have any other information on in-town places like the Bijou, Olympia, Rialto, Laurier, Park? Of course, we have plenty on the beautiful Stadium.
Article in The Providence Journal, February 9, 1971:
Tiverton Bars X-Rated Films
The Tiverton Town Council, acting on complaints that X-rated films at a local drive-in theater can be seen from the street by Children, last night passed an ordinance to ban such films in the town.
Councilmen also received petitions signed by 961 residents against the showing of X-rated films. The theatre is the Ponta Del Gada Drive-In on Shove Street, the town’s only movie theater.
After being advised that the ordinance probably would not survive a court test, the council unanimously directed town solicitor William B. Sullivan to draft another ordinance that would require the licensing of films shown in the town.
A mother who attended the meeting, Mrs. David Silvia of 8 Clement Street, said her children could see the films at the drive-in from the kitchen window of the home. “It’s a disgrace,” she said.
In late December of 1964 the Warwick Cinema withdrew the Billy Wilder film Kiss Me, Stupid, which had been playing just a fews days, at the insistence of the Warwick Board of Public Safety. The film had been “condemned” by the Catholic Legion of Decency, and an original agreement between the city and the theatre was that no C-rated films would be shown. Alfred Oddi, manager of the 1,000 seat theatre at the time, said it was too late to schedule an alternate movie and told callers that a “sneak preview” was being shown and that the name of the new film could not be divulged. Kiss Me, Stupid was the first major Hollywood film to be rated C by the Legion since the 1956 Baby Doll, which had played at the Majestic in Providence.
Henry VIII banned from Woonsocket!
In July of 1944, the Rialto Theatre accepted without contest the city’s ban on The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), with Charles Laughton and Robert Donat, and withdrew without seeking a license the intended co-feature Catherine the Great (1934) with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Elizabeth Bergner. Both films were already about ten years old and both had received acclaim when shown in Providence and elsewhere. The Rialto manager at the time was Maurice Safner.
In November, 1938 the Russian film Professor Mamlock premiered here. The movie dealt with the plight of Jews in Germany through the story of a German-Jewish doctor whose professional skills and war record were no defense against the grave sin of not being an Aryan. Proudly displaying the word “Jude” across his surgeon’s robe and proclaiming his faith in a better Germany, he is machine-gunned. The film was not without its share of heavy-handed Communist propaganda, but it touched a subject avoided by Hollywood at the time. The movie met with some oppposition and was banned in some cities in the U.S.
Here is the text of an ad for the upcoming The Cat and the Canary in December, 1939…and a clever promotion for it:
TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT!
Miss Charlotte Alt, 100 Prospect Hill Street, will
witness a private showing of Paramount’s terrifying
thriller “THE CAT AND THE CANARY"
at the
STRAND THEATRE
SHE WILL BE THE ONLY PERSON IN THE THEATRE!
699 Empty Seats in a Completely Darkened Theatre!
For her daring in acepting this nerve-tingling
assignment, she will receive $5.00 in cash!
The Newport Daily News microfilm revealed regular movie programs here, as well as vaudeville acts, during the years before World War I. The place was then named Freebody Park Theatre. In November of 1939 a “gala opening” was announced for the theatre with a double bill of 3 Smart Girls Grow Up & Gunga Din. The theatre then closed only weeks after that. An ad said the Casino would be closed for alterations and that “We will re-open about January 1st.” It was signed by manager H. Pastman. There were no re-opening ads until the following summer when it opened as the Casino Civic Theatre with a summer season of live theatre.
The theatre was used in the early 1980s or thereabouts by Flickers, the Newport Film Society, for some of its 16mm film programs. I saw The Shop on Main Street there in that series. I’ve also been to at least one chamber music concert here. The place really is a true Newport treasure but has always seemed to be under-utilized, at least in recent years. I am told it is undergoing restoration. So we may hear more about it soon. The place seems like a natural for the Newport Music Festival, a summer chamber music festival that uses the mansions, and may even have been used for it in the past. I am trying to delve further into the place’s history. The Tennis Hall of Fame website contains some information on the Casino and the surrounding grounds and buildings. www.tennisfame.com
Gone With the Wind had its first run engagement in Newport at this theatre (then called the Strand) beginning on March 29, 1940. It ran exactly one week only, and was not held over. There were continuous performances beginning at 10 A.M., reserved evening performances beginning at 7:30, and a reserved Sunday matinee at 2:00 P.M. Admission prices were 75¢ for matinees and $1.00 for reserved performances. Top admission prices for other films at the time in Newport theatres were 25 to 40 cents. Children’s prices and matinee prices for adults in Newport theatres were then as low as 10¢.
The Paramount became the E.M. Loew’s Paramount on Sunday, April 21, 1940. An ad in the Newport Daily News on April 15, 1940 said that on Sunday, April 21 “the Colonial Theatre, with its entire staff, moves to the new E.M. Loew’s Paramount on Broadway.” The theatre had been shut down for a while before the re-opening, probably for some improvements. The first program under this new aegis was Invisible Stripes and Remember the Night.
An ad in the Newport Daily News on April 15, 1940 said that on Sunday, April 21 “the Colonial Theatre, with its entire staff, moves to the new E.M. Loew’s Paramount on Broadway.”
First decade of the Palace Theatre
from The Building Boom in Jamestown, Rhode Island, 1926-1931, by Sue Maden, 2004:
1920s: The Palace Theatre built in 1921 is shown in this photo from the 1920s. Photo courtesy of the Jamestown Historical Society.
1931: [At the Town Council Meeting] The town clerk is to request the proprietor of the Palace Theatre to submit to him the number of performances held during the year 1930.
1931: Messrs. Ferdinand Ambrust and Leroy F. Meredith have leased for a period of years the Palace Theatre on Narragansett Avenue to W. C. Purcell of Fall River, manager of the Academy of Music of that city. Mr. Purcell is already making considerable improvements and redecorating. He will have a new ticket office at the entrance and will have talking pictures.
Albee Audience Stages Sit-Down Until Second Feature is Shown
That was the headline of an article in the Providence Journal on February 2, 1939. The night before, 500 customers who had wandered in after 7 o'clock howled in protest at 10:45 when the lights came on but they were demanding to see It Happened One Night.
But because of the length of the double-bill program of revivals of Capra’s Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and It Happened One Night and added attractions that included a WEAN spelling bee on the stage, newsreels, and trailers, the last scheduled showing (as published in the paper) of It Happened One Night was 5:38 P.M.
Unaware of or unable to accept that, the patrons who had arrived after 7 P.M. were not going to leave until seeing that movie. One large gentleman, according to the newspaper article, threatened, to “tear the place apart.” Most people just sat; others upbraided staff, ushers, even elevator operators. Pursuing an appeasement policy, the management started things happening one night all over again and the film had another, unscheduled showing at 11 P.M. Theatre manager John Kane explained it was not the theatre’s fault, but because the features and other attractions were long, customers were getting more than their money’s worth and a late showing of One Night had not been included in the program. The following day the program ran its customary length and there would be no problems.
Roland, yes, I agree about those photos. I wish there were more. I had breakfast with Fred Deusch this morning. He had read an article about me and my love of old theatres that was published in The Observer and other papers two weeks ago. I asked the interviewer to include my e-mail address, and Mr. Deusch responded. A bit of good luck. He gave me those pictures and told me a few stories. See the Elmwood site for more. He told me that later as a projectionist, he worked at the Elmwood, Cinerama, the Pawtucket Strand, some others. I told him I’d ask him other stuff from time to time. He’s really a nice guy.
If you want a copy of the article about me that prompted it all, email me your address, and I can mail it to you.
Auburn is a neighborhood of Cranston. That seating capacity was changed when the theatre was triplexed a few decades ago. Now that it is being restored as a single auditorium, it is sure to change again.
In this 1948 photo, on the left, we see the Chestnut Street marquee of the Metropolitan Theatre. Beyond the bus, we see Empire Street. The Majestic Theatre is the white bit near the top right. The point of this posting is to show you the relative locations of the two theatres. The photo was taken by Fred Deusch, then an usher at the Met.
It is a neighborhood theatre…in Variety jargon.
A Providence Journal newspaper article on August 13, 1956 carried the banner “Thornton Girl to Star in Movie.” The girl was 13-year-old Frances Manfredi who had a role in the film Rock, Rock, Rock under the name of Fran Manfred. The film starred Tuesday Weld and Alan Freed. Ms. Manfredi surely saw movies many times at this theatre in the village of Thornton. I don’t know what became of her, and her name does not appear on IMDb, apart from the credits of this one movie.
The world premiere of the wartime film about an aircraft carrier, Wing and a Prayer, took place here on July 28, 1944. A day later stars Dana Andrews and Sir Cedric Hardwicke made appearances on stage at the Majestic. The Quonset Officers Glee Club sang. Here is the opening day newspaper ad for the program.
On April 5, 1940 singer Nelson Eddy, born in the Olneyville section of Providence, performed at the Metropolitan after an absence of three years. Ticket price range: $1.00 – $3.50.
Liam, thank you very much for this much-needed clarification. The Providence Journal article I based the posting on said the Woonsocket Cinemas opened in 1989 without mentioning that it had been the Walnut Hill Cinemas as far back as the 1970s. I have vague memories of having visited the place under both names. Do you have any other information on in-town places like the Bijou, Olympia, Rialto, Laurier, Park? Of course, we have plenty on the beautiful Stadium.
Article in The Providence Journal, February 9, 1971:
Tiverton Bars X-Rated Films
The Tiverton Town Council, acting on complaints that X-rated films at a local drive-in theater can be seen from the street by Children, last night passed an ordinance to ban such films in the town.
Councilmen also received petitions signed by 961 residents against the showing of X-rated films. The theatre is the Ponta Del Gada Drive-In on Shove Street, the town’s only movie theater.
After being advised that the ordinance probably would not survive a court test, the council unanimously directed town solicitor William B. Sullivan to draft another ordinance that would require the licensing of films shown in the town.
A mother who attended the meeting, Mrs. David Silvia of 8 Clement Street, said her children could see the films at the drive-in from the kitchen window of the home. “It’s a disgrace,” she said.
In late December of 1964 the Warwick Cinema withdrew the Billy Wilder film Kiss Me, Stupid, which had been playing just a fews days, at the insistence of the Warwick Board of Public Safety. The film had been “condemned” by the Catholic Legion of Decency, and an original agreement between the city and the theatre was that no C-rated films would be shown. Alfred Oddi, manager of the 1,000 seat theatre at the time, said it was too late to schedule an alternate movie and told callers that a “sneak preview” was being shown and that the name of the new film could not be divulged. Kiss Me, Stupid was the first major Hollywood film to be rated C by the Legion since the 1956 Baby Doll, which had played at the Majestic in Providence.
Henry VIII banned from Woonsocket!
In July of 1944, the Rialto Theatre accepted without contest the city’s ban on The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), with Charles Laughton and Robert Donat, and withdrew without seeking a license the intended co-feature Catherine the Great (1934) with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Elizabeth Bergner. Both films were already about ten years old and both had received acclaim when shown in Providence and elsewhere. The Rialto manager at the time was Maurice Safner.
In November, 1938 the Russian film Professor Mamlock premiered here. The movie dealt with the plight of Jews in Germany through the story of a German-Jewish doctor whose professional skills and war record were no defense against the grave sin of not being an Aryan. Proudly displaying the word “Jude” across his surgeon’s robe and proclaiming his faith in a better Germany, he is machine-gunned. The film was not without its share of heavy-handed Communist propaganda, but it touched a subject avoided by Hollywood at the time. The movie met with some oppposition and was banned in some cities in the U.S.
Here are some photos of the Casino Theatre as it is now.
VIEW FROM FREEBODY STREET
SIDE, LOOKING TOWARD FREEBODY STREET
REAR ENTRANCE
VAN ALEN PLAQUE
MAIN ENTRANCE AT SIDE
Here is the text of an ad for the upcoming The Cat and the Canary in December, 1939…and a clever promotion for it:
TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT!
Miss Charlotte Alt, 100 Prospect Hill Street, will
witness a private showing of Paramount’s terrifying
thriller “THE CAT AND THE CANARY"
at the
STRAND THEATRE
SHE WILL BE THE ONLY PERSON IN THE THEATRE!
699 Empty Seats in a Completely Darkened Theatre!
For her daring in acepting this nerve-tingling
assignment, she will receive $5.00 in cash!
The Newport Daily News microfilm revealed regular movie programs here, as well as vaudeville acts, during the years before World War I. The place was then named Freebody Park Theatre. In November of 1939 a “gala opening” was announced for the theatre with a double bill of 3 Smart Girls Grow Up & Gunga Din. The theatre then closed only weeks after that. An ad said the Casino would be closed for alterations and that “We will re-open about January 1st.” It was signed by manager H. Pastman. There were no re-opening ads until the following summer when it opened as the Casino Civic Theatre with a summer season of live theatre.
The theatre was used in the early 1980s or thereabouts by Flickers, the Newport Film Society, for some of its 16mm film programs. I saw The Shop on Main Street there in that series. I’ve also been to at least one chamber music concert here. The place really is a true Newport treasure but has always seemed to be under-utilized, at least in recent years. I am told it is undergoing restoration. So we may hear more about it soon. The place seems like a natural for the Newport Music Festival, a summer chamber music festival that uses the mansions, and may even have been used for it in the past. I am trying to delve further into the place’s history. The Tennis Hall of Fame website contains some information on the Casino and the surrounding grounds and buildings. www.tennisfame.com
Gone With the Wind had its first run engagement in Newport at this theatre (then called the Strand) beginning on March 29, 1940. It ran exactly one week only, and was not held over. There were continuous performances beginning at 10 A.M., reserved evening performances beginning at 7:30, and a reserved Sunday matinee at 2:00 P.M. Admission prices were 75¢ for matinees and $1.00 for reserved performances. Top admission prices for other films at the time in Newport theatres were 25 to 40 cents. Children’s prices and matinee prices for adults in Newport theatres were then as low as 10¢.
The Paramount became the E.M. Loew’s Paramount on Sunday, April 21, 1940. An ad in the Newport Daily News on April 15, 1940 said that on Sunday, April 21 “the Colonial Theatre, with its entire staff, moves to the new E.M. Loew’s Paramount on Broadway.” The theatre had been shut down for a while before the re-opening, probably for some improvements. The first program under this new aegis was Invisible Stripes and Remember the Night.
An ad in the Newport Daily News on April 15, 1940 said that on Sunday, April 21 “the Colonial Theatre, with its entire staff, moves to the new E.M. Loew’s Paramount on Broadway.”
First decade of the Palace Theatre
from The Building Boom in Jamestown, Rhode Island, 1926-1931, by Sue Maden, 2004:
1920s: The Palace Theatre built in 1921 is shown in this photo from the 1920s. Photo courtesy of the Jamestown Historical Society.
1931: [At the Town Council Meeting] The town clerk is to request the proprietor of the Palace Theatre to submit to him the number of performances held during the year 1930.
1931: Messrs. Ferdinand Ambrust and Leroy F. Meredith have leased for a period of years the Palace Theatre on Narragansett Avenue to W. C. Purcell of Fall River, manager of the Academy of Music of that city. Mr. Purcell is already making considerable improvements and redecorating. He will have a new ticket office at the entrance and will have talking pictures.
Albee Audience Stages Sit-Down Until Second Feature is Shown
That was the headline of an article in the Providence Journal on February 2, 1939. The night before, 500 customers who had wandered in after 7 o'clock howled in protest at 10:45 when the lights came on but they were demanding to see It Happened One Night.
But because of the length of the double-bill program of revivals of Capra’s Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and It Happened One Night and added attractions that included a WEAN spelling bee on the stage, newsreels, and trailers, the last scheduled showing (as published in the paper) of It Happened One Night was 5:38 P.M.
Unaware of or unable to accept that, the patrons who had arrived after 7 P.M. were not going to leave until seeing that movie. One large gentleman, according to the newspaper article, threatened, to “tear the place apart.” Most people just sat; others upbraided staff, ushers, even elevator operators. Pursuing an appeasement policy, the management started things happening one night all over again and the film had another, unscheduled showing at 11 P.M. Theatre manager John Kane explained it was not the theatre’s fault, but because the features and other attractions were long, customers were getting more than their money’s worth and a late showing of One Night had not been included in the program. The following day the program ran its customary length and there would be no problems.
And heeeere’s the photo I described above but didn’t link you to.
Roland, yes, I agree about those photos. I wish there were more. I had breakfast with Fred Deusch this morning. He had read an article about me and my love of old theatres that was published in The Observer and other papers two weeks ago. I asked the interviewer to include my e-mail address, and Mr. Deusch responded. A bit of good luck. He gave me those pictures and told me a few stories. See the Elmwood site for more. He told me that later as a projectionist, he worked at the Elmwood, Cinerama, the Pawtucket Strand, some others. I told him I’d ask him other stuff from time to time. He’s really a nice guy.
If you want a copy of the article about me that prompted it all, email me your address, and I can mail it to you.
Auburn is a neighborhood of Cranston. That seating capacity was changed when the theatre was triplexed a few decades ago. Now that it is being restored as a single auditorium, it is sure to change again.
Here is a 1995 photo of the Park Theatre. (Courtesy of Fred Deusch.)
Here is a 1995 photo of the Castle Theatre. (Courtesy of Fred Deusch.)
Fred Deusch, usher and doorman at the Metropolitan Theatre in the 1940s, recalled that one of his tasks was to transport incoming prints of movies to the projection booth, which was located above the ceiling of the auditorium. A pulley device had to be used to hoist the containers up. One night when he was doing this, pianist José Iturbi was performing on stage. (The Met regularly had live performances: musicals, opera and symphony orchestras.) The pulley mechanism began to squeak loudly, and a visibly displeased Iturbi kept glancing up to see what was causing the noise. A photo of Fred Deusch appears in my previous posting.
In this 1948 photo, on the left, we see the Chestnut Street marquee of the Metropolitan Theatre. Beyond the bus, we see Empire Street. The Majestic Theatre is the white bit near the top right. The point of this posting is to show you the relative locations of the two theatres. The photo was taken by Fred Deusch, then an usher at the Met.