On April 30 of 1918 there was an explosion of a film magazine on the second balcony of the Savoy Theatre. According to newspaper reports there was considerable panic among members of the audience who rushed for the exits. The only person known to be hurt was Stephen Rose, the film projectionist, who sufered burns on his hands. Several women fainted or became hysterical when a burst of flames enveloped the upper part of the balcony. A portion of the front and side of the booth was torn away. There was some damage to the ceiling of the balcony. One woman jumped from the second balcony to the floor of the theater! The explosions and screams attracted persons outside who ran to the scene but were met with crowds attempting to exit. Theatre employees attached lines of hose and contained the fire without the aid of local firemen.
The above incident, whose description is paraphrased from a contemporary news report, suggests an example of a fire started with highly-flammable nitrate film, the industry standard for many decades until safety acetate-based film was introduced. A similar fire in a theatre in Washington, DC in the 1920s caused a number of deaths, but no one besides the projectionist was hurt here. The scene reminds us of the nitrate film fire in the Italian movie “Cinema Paradiso” where the projectionist Alfredo is burned and loses his eyesight.
One of the programs at the beginning of its last decade was the June 1950 pairing of “Love Happy” featuring the Marx Brothers and Marilyn Monroe alongside “Beauty on Parade” with Ruth Warrick.
I wish residents or former long-time residents of Woonsocket would offer some recollections of its other old theatres: Rialto, Bijou, Laurier, Park, Olympia, and of course this still-surviving and lovingly restored Stadium, about which we know so much more.
I once posted the Ambassador on Cinema Treasures. Someone must have deemed it unworthy because for most of its career it has been associated with live theater. So it was summarily removed. Here is a photo of the Ambassador in September of 1949 (was that a “slow” legit year too?) with patrons lining up for Rossellini’s “Germany, Year Zero.” I think these theatres should be added. After all the Henry Miller is on Cinema Treasures.
Although the original seating capacity of the Columbus was 1492 (get it? Columbus, 1492), when the balcony was sectioned off to form the Studio Cinema, the seating capacities changed to the following: Main auditorium: 900, Studio: 274.
The 1973 Providence Journal Almanac gives the seating capacity for Cinema 1 as 175, Cinema 2 as 190. Owner: Esquire Theatres, Inc.; Carmine Montiquilla, owner.
The 1973 Providence Journal Almanac gives the seating capacity of the (single-screen) theatre as 724. It was listed as owned by Esquire Theatres, Inc.; Lawrence Johnson, manager.
The 1948 Providence Journal Almanac says this theatre closed on August 16, 1947. It had a seating capacity of 1148. It had been leased to Associated Theaters, Inc, owner; Lawrence MacGillivary, manager.
A 1925 edition of the Providence Journal Almanac gives these facts about the theatre: Felix R. Wendel-Schaefer, manager; seating capacty, 1430; proscenium opening, 37 ¾ x 32 feet; footlights to back wall, 39 feet; between side walls, 71 feet; height to gridiron 42 feet. The 1931 Almanac lists the seating capacity as 1350.
The Capitol was previously known as the Colonial Theatre. A 1915 city directory gives the same address for the Colonial that the Capitol had: 569 ½ Westminster Street. According to a 1940 Providence Journal Almanac entry, the seating capacity of the Capitol was 996. The theatre was part of the E.M. Loew’s chain.
According to the 1940 Providence Journal Almanac, the Playhouse (formerly the Modern Theatre) was owned by B. Thomas Potter; leased by Modern Amusement Company, had a seating capacity of 1378.
A 1940 Providence Journal Almanac entry has the Olympia owned by Delphina Realty Company; leased and operated by E.M. Loew’s, Inc., Boston. The seating capacity was given as 1500.
Summary of a news article in January of 1930: a fire started in a millinery store on the second floor of the building that houses the Strand Theatre and other businesses. Although the management of the theatre was preparing to notify the patrons, the fire was contained in time and it became unnecessary. The location of the fire was on the other side of Union Street directly across from the entrance to Fay’s Theatre. Patrons of Fay’s were unaware of the event, but passers-by thronged the streets as fire apparatus thundered up to the door. Damage was minimal.
Summary of a news article in January of 1930: a fire started in a millinery store on the second floor of the building that houses the Strand Theatre and other businesses. Although the management of the theatre was preparing to notify the patrons, the fire was contained in time and it became unnecessary. The location of the fire was on the other side of Union Street directly across from the entrance to Fay’s Theatre. Patrons of Fay’s were unaware of the event, but passers-by thronged the streets as fire apparatus thundered up to the door. Damage was minimal.
Before being called the Olympia, this theatre was known as the Strand (from 1930 or so.) In city directories they had the same address as the even earlier Nickel. It is not clear whether the Nickel was demolished to make room for a new theatre, or whether it was simply the old theatre re-named. The Rialto’s street address was 41 Main Street, which should have placed it across from the Olympia.
In perusing microfilm of The Woonsocket Call (this theatre is less than 25 minutes from that R.I. city), I noticed a January 1930 ad for the Morse when it was showing “Four Devils.” That was F. W. Murnau’s 1928 film for Fox and is reputed to be lost.
Ads for the “New Park” still appeared in The Woonsocket Call in December of 1958. By May of 1959 they were not longer to be found. The theatre had closed for good.
The theatre must go back to the World War I era or earlier. I found a 1918 listing for the place.
On April 30 of 1918 there was an explosion of a film magazine on the second balcony of the Savoy Theatre. According to newspaper reports there was considerable panic among members of the audience who rushed for the exits. The only person known to be hurt was Stephen Rose, the film projectionist, who sufered burns on his hands. Several women fainted or became hysterical when a burst of flames enveloped the upper part of the balcony. A portion of the front and side of the booth was torn away. There was some damage to the ceiling of the balcony. One woman jumped from the second balcony to the floor of the theater! The explosions and screams attracted persons outside who ran to the scene but were met with crowds attempting to exit. Theatre employees attached lines of hose and contained the fire without the aid of local firemen.
The above incident, whose description is paraphrased from a contemporary news report, suggests an example of a fire started with highly-flammable nitrate film, the industry standard for many decades until safety acetate-based film was introduced. A similar fire in a theatre in Washington, DC in the 1920s caused a number of deaths, but no one besides the projectionist was hurt here. The scene reminds us of the nitrate film fire in the Italian movie “Cinema Paradiso” where the projectionist Alfredo is burned and loses his eyesight.
One of the programs at the beginning of its last decade was the June 1950 pairing of “Love Happy” featuring the Marx Brothers and Marilyn Monroe alongside “Beauty on Parade” with Ruth Warrick.
I wish residents or former long-time residents of Woonsocket would offer some recollections of its other old theatres: Rialto, Bijou, Laurier, Park, Olympia, and of course this still-surviving and lovingly restored Stadium, about which we know so much more.
A program at the Laurier in June of 1950 was “Pinky” and “The Big Cat.”
In June of 1950 a program was Howard Hughes' “The Outlaw” with Jane Russell along with “Harbor of Missing Men” with Richard Denning.
I once posted the Ambassador on Cinema Treasures. Someone must have deemed it unworthy because for most of its career it has been associated with live theater. So it was summarily removed. Here is a photo of the Ambassador in September of 1949 (was that a “slow” legit year too?) with patrons lining up for Rossellini’s “Germany, Year Zero.” I think these theatres should be added. After all the Henry Miller is on Cinema Treasures.
Although the original seating capacity of the Columbus was 1492 (get it? Columbus, 1492), when the balcony was sectioned off to form the Studio Cinema, the seating capacities changed to the following: Main auditorium: 900, Studio: 274.
The 1973 Providence Journal Almanac gives the seating capacity for Cinema 1 as 175, Cinema 2 as 190. Owner: Esquire Theatres, Inc.; Carmine Montiquilla, owner.
The 1973 Providence Journal Almanac gives the seating capacity of the (single-screen) theatre as 724. It was listed as owned by Esquire Theatres, Inc.; Lawrence Johnson, manager.
The 1948 Providence Journal Almanac says this theatre closed on August 16, 1947. It had a seating capacity of 1148. It had been leased to Associated Theaters, Inc, owner; Lawrence MacGillivary, manager.
The seating capacity for this Bijou was 407, according to the 1925 Providence Journal Almanac.
A 1925 edition of the Providence Journal Almanac gives these facts about the theatre: Felix R. Wendel-Schaefer, manager; seating capacty, 1430; proscenium opening, 37 ¾ x 32 feet; footlights to back wall, 39 feet; between side walls, 71 feet; height to gridiron 42 feet. The 1931 Almanac lists the seating capacity as 1350.
Early editions of the Providence Journal Almanac place the original seating capacity of the Castle as a single-screener at 781.
The Capitol was previously known as the Colonial Theatre. A 1915 city directory gives the same address for the Colonial that the Capitol had: 569 ½ Westminster Street. According to a 1940 Providence Journal Almanac entry, the seating capacity of the Capitol was 996. The theatre was part of the E.M. Loew’s chain.
A Providence Journal Almanac from 1940 says that the Empire was formerly known as the Victory and had a seating capacity of 1603.
The original seating capacity as the single-screen Hope was 1137, according to the Providence Journal Almanac of 1940.
According to the 1940 Providence Journal Almanac, the Playhouse (formerly the Modern Theatre) was owned by B. Thomas Potter; leased by Modern Amusement Company, had a seating capacity of 1378.
A 1940 Providence Journal Almanac entry has the Olympia owned by Delphina Realty Company; leased and operated by E.M. Loew’s, Inc., Boston. The seating capacity was given as 1500.
Summary of a news article in January of 1930: a fire started in a millinery store on the second floor of the building that houses the Strand Theatre and other businesses. Although the management of the theatre was preparing to notify the patrons, the fire was contained in time and it became unnecessary. The location of the fire was on the other side of Union Street directly across from the entrance to Fay’s Theatre. Patrons of Fay’s were unaware of the event, but passers-by thronged the streets as fire apparatus thundered up to the door. Damage was minimal.
Summary of a news article in January of 1930: a fire started in a millinery store on the second floor of the building that houses the Strand Theatre and other businesses. Although the management of the theatre was preparing to notify the patrons, the fire was contained in time and it became unnecessary. The location of the fire was on the other side of Union Street directly across from the entrance to Fay’s Theatre. Patrons of Fay’s were unaware of the event, but passers-by thronged the streets as fire apparatus thundered up to the door. Damage was minimal.
Before being called the Olympia, this theatre was known as the Strand (from 1930 or so.) In city directories they had the same address as the even earlier Nickel. It is not clear whether the Nickel was demolished to make room for a new theatre, or whether it was simply the old theatre re-named. The Rialto’s street address was 41 Main Street, which should have placed it across from the Olympia.
In perusing microfilm of The Woonsocket Call (this theatre is less than 25 minutes from that R.I. city), I noticed a January 1930 ad for the Morse when it was showing “Four Devils.” That was F. W. Murnau’s 1928 film for Fox and is reputed to be lost.
The theatre also featured vaudeville. The 1929 ad I mentioned above also touted “5 big acts.”
Ads for the “New Park” still appeared in The Woonsocket Call in December of 1958. By May of 1959 they were not longer to be found. The theatre had closed for good.