Gary Theatre
131 Stuart Street,
Boston,
MA
02116
131 Stuart Street,
Boston,
MA
02116
7 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 91 comments
Thanks, Ron!
Glad you enjoyed the posting.
Most of the JPEGs on the blog are dated with at least the year in the address bar.
Here is an expample:
View link
The months may not be there but the year is on most and if there are multiple posting for a year they may appear like: 1950-1, 1950-2, etc.
So, if you scroll over each you can see the info or click each image and it will show up the address bar.
I hope that helps:–)
Enjoy….and I hope to do another theatre soon:–)
Charles:–)
http://usaretrotimes.blogspot.com/
CharlesBoston – this is a very nice archive, and beautifully presented. But it would be even better if there were dates on the ads and clippings.
Hello, All!
I just have put together a tribute to the Plymouth…aka…Gary on my retro blog.
I have included some wonderful moments in the history of the theatre and also located a few photos…most have been here before I think.
I have asked Bob for his wonderful snapshot from the 1960’s…and said he said yes to posting it:–)
Thanks, Bob.
Gerald, I have used your neat shot as well on the blog and written your name on it for full credit. Looked for email contact but could not locate any…sorry. It is a super photo and adds so much to the update as well!!!
The blog update covers 1911 until the building came down in late 1979..early 80.
I hope you enjoy it:–)
http://usaretrotimes.blogspot.com/
Charles:–)
No, It is Columbia Square Cinemas in Augusta,Ga. on one of the posts is a picture of folks from a church protesting the movie,AP picked up the picture and somehow Warner Brothers contacted us about the “Oh,God” protest. It was Columbia 1 and 2 Theatres in those days. sorry for the mix-up.
I don’t understand your comment — are you referring to the Columbia Theatre (not Columbia Square) that used to be about a half mile south of the Gary?
MPol see Columbia Square Cinemas somewhere in Posts is a Picture that Made the AP over the protests It went far enought that Warner Brothers SAW it. I think it was WB, been so long I can not remember.
The street directory section of the 1918 edition of the Boston Register and Business Directory, Issue 83, says: “Plymouth Theatre, 125 Eliot Street”. That section of Stuart St. was known as Eliot Street in those days. Jake Wirth’s restaurant, very much in business in 1918, was also on Eliot St.
Why would somebody picket the movie “Oh, God!:?
It’s a real piece of junk, that’s why!
The Music Hall held one night charity premiers of many of the big films coming to Sack theatres. Some of them were Ben-Hor, Sound Of Music and Hello Dolly. The following week they would begin there at there respective [place. The Gary or the Saxon. The pr5ome reserved theatres in town were Th Gary, The Saxon. Then Music Hall and the Astor(The Ten Commandments and The Longest Day were the most notablt. The Paramount had one hard ticket that I recall and that was Scrooge The Musical with Albert Finney and I remember buying the $5 program book and leaving it betweem ,y seat and my wifes. I don’t know of any other downtown theatres having reserved seats excepy of course The Cinerama.
Why would someone picket ‘Oh, God’ ?
movie picketed I worked at. “Oh,God” SOLD out both shows.Story made the AP.Can’t buy that type of Radio spot,bet “SNUFF” was the same way.
That can be a good thing,get picketed,get shown on the News,the next night sell a lot more tickets.
That film actually got the theatre picketed, if I recall correctly.
I believe that in 1976, when it was already starting its final decline, the Gary had the rather ignominious distinction of showing a truly abominable film titled “Snuff.” This film is perhaps the worst I have ever seen, but because it supposedly portrayed a real murder onscreen (though in fact the “murder” could easily be seen as staged), it attracted great notoriety and even had a couple of Boston Police detectives assigned to view it—-all of which resulted in box office lines down the street, of course.
See IMBD for details on this piece of crap, if anyone is interested: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072184/
The cover of Boxoffice magazine, April 28, 1958, had a montage of Ben Sack with four of his theatres: the Saxon, the Capri, the Beacon Hill, and the Gary.
http://issuu.com/boxoffice/docs/boxoffice_042858
…and an article on Sack and his success with the acquisition of Boston theatres:
View link
A brief item in Boxoffice of August 3, 1957, said the Gary was scheduled to open August 7. This was a week earlier than the tentative opening date given in a Boxoffice item of July 20, which had also said that “The Pride and the Passion” had been slated as the opening feature.
The August 3 item said: “Remodeling included air conditioning, installation of 1,350 foam rubber seats, new draperies, mosaics and murals, new carpeting and plumbing.” It was Benjamin Sack’s second Todd-AO-equipped theater, the Saxon having been the first.
The earlier Boxoffice item credited designer Louis Chiaramonte with both the design for the remodeling and the decoration of the theater, the same roles he had played for the conversion of the Majestic into the Saxon in Boston and the Lyric into the Saxon in Fitchburg.
In a long article in the old Boston Post, noted Boston theater critic Elliot Norton stated that the seating capacity for the Plymouth Theatre was 1,464. The article has no date but apparently appeared in late-1951 or in 1952. Heading: “Records Prove Hub Best Show City After New York”.
Great [hoto! Such memories! I think that theatre had the best presentation of films ever!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rjf7r/2151633983/
The Gary (named after Ben Sack’s son) had a full painted billboard for “The Sound Of Music” covering the entire right side of its marquee. Similar billboards were made for the Gary’s roadshow runs of “West Side Story” and “Lawrence Of Arabia”. Both films were presented at the Gary in 70mm. “Mary Poppins” was not a roadshow release. It ran at the Gary in 35mm 4-track magnetic stereophonic sound. When it ran “Cabaret”, the roadshow era was over and the Gary and Saxon were downgraded. Both theaters had been equipped with Norelco DP70 Todd AO projectors which were removed and reinstalled at the newly built Sack Cinema 57. Old Simplex 35mm projectors and mono sound were put into the Gary and Saxon booths.
Thanks to all for the great comments and especially those who provided the priceless pictures. What memories. Just checked the Boston Globe on micro and “The Sound of Music” did indeed open its Boston run at the Gary on 3/17/65. “My Fair Lady” was into its run around the corner at the Saxon on Tremont Street. I saw “TSOM” sometime during its roadshow engagement at the Gary and remember sitting in the balcony, but couldn’t say which one. I do remember it was so high up and raked that it felt like being on the side of a mountain. I also saw roadshow engagements of “Hawaii” and “The Sand Pebbles” at the Gary and the last movie I saw there before it was sadly demolished was “Cabaret”
I can also confirm that “Sound of Music” played at the Gary in 70mm. I was 13 at the time when our family saw it with reserved seats during the summer of 1965. We were impressed with the big screen and the sound quality, which I remember having a deep bass, much better than your average suburban theater of that era. We also saw “Mary Poppins” there a year earlier, and we had to wait outside for about two hours. I guess it was not reserved-seat, and perhaps Hollywood did not know how popular that movie would be. Does anyone know if “Mary Poppins” had a roadshow release across the country? In 1967 or so we had reserved seats at the Gary for the 70mm release of “Gone With the Wind.” We sat in the balcony for that one and loved it, although now everyone agrees that the 70mm blow-up of the original 35mm print was a big mistake (since it cropped part of the frame). I also remember that the Gary had a nice lounge area and a big men’s room, despite a small opening onto the street.
Near the top right of this 1928 map you can see the Plymouth Theatre, as well as its neighbor,
the Majestic.
The Majestic is on the west side of Tremont Street, just north of Eliot Street. The Plymouth is just to the left (west) of the Majestic.
When I w
I just reviewed some of my notes on the subject and came across a reference to a benefit screening of “The Sound of Music” held at the Music Hall in Boston about a week prior to the Gary engagement. Is this what was referred to on in70mm.com? Either way, that was just a single screening; the actual reserved-seat engagement was at the Gary.