The Lawler in Greenfield is listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook as having 1000 seats and open daily. They also list a Victoria Theatre in Greenfield with 832 seats and also open 7 days/week.
In the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook, the Winter Hill Theater in Somerville is listed as having 600 seats and open 6 days a week. is this an error, or did it reopen after closing around 1918?
The current cinema operation at Loring Hall dates back to the mid-1930s, but the place was used for movie exhibition prior to that time, because it’s listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook. It lists Loring Hall in Hingham as having 420 seats and operating 2 days per week.
Knowing of the errors in the theater lists in the Film Daily yearbooks, I wonder if the Norfolk Theatre was actually in the town of Norfolk MA (near Walpole and Franklin) and not in the Norfolk Downs section of Quincy at all. The town of Norfolk MA is not listed in the 1927 FDY.
The Regent in the Norfolk Downs section of Quincy is listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook as being open 7 days per week, although they don’t list the seating capacity. They also show a Norfolk Theatre in that area with 400 seats, open 2 days per week (probably Fri-Sat)– that’s a new one to me, never heard of it before.
The “People’s” is listed under Maynard in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook. It’s listed as having 700 seats and open 6 days per week. There is also a Riverside Theatre listed for Maynard. It had 383 seats and was also open 6 days per week.
The Woodland Opera House is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. A.M. Elston was Mgr. The seating capacity was given as 707. Ticket prices ranged from 25 cents to $1. The theater was on the ground floor and had both gas and electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 25 feet square, and the stage was 30 feet deep. There were 6 members of the house orchestra. Hotels for show folk were the Julian, the Byrnes, and the Capitol. Railroad was the Southern Pacific. The 1897 population of Woodland was 5,000. There were 3 newspapers, all weeklies.
The new Modern has a foyer which is much larger than the tiny vestibule in the old Modern. The foyer doubles as an exhibit gallery. One neat feature is that there is a walkway in the arch of the facade. The arch is filled with glass. You can walk up there from the foyer and stand right in the arch looking down at Washington Street. It’s a clever idea. The foyer is bright and airy. On the walls are some old decorative elements from the first Modern Theatre with little labels describing them. Plus a few old photos.
The architect firm which did the design work on the new building is CBT of Boston. I also attended the Open House on Fri Nov 5; there certainly were far more people present than at the Open House in Sept at the nearby Paramount Center, an event which seemed to be Top Secret. I was told that there were about 5 different modes for the auditorium. When I was there it was in conference/banquet mode, with a flat floor which was even with the stage floor. However, the floor can be raked so that its front is below the apron of the stage. The balcony has 2 rows of seating, with side slips which each have one row. The side slips are supported by a column at the stage-end. At the rear of the balcony, not centered, is a glassed-in control booth for lighting, and I presume for sound. They don’t really need sound amplification in such a tiny space. There is a rectangular proscenium arch, and an attempt to decorate in the style of the old Modern. I liked this little theater.
As mentioned above, when the old Modern/ Mayflower Theatre was demolished in the spring of 2009, the distinctive facade was carefully dismantled, set aside, cleaned up and then re-erected to front this new building. It’s in the exact location of the original. Someone who has not visited Boston in two years or more would think that it is the original building. The arch in the facade is now open as it was when the first Modern Theatre was new. For many years, the arch has been covered over and stuccoed. It looks great!
The Wheeler Opera House in Aspen is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. J.J. Ryan was the Mgr. The house had 625 seats, electric illumination and was located on the second floor. The proscenium opening was 24 feet wide X 18 feet high, and the stage was 30 feet deep. There were 6 musicians in the house orchestra. Local newspapers were the Times, Tribune, and Rocky Mountain General Chronical. Hotels for show folk were the Jerome, Clarendon and Lincoln. Railroad was the Denver & Rio Grande. The 1897 population of Aspen was 5,000.
There is mention of the Old Howard Theatre in the bio “Tony Pastor- Father of Vaudeville” by Armond Fields (McFarland, 2007). Tony Pastor (1838- 1908) was a New Yorker who performed as a child acrobat in traveling circuses. These troupes played in both circus tents and in variety theaters. In early-1849 he and his circus troupe performed at the old Federal Street Theatre in Boston (Federal & Franklin streets, downtown). Later, he became a circus clown, and by 1860 he was a popular singer of comedy songs at variety (vaudeville) theaters. In mid-1863, he and a variety troupe played 6 weeks at the Boston Museum (east side of Tremont Street, north of School St.) In mid-1865, Pastor played at the Morris Brothers Opera House in Boston for 4 weeks. It was the old Horticultural Hall on School Street across from today’s Old City Hall. He played there again in 1866 and 1868.
The Morris Brothers also ran shows at the Melodeon, which later became the Gaiety, site of the Bijou on Washington Street. Pastor may have performed there, too. In Jan 1869, he and his troupe played at the Howard in Boston and then returned there each year, sometimes twice a year (late-spring and early-fall). Tony Pastor was so straight and square that he would never have performed at the Old Howard if there was anything disreputable about it. He presented “family-style” entertainment. During the summer of 1883, his troupe appeared at the Oakland Garden summer theater in Roxbury. It was located somewhere near the rail line which today runs from South Station to Readville via Uphams Corner. His troupe’s last appearance at the Old Howard was in March 1891, after performing there once or twice a year for many seasons.
Pastor was the m.c. and producer at Tony Pastor’s 14th Street Theater in New York (Union Square, Tammany Hall building). He was a famous theatrical personality in the USA in the second-half of the 19th Century. Here in Cinema Treasures there is some info about him on the page for the Metropolitan Theater on E. 14th St in NY, CT # 7628.
Ron Newman- the front-to-back distance in the new Paramount auditorium is shorter than the original. (from the proscenium to the rear auditorium wall). The stage and the foyers are larger in this theater than those in the original.
The Sept 2010 issue of Live Design magazine has a feature article on the Paramount Center. There is a great deal of tech information on the lighting and sound systems. There are some color photos. The article states “This was a historically-informed renovation, not an actual restoration.” It points out that the blue or green grillwork fan which is canted over the orchestra pit is original to the old theater. Also states that the wing space at stage-right is limited; that there are 27 counterweight lines on the stage plus an old-fashioned hemp pin-rail. Some of the light and sound features are cleverly hidden from view. There is also a set of traps in the stage floor. The side-to-side distance in the new auditorium is about the same as in the old. Same with the floor-to-ceiling distance (probably as measured down front by the orchestra pit.) The front-to-back distance is not the same.
The Patriot Ledger ran one its polls recently asking “Should the Wollaston Theatre be preserved and reopened, or torn down and the site developed??” There were 556 responses: Saved- 61%; Torn down-38%.
The St. George in Framingham is listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook as having 650 seats and open 7 days/week. That seat count doesn’t seem right.
The Strand in Gloucester is listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook as having 860 seats.
The North Shore in Gloucester is listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook as having 1200 seats and open daily.
As the Modern, this theater is listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook as having 592 seats and open 3 days per week.
The Lawler in Greenfield is listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook as having 1000 seats and open daily. They also list a Victoria Theatre in Greenfield with 832 seats and also open 7 days/week.
The Thompson Square Theatre in Charlestown is listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook as having 1100 seats and open daily.
The Grand in Indian Orchard is listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook as having 460 seats and open 7 days per week.
The Crown in Lowell is listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook as having 900 seats and open 7 days per week.
In the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook, the Winter Hill Theater in Somerville is listed as having 600 seats and open 6 days a week. is this an error, or did it reopen after closing around 1918?
The current cinema operation at Loring Hall dates back to the mid-1930s, but the place was used for movie exhibition prior to that time, because it’s listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook. It lists Loring Hall in Hingham as having 420 seats and operating 2 days per week.
Knowing of the errors in the theater lists in the Film Daily yearbooks, I wonder if the Norfolk Theatre was actually in the town of Norfolk MA (near Walpole and Franklin) and not in the Norfolk Downs section of Quincy at all. The town of Norfolk MA is not listed in the 1927 FDY.
The Apollo in Nantasket section of Hull is listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook as having 700 seats and open 7 days per week.
The Regent in the Norfolk Downs section of Quincy is listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook as being open 7 days per week, although they don’t list the seating capacity. They also show a Norfolk Theatre in that area with 400 seats, open 2 days per week (probably Fri-Sat)– that’s a new one to me, never heard of it before.
The Orpheum in Foxboro is listed in the 1927 Film Daily yearbook as having 300 seats and open 3 days per week.
The Bijou is listed as the Bijou Dream Theatre in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook. Shown as having 800 seats.
The “People’s” is listed under Maynard in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook. It’s listed as having 700 seats and open 6 days per week. There is also a Riverside Theatre listed for Maynard. It had 383 seats and was also open 6 days per week.
The Woodland Opera House is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. A.M. Elston was Mgr. The seating capacity was given as 707. Ticket prices ranged from 25 cents to $1. The theater was on the ground floor and had both gas and electric illumination. The proscenium opening was 25 feet square, and the stage was 30 feet deep. There were 6 members of the house orchestra. Hotels for show folk were the Julian, the Byrnes, and the Capitol. Railroad was the Southern Pacific. The 1897 population of Woodland was 5,000. There were 3 newspapers, all weeklies.
The new Modern has a foyer which is much larger than the tiny vestibule in the old Modern. The foyer doubles as an exhibit gallery. One neat feature is that there is a walkway in the arch of the facade. The arch is filled with glass. You can walk up there from the foyer and stand right in the arch looking down at Washington Street. It’s a clever idea. The foyer is bright and airy. On the walls are some old decorative elements from the first Modern Theatre with little labels describing them. Plus a few old photos.
The architect firm which did the design work on the new building is CBT of Boston. I also attended the Open House on Fri Nov 5; there certainly were far more people present than at the Open House in Sept at the nearby Paramount Center, an event which seemed to be Top Secret. I was told that there were about 5 different modes for the auditorium. When I was there it was in conference/banquet mode, with a flat floor which was even with the stage floor. However, the floor can be raked so that its front is below the apron of the stage. The balcony has 2 rows of seating, with side slips which each have one row. The side slips are supported by a column at the stage-end. At the rear of the balcony, not centered, is a glassed-in control booth for lighting, and I presume for sound. They don’t really need sound amplification in such a tiny space. There is a rectangular proscenium arch, and an attempt to decorate in the style of the old Modern. I liked this little theater.
As mentioned above, when the old Modern/ Mayflower Theatre was demolished in the spring of 2009, the distinctive facade was carefully dismantled, set aside, cleaned up and then re-erected to front this new building. It’s in the exact location of the original. Someone who has not visited Boston in two years or more would think that it is the original building. The arch in the facade is now open as it was when the first Modern Theatre was new. For many years, the arch has been covered over and stuccoed. It looks great!
The Wheeler Opera House in Aspen is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. J.J. Ryan was the Mgr. The house had 625 seats, electric illumination and was located on the second floor. The proscenium opening was 24 feet wide X 18 feet high, and the stage was 30 feet deep. There were 6 musicians in the house orchestra. Local newspapers were the Times, Tribune, and Rocky Mountain General Chronical. Hotels for show folk were the Jerome, Clarendon and Lincoln. Railroad was the Denver & Rio Grande. The 1897 population of Aspen was 5,000.
There is mention of the Old Howard Theatre in the bio “Tony Pastor- Father of Vaudeville” by Armond Fields (McFarland, 2007). Tony Pastor (1838- 1908) was a New Yorker who performed as a child acrobat in traveling circuses. These troupes played in both circus tents and in variety theaters. In early-1849 he and his circus troupe performed at the old Federal Street Theatre in Boston (Federal & Franklin streets, downtown). Later, he became a circus clown, and by 1860 he was a popular singer of comedy songs at variety (vaudeville) theaters. In mid-1863, he and a variety troupe played 6 weeks at the Boston Museum (east side of Tremont Street, north of School St.) In mid-1865, Pastor played at the Morris Brothers Opera House in Boston for 4 weeks. It was the old Horticultural Hall on School Street across from today’s Old City Hall. He played there again in 1866 and 1868.
The Morris Brothers also ran shows at the Melodeon, which later became the Gaiety, site of the Bijou on Washington Street. Pastor may have performed there, too. In Jan 1869, he and his troupe played at the Howard in Boston and then returned there each year, sometimes twice a year (late-spring and early-fall). Tony Pastor was so straight and square that he would never have performed at the Old Howard if there was anything disreputable about it. He presented “family-style” entertainment. During the summer of 1883, his troupe appeared at the Oakland Garden summer theater in Roxbury. It was located somewhere near the rail line which today runs from South Station to Readville via Uphams Corner. His troupe’s last appearance at the Old Howard was in March 1891, after performing there once or twice a year for many seasons.
Pastor was the m.c. and producer at Tony Pastor’s 14th Street Theater in New York (Union Square, Tammany Hall building). He was a famous theatrical personality in the USA in the second-half of the 19th Century. Here in Cinema Treasures there is some info about him on the page for the Metropolitan Theater on E. 14th St in NY, CT # 7628.
Ron Newman- the front-to-back distance in the new Paramount auditorium is shorter than the original. (from the proscenium to the rear auditorium wall). The stage and the foyers are larger in this theater than those in the original.
The Sept 2010 issue of Live Design magazine has a feature article on the Paramount Center. There is a great deal of tech information on the lighting and sound systems. There are some color photos. The article states “This was a historically-informed renovation, not an actual restoration.” It points out that the blue or green grillwork fan which is canted over the orchestra pit is original to the old theater. Also states that the wing space at stage-right is limited; that there are 27 counterweight lines on the stage plus an old-fashioned hemp pin-rail. Some of the light and sound features are cleverly hidden from view. There is also a set of traps in the stage floor. The side-to-side distance in the new auditorium is about the same as in the old. Same with the floor-to-ceiling distance (probably as measured down front by the orchestra pit.) The front-to-back distance is not the same.
The Patriot Ledger ran one its polls recently asking “Should the Wollaston Theatre be preserved and reopened, or torn down and the site developed??” There were 556 responses: Saved- 61%; Torn down-38%.