There is a “Public Notice” in the legal ads section of today’s Boston Herald placed by the Boston Redevelopment Authority (Boston planning agency) advising that the theatre project is going forward. The existing buildings at 252 and 258 Huntington Ave are to be demolished and replaced with a 32-story tower with residential above and commercial space below. The theater is to be renovated, and the theater annex in the rear is to be demolished and replaced with a new annex 5 floors high, with 2 basement levels. No time line for this work.
This cinema wasn’t literally in front of the South Shore Plaza- it was down at the south edge of the complex and was much closer to Granite St. than the plaza buildings which are set way in back. I seem to recall that after it closed it served as an electronics store for awhile.
In the print edition of today’s Boston Herald there is a review of the new movie “Chappaquidick” which is playing here at the Boston Common, as well as the Kendall Square cinema in Cambridge. But it’s also playing at two other local cinemas: the “Kerasotes Showplace Icon Boston” and the “South Bay Center”. I never heard of the former and only recently heard of the latter. Where are they located? What are they like? Anyone know? (the movie gets a Grade A review).
daBunnyman is correct: there was an enthusiastic Humphrey Bogart cult at the Brattle in the 1960s. In his on-screen roles, he was considered the epitome of “cool”.
The new building constructed on the site of the Bates Opera House opened on Feb 15. At its south end is the 95-seat Bates Bar & Grill which was named to commemorate the old theater. There are 2 other retail spaces in the building. Article and photo in the print edition of the Quincy Patriot Ledger 2-17-2018.
In the 1920s image that DavidZorning has found you can see the initials “IOOF” at the very top of the building, so it was indeed an Odd Fellows Hall originally.
After the fire and explosion in 1884 when was the Grand rebuilt and reopened? Because in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide there is a “Hopkins' Grand Opera House” listed. Unfortunately, there are no street addresses in this guide. The Grand was run by John D.Hopkins & Charles Salisbury. It had 2,269 seats, ticket prices 10 cents to 30 cents. Auditorium was on the ground floor and had electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 38 feet wide X 30 feet high, and the stage was 44 feet deep. This was a big theater, but I don’t know if it was later the Grand Follies Theatre.
The Keokuk Opera House is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. J.C. Hubinger was owner. Tickets 25 cents to $1. 1,064 seats. Electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 30 feet square, and the stage was 36 feet deep. The auditorium was on the ground floor. There were 6 – 10 musicians in the pit band. There were 2 daily newspapers and 4 weeklies. There were 4 hotels for show folk. The 1897 population was 17,000.
“Ziggy” was able to rename the theater the “Casino” in 1932 because the original Casino Theatre down on the east side of Broadway at 39th Street (opened in the 1880s with a Moorish motif) was demolished in 1930. That theater was originally an “upstairs house”, had a summer roof garden and hosted many musical shows. I don’t think that movies were ever shown there.
The Quincy Patriot Ledger sometimes has a feature titled “Whatever Happened to:” The subject on Jan. 3, 2018 was Braintree’s Quintree Mall. The copy says that the site was previously occupied by the Quintree Drive-in Theatre which “opened in 1950 and closed in August 1968 after its 90-foot-high screen was damaged by fire”. The mall opened in 1970, but began to have problems by 1992. The Quirk auto dealerships purchased the site in 2001.
In the theater circuit listings in the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac, the Majestic (and the Flynn Th.) are listed under Maine & New Hampshire Theatres Company of Boston. That circuit had, at the time, only one other theater in Vermont, the Capitol in Montpelier.
In the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook the Plymouth Theatre is listed under Plymouth Mass. as having 600 seats and open 6 days per week. In the 1942-43 Motion Picture Yearbook, the Plymouth is listed as part of Interstate Theatres Corp. of Boston. Other theaters in Plymouth also under Interstate control at that time were the Old Colony Th. and the Park Th.
The Wild Opera House in Noblesville is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. C. C. Curtis was Mgr. The theater was on the ground floor; ticket prices were 35 cents and 50 cents. There was both gas and electric illumination. Seating is listed as 800. The proscenium opening was 30 feet wide X 20 feet high, and the stage was 36 feet deep. There were 8 members of the house orchestra. There was a daily newspaper and a weekly. There were 4 hotels for touring show folk. The 1897 population was 10,000.
The Fifth Avenue Opera House in Arkansas City is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. It had 1,400 seats and Frank Hess was Mgr. Ticket prices 25 cents to $1. The theater was on the ground floor. The proscenium opening was 36 feet square, and the stage was 40 feet deep. There was one daily newspaper and 4 weeklies. Hotels for show folk were the Gladstone and the Midland. Railroads were the Santa Fe and the Frisco. The theater had both electric and gas lighting. The 1897 population was 9,000.
The Quincy Patriot Ledger has an occasional feature titled “Whatever happened to…”. In the Nov. 29 print edition the subject of this feature was the Strand Theatre. It says it opened in 1926 with nearly 1800 seats and was on Chestnut Street. In the late-1970s it was sold to one Tony Delpidio whose proposals for the building were always shot down. There is a photo of half of the marquee which reads: “Fri Sept 19 715 & 915, Live on Stage Heavy Metal Plasmatics”. The article states that this was in 1981, but Fri Sept 19 was in 1980. Wendy O. Williams and the Plasmatics did not have a very good rep. So the city yanked the theater license and the show was cancelled. Delpidio threw in the towel and sold the theater to the bank across the street. The article says that the final show was the Julie Andrews movie “Victor, Victoria” on June 26, 1982, and that the Strand was demolished “later that year.”
The Fremont Opera House is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. It’s the only theater listed under Fremont OH. Frank Heim and W.P. Hayes were Mgrs. 1,098 seats. The proscenium opening was 30 feet wide X 32 feet high, and the stage was 38 feet deep. The auditorium was on the ground floor. There were 2 daily newspapers, and 2 weekly, one of which was in German. There were 2 hotels for show folk, the Ball House and the Croghan House. 1897 population was 9,000-plus.
davidcoppock- The town in Vermont which you mention is Derby Line VT. It straddles the border with Quebec, on the north side of which is Stanstead. But it looks like one town from overhead. The public library is in an old 1904 building which also contains a small theater, the Haskell Opera House. Supposedly, the stage is on the north side of the border while the auditorium is on the south side.
JAlex- this matter has come up here several times in the past. It doesn’t have to be a seperate website, just a link here to a section called “Stage Treasures” or “Live Treasures” where all of these non-movie theaters and concert halls could be listed. Then this website could be a one-stop resource for all kinds of theater buildings.
I noticed that Willlburg145 on 11-9-13 mentioned how convenient it was that a fire broke out just as efforts were being made to save the Grand. Same thing happened in Boston in 1961 when a move started to save the Old Howard Theatre which was in the way of an office development. A fire, of “undetermined origin” broke out one day which gutted the building, leading to its demolition. Just a coincidence, of course. Nothing supicious, just one of those things, etc. Yeah, right,
The Park must have opened after 1941 because it’s not listed in the MGM Theatre reports. There was an earlier movie operation in East Walpole which is listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook. It was Bird’s Hall, address not given, 200 seats, open 2 days per week.
I drove by today and noted that an ancient, battered old upright piano has been moved outside and placed under the front overhand to keep it out of the rain. I wondered if this was the piano used for music during the showing of silient films there.
That’s a great idea, Comf. Cool ! How about “Entertainment Venue World”, or “Cinema & Stage Treasures”? Thousands of additional buildings could be listed here.
Stretching CT’s rules doesn’t bother me. (I recall that someone once set up a page here for a highschool auditorium somewhere). I like to see the CT database growing. I think that there should be a sub-program in CT called “Stage Treasures” for all the legit theaters, opera houses and concert halls.
A relative who lives in Portsmouth told me today that the new marquee has been installed.
There is a “Public Notice” in the legal ads section of today’s Boston Herald placed by the Boston Redevelopment Authority (Boston planning agency) advising that the theatre project is going forward. The existing buildings at 252 and 258 Huntington Ave are to be demolished and replaced with a 32-story tower with residential above and commercial space below. The theater is to be renovated, and the theater annex in the rear is to be demolished and replaced with a new annex 5 floors high, with 2 basement levels. No time line for this work.
This cinema wasn’t literally in front of the South Shore Plaza- it was down at the south edge of the complex and was much closer to Granite St. than the plaza buildings which are set way in back. I seem to recall that after it closed it served as an electronics store for awhile.
In the print edition of today’s Boston Herald there is a review of the new movie “Chappaquidick” which is playing here at the Boston Common, as well as the Kendall Square cinema in Cambridge. But it’s also playing at two other local cinemas: the “Kerasotes Showplace Icon Boston” and the “South Bay Center”. I never heard of the former and only recently heard of the latter. Where are they located? What are they like? Anyone know? (the movie gets a Grade A review).
daBunnyman is correct: there was an enthusiastic Humphrey Bogart cult at the Brattle in the 1960s. In his on-screen roles, he was considered the epitome of “cool”.
The new building constructed on the site of the Bates Opera House opened on Feb 15. At its south end is the 95-seat Bates Bar & Grill which was named to commemorate the old theater. There are 2 other retail spaces in the building. Article and photo in the print edition of the Quincy Patriot Ledger 2-17-2018.
In the 1920s image that DavidZorning has found you can see the initials “IOOF” at the very top of the building, so it was indeed an Odd Fellows Hall originally.
After the fire and explosion in 1884 when was the Grand rebuilt and reopened? Because in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide there is a “Hopkins' Grand Opera House” listed. Unfortunately, there are no street addresses in this guide. The Grand was run by John D.Hopkins & Charles Salisbury. It had 2,269 seats, ticket prices 10 cents to 30 cents. Auditorium was on the ground floor and had electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 38 feet wide X 30 feet high, and the stage was 44 feet deep. This was a big theater, but I don’t know if it was later the Grand Follies Theatre.
The Keokuk Opera House is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. J.C. Hubinger was owner. Tickets 25 cents to $1. 1,064 seats. Electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 30 feet square, and the stage was 36 feet deep. The auditorium was on the ground floor. There were 6 – 10 musicians in the pit band. There were 2 daily newspapers and 4 weeklies. There were 4 hotels for show folk. The 1897 population was 17,000.
“Ziggy” was able to rename the theater the “Casino” in 1932 because the original Casino Theatre down on the east side of Broadway at 39th Street (opened in the 1880s with a Moorish motif) was demolished in 1930. That theater was originally an “upstairs house”, had a summer roof garden and hosted many musical shows. I don’t think that movies were ever shown there.
The Quincy Patriot Ledger sometimes has a feature titled “Whatever Happened to:” The subject on Jan. 3, 2018 was Braintree’s Quintree Mall. The copy says that the site was previously occupied by the Quintree Drive-in Theatre which “opened in 1950 and closed in August 1968 after its 90-foot-high screen was damaged by fire”. The mall opened in 1970, but began to have problems by 1992. The Quirk auto dealerships purchased the site in 2001.
In the theater circuit listings in the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac, the Majestic (and the Flynn Th.) are listed under Maine & New Hampshire Theatres Company of Boston. That circuit had, at the time, only one other theater in Vermont, the Capitol in Montpelier.
In the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook the Plymouth Theatre is listed under Plymouth Mass. as having 600 seats and open 6 days per week. In the 1942-43 Motion Picture Yearbook, the Plymouth is listed as part of Interstate Theatres Corp. of Boston. Other theaters in Plymouth also under Interstate control at that time were the Old Colony Th. and the Park Th.
The Wild Opera House in Noblesville is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. C. C. Curtis was Mgr. The theater was on the ground floor; ticket prices were 35 cents and 50 cents. There was both gas and electric illumination. Seating is listed as 800. The proscenium opening was 30 feet wide X 20 feet high, and the stage was 36 feet deep. There were 8 members of the house orchestra. There was a daily newspaper and a weekly. There were 4 hotels for touring show folk. The 1897 population was 10,000.
The Fifth Avenue Opera House in Arkansas City is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. It had 1,400 seats and Frank Hess was Mgr. Ticket prices 25 cents to $1. The theater was on the ground floor. The proscenium opening was 36 feet square, and the stage was 40 feet deep. There was one daily newspaper and 4 weeklies. Hotels for show folk were the Gladstone and the Midland. Railroads were the Santa Fe and the Frisco. The theater had both electric and gas lighting. The 1897 population was 9,000.
The Quincy Patriot Ledger has an occasional feature titled “Whatever happened to…”. In the Nov. 29 print edition the subject of this feature was the Strand Theatre. It says it opened in 1926 with nearly 1800 seats and was on Chestnut Street. In the late-1970s it was sold to one Tony Delpidio whose proposals for the building were always shot down. There is a photo of half of the marquee which reads: “Fri Sept 19 715 & 915, Live on Stage Heavy Metal Plasmatics”. The article states that this was in 1981, but Fri Sept 19 was in 1980. Wendy O. Williams and the Plasmatics did not have a very good rep. So the city yanked the theater license and the show was cancelled. Delpidio threw in the towel and sold the theater to the bank across the street. The article says that the final show was the Julie Andrews movie “Victor, Victoria” on June 26, 1982, and that the Strand was demolished “later that year.”
The Fremont Opera House is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. It’s the only theater listed under Fremont OH. Frank Heim and W.P. Hayes were Mgrs. 1,098 seats. The proscenium opening was 30 feet wide X 32 feet high, and the stage was 38 feet deep. The auditorium was on the ground floor. There were 2 daily newspapers, and 2 weekly, one of which was in German. There were 2 hotels for show folk, the Ball House and the Croghan House. 1897 population was 9,000-plus.
davidcoppock- The town in Vermont which you mention is Derby Line VT. It straddles the border with Quebec, on the north side of which is Stanstead. But it looks like one town from overhead. The public library is in an old 1904 building which also contains a small theater, the Haskell Opera House. Supposedly, the stage is on the north side of the border while the auditorium is on the south side.
JAlex- this matter has come up here several times in the past. It doesn’t have to be a seperate website, just a link here to a section called “Stage Treasures” or “Live Treasures” where all of these non-movie theaters and concert halls could be listed. Then this website could be a one-stop resource for all kinds of theater buildings.
I noticed that Willlburg145 on 11-9-13 mentioned how convenient it was that a fire broke out just as efforts were being made to save the Grand. Same thing happened in Boston in 1961 when a move started to save the Old Howard Theatre which was in the way of an office development. A fire, of “undetermined origin” broke out one day which gutted the building, leading to its demolition. Just a coincidence, of course. Nothing supicious, just one of those things, etc. Yeah, right,
Bird’s Hall is listed under East Walpole MA in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook. It was said to have 200 seats and was open 2 nights per week.
The Park must have opened after 1941 because it’s not listed in the MGM Theatre reports. There was an earlier movie operation in East Walpole which is listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook. It was Bird’s Hall, address not given, 200 seats, open 2 days per week.
I drove by today and noted that an ancient, battered old upright piano has been moved outside and placed under the front overhand to keep it out of the rain. I wondered if this was the piano used for music during the showing of silient films there.
That’s a great idea, Comf. Cool ! How about “Entertainment Venue World”, or “Cinema & Stage Treasures”? Thousands of additional buildings could be listed here.
Stretching CT’s rules doesn’t bother me. (I recall that someone once set up a page here for a highschool auditorium somewhere). I like to see the CT database growing. I think that there should be a sub-program in CT called “Stage Treasures” for all the legit theaters, opera houses and concert halls.