Wurlitzer concerts
The stunning Wurlitzer organ in place now gets good use in sporadic free noon concerts that are nicely attended. They also include free refreshments, and patrons are encouraged to bring lunches. The one I attended yesterday also had a 35mm showing of a truly hilarious Buster Keaton short from 1920 called One Week. These free concerts also give one a chance to roam about the palatial theatre from top to bottom in an unhurried, un-mobbed setting and revel in its loveliness. Dates for these concerts and all PPAC events are listed on the theatre’s website.
On opening day, October 6, 1928, the feature film attraction was the “Metro Movietone sound picture” Excess Baggage with William Haines. Also on the program were Movietone and Vitaphone offerings, M.G.M. and Fox news, and Joseph Stoves at the “mighty $100,000 Morton organ.”
The first person to purchase a ticket was a 14-year-old Providence boy by the name of James Riley, who had waited hours for the honor. The first day’s attractions began at 10 A.M. Capacity crowds filled the 3800-seat theatre throughout the day, for a total of 14,000 patrons by day’s end. Admission prices ranged from 20 cents to 50 cents. At the dedication ceremony in the evening Governor Norman S. Case, Senator Peter Goelet Gerry, and Mayor James E. Dunne offered words of praise and congratulation.
THESE THEATRE ADS appeared in a program booklet “Stadium Concerts Review” for Lewisohn Stadium, College of the City of New York, for July 29 to August 4, 1936. The concerts were by the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra. The small ads tout what was playing at several New York movie theatres. One of them was the World, referred to as the World Cinema. No specific titles were given, just the category of “distinctive films.”
THESE THEATRE ADS appeared in a program booklet “Stadium Concerts Review” for Lewisohn Stadium, College of the City of New York, for July 29 to August 4, 1936. The concerts were by the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra. The small ads tout what was playing at several New York movie theatres. One of them was for the Embassy News Theatre.
THESE THEATRE ADS appeared in a program booklet “Stadium Concerts Review” for Lewisohn Stadium, College of the City of New York, for July 29 to August 4, 1936. The concerts were by the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra. The small ads tout what was playing at several New York movie theatres. One of them was for the Plaza, then showing The Princess Comes Along.
THESE THEATRE ADS appeared in a program booklet “Stadium Concerts Review” for Lewisohn Stadium, College of the City of New York, for July 29 to August 4, 1936. The concerts were by the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra. The small ads tout what was playing at several New York movie theatres. One of them was the Astor, which was in its fifth month with The Great Ziegfeld.
THESE THEATRE ADS appeared in a program booklet “Stadium Concerts Review” for Lewisohn Stadium, College of the City of New York, for July 29 to August 4, 1936. The concerts were by the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra. The small ads tout what was playing at several New York movie theatres. One of them was the Cinema de Paris, which, given the address, seems to have been another name for the 5th Avenue Cinema/Playhouse.
The small Providence Journal ad for the Empire’s last day on January 16, 1915 stated:
THIS IS GOOD-BYE WEEK
at the EMPIRE
A Wonderful Scenic Production of THE SPOILERS
PHOTOPLAY IN NINE PARTS
With William Farnum, Kathlyn
Williams and Cast of over 200
Time Table
12:30, 2:30, 4:30, 6:30, 8:30
I wonder when the name “Lincoln” began. It was also called that on February 1, 1950 when the bill was She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Jigsaw, according to a rare Providence Journal ad.
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!
Wurlitzer concerts
The stunning Wurlitzer organ in place now gets good use in sporadic free noon concerts that are nicely attended. They also include free refreshments, and patrons are encouraged to bring lunches. The one I attended yesterday also had a 35mm showing of a truly hilarious Buster Keaton short from 1920 called One Week. These free concerts also give one a chance to roam about the palatial theatre from top to bottom in an unhurried, un-mobbed setting and revel in its loveliness. Dates for these concerts and all PPAC events are listed on the theatre’s website.
Opening day at Loew’s State Theatre
On opening day, October 6, 1928, the feature film attraction was the “Metro Movietone sound picture” Excess Baggage with William Haines. Also on the program were Movietone and Vitaphone offerings, M.G.M. and Fox news, and Joseph Stoves at the “mighty $100,000 Morton organ.”
The first person to purchase a ticket was a 14-year-old Providence boy by the name of James Riley, who had waited hours for the honor. The first day’s attractions began at 10 A.M. Capacity crowds filled the 3800-seat theatre throughout the day, for a total of 14,000 patrons by day’s end. Admission prices ranged from 20 cents to 50 cents. At the dedication ceremony in the evening Governor Norman S. Case, Senator Peter Goelet Gerry, and Mayor James E. Dunne offered words of praise and congratulation.
Rhode Island’s most beautiful theatre was born.
Here is a a photo of a flooded Thames Street after the hurricane that struck on September 21, 1938. The Colonial Theatre can be seen in the distance.
James, perhaps you should post those interesting comments on the Plaza page.
Here is a link to a recent San Francisco Examiner article on the renovation of Cinema 21.
THESE THEATRE ADS appeared in a program booklet “Stadium Concerts Review” for Lewisohn Stadium, College of the City of New York, for July 29 to August 4, 1936. The concerts were by the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra. The small ads tout what was playing at several New York movie theatres. One of them was the World, referred to as the World Cinema. No specific titles were given, just the category of “distinctive films.”
THESE THEATRE ADS appeared in a program booklet “Stadium Concerts Review” for Lewisohn Stadium, College of the City of New York, for July 29 to August 4, 1936. The concerts were by the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra. The small ads tout what was playing at several New York movie theatres. One of them was for the Embassy News Theatre.
THESE THEATRE ADS appeared in a program booklet “Stadium Concerts Review” for Lewisohn Stadium, College of the City of New York, for July 29 to August 4, 1936. The concerts were by the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra. The small ads tout what was playing at several New York movie theatres. One of them was for the Plaza, then showing The Princess Comes Along.
THESE THEATRE ADS appeared in a program booklet “Stadium Concerts Review” for Lewisohn Stadium, College of the City of New York, for July 29 to August 4, 1936. The concerts were by the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra. The small ads tout what was playing at several New York movie theatres. One of them was the Astor, which was in its fifth month with The Great Ziegfeld.
THESE THEATRE ADS appeared in a program booklet “Stadium Concerts Review” for Lewisohn Stadium, College of the City of New York, for July 29 to August 4, 1936. The concerts were by the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra. The small ads tout what was playing at several New York movie theatres. One of them was the Cinema de Paris, which, given the address, seems to have been another name for the 5th Avenue Cinema/Playhouse.
The small Providence Journal ad for the Empire’s last day on January 16, 1915 stated:
THIS IS GOOD-BYE WEEK
at the
EMPIRE
A Wonderful Scenic Production of
THE SPOILERS
PHOTOPLAY IN NINE PARTS
With William Farnum, Kathlyn
Williams and Cast of over 200
Time Table
12:30, 2:30, 4:30, 6:30, 8:30
I wonder when the name “Lincoln” began. It was also called that on February 1, 1950 when the bill was She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Jigsaw, according to a rare Providence Journal ad.
A cultural presentation on October 21 & 22 of 1965 was La Bohème, a filming of a La Scala opera production of Puccini’s popular masterpiece.
…and on February 6, 1963 it was still open for It’s Only Money with Jerry Lewis and Operation Bullshine.
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!