In the old Boston Post of Dec. 21, 1950, theater critic Elliot Norton paid tribute to the Colonial on its 50th birthday. He states that show people like it because of its large stage, ample storage space, big scene dock, many dressing rooms and large, very nice star dressing rooms on the stage level at stage-left. His brief history of the theater up to 1950 does not mention movie shows, unfortunately.
The photo on the MGM Report, taken in 1941, is a tight shot of the entrance and marquee. Lost’s photo, posted above on Feb 16, shows more of the facade. But it is almost certainly the same theater. In 1941, there was a very elaborate marquee which was mounted only over the entrance and under the arch. There was also very fancy stained glass within the arch.
The 2,400 capacity for the new House of Blues music hall is the limit of number of patrons who can be admitted. The only fixed seating will be in the balcony. The capacity is almost as high as the Orpheum.
The Boston Herald today has an article on the new Boston House of Blues which is set to open very soon. It’s located on Lansdowne Street near Fenway Park in uptown Boston. Central to this club is its music hall which has a capacity of 2,400 and includes a balcony with “stadium seating”. (Well, don’t most theater balconies have stadium seating by default?) Live Nation owns it and already has 57 attractions booked into it within the next few months. They have only 6 attractions booked into the Orpheum. The article is headed “New House of Blues fills Hub club void” and is written by Jeb Gottlieb. He suggests in it that the days of the Orpheum Theatre downtown may be numbered.
I went by it in the 1950s but never went into it. It was a typical Burley theater of that period. Very popular with sailors ! The entrance was brightly lit and rather garish. The nearby area was honky-tonk. I’m fairly certain that it showed movies in between stage shows at that time.
The Lyric has been renovated inside at some point after Lost’s 4 old photos were made. According to the photo in Marquee Magazine, the balcony has been greatly enlarged, with a shallow front section, a cross-aisle, and a large rear section. But the side walls are the same.
This theater is profiled in the newest issue of Marquee Magazine (Theatre Historical Society) because the THS plans to visit it during their annual convention in July. The profile states that it was opened Oct 1894 rather than 1895. The auditorium is pictured and has a single large balcony, with side galleries. I seem to recall that it is housed in a large free-standing building.
The Lyceum in Ithaca is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. The Mgr. was M Gutstadt; there were 8 members of the house orchestra under George Coleman. The house was on the ground floor and had gas illumination. The proscenium opening was 36 feet square and the stage was 36 feet deep. There were 3 daily newspapers and 3 weeklies; hotels for show folk were the Ithaca, Clinton House, Hollister House and Tompkins House. The 1897 population of Ithaca was 15,000.
Rick Benjamin- for photos of the Lyceum, try the Theatre Historical Society, Elmhurst IL. Their website, with e-mail address, is historictheatres.org. Or perhaps there is a local historical society in Ithaca. Another possibility is the archives of Cornell University in Ithaca.
In the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide, there are 2 theaters listed for Providence: the Providence Opera House and the Keith’s Opera House. There are no street addresses in this Guide, unfortunately. The Keith’s OH was managed by J.T. Fynes. There were 750 seats in the orchestra, 551 in the balcony, and 500 in the gallery, total: 1,801. Ticket prices ranged from 15 cents to 75 cents. The theater had both gas and electric illumination and was located on the ground floor. The proscenium opening was 32 feet wide, and the stage was 35 feet deep. The population of Providence in 1897 was 155,000. Hotels for show folk were the Narragansett, City, Perkins, Perrin and Dorrance. There are 3 ads: the Hopkins Transfer Co. at Union Station, handles scenary and baggage; Old Colony Bill Posting Co., 212 Union St., posts ads, as does Charles F. Haskins, Bill Poster, at 230 Westminster St.
There is a new cinema operation in Plymouth. It’s called Plimouth Cinema, and has been operating for the past few months in the Linn Theatre at the Plimouth Plantation complex, 137 Warren Avenue in Plymouth. Single-screen, shows recent movies.
The address was 15 School Street in Brockton, at the corner of Main Street downtown. It had 1,685 seats. These two facts are in an article in the Quincy Patriot Ledger of Feb. 5, 2009 by Maria Papadopoulos titled “City to honor last living survivor of Strand blaze.” These facts are also in an earlier article by the same writer posted above by Lost Memory on Feb. 3, 2009. That article states that the Strand opened in March 1916 and was renovated in August 1937. The writer states in both articles that the Strand was the largest theater in Brockton.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Cameo Theatre in Uxbridge is dated May 1941 and states that there were no competing movie theatres in town. This implies that the Bijou was closed as of May 1941.
According to an article in the Quincy Patriot Ledger today, the restoration work at Stetson Hall is nearly finished. They have even rented out an office suite on the ground floor. A new crimson house curtain has been hung on the stage and lighting trees have been installed on the auditorium sidewalls. Seats have not yet been installed in the balcony. The main floor is flat, polished wood, and will have movable seating, much like Memorial Hall in Plymouth, which has fixed seating in the balcony and portable seating on the flat main floor. An application has been submitted to place Stetson Hall on the National Register of Historic Places.
In an article in the old Boston Post of May 14, 1950 “Many Hits Made Upon Hub Stages” by drama critic Elliot Norton, mention is made of the play “Harvey” which opened at the Copley Theatre on Tues. Oct. 7, 1944. Written off by everyone as a quick flop, the Boston audiences at the Copley liked it from the start and it went on to New York where it became one of the most popular plays of the 1940s. It was later made into a sucessful movie.
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”.
More about Joe Cifre. In 1916 he opened a theatrical equipment company, apparently called Joe Cifre Inc. Around 1953 he sold his company to Arthur Porter and partners who changed its name to Major Theatre Equipment Corp. This company has just moved from Dorchester Avenue in South Boston to larger quarters on Holmes St. in North Quincy.
I remember when Martin & Lewis played the Met. It was around 1952-53; I was in Quincy H.S. at the time and some students skipped school and went to see them. The stage house at the Met then has since been replaced by a new and much larger stage house. The stage door and the loading door were at stage-left originally. I have been told a couple of times that it is still possible to go from the lobby to back stage by way of a passageway in the basement which leads from the lounges at the lower level to the basement under the stage.
In his posting above of Feb. 3, 2006, pbrooke writes of one Dean Gitter who was associated with the Esquire/Orson Welles in the 1960s. Dean Gitter was the chairman of the Howard National Theatre Museum Committee in Cambridge in early 1961. Their goal was to preserve the historic Old Howard Theatre in Scollay Square, Boston (1846-1962) and to turn it into a theatre museum and performance center. A copy of the committee’s proposal, written by Dean Gitter and dated March 1961, is in the archives of the Theatre Historical Society in Elmhurst IL. I had no idea that Dean Gitter was associated with the Orson Welles cinema.
The marquee in the 1939 Life photo found by mister boob is the same marquee which was on the Orpheum in the 1941 photo on the MGM Theatre Report. This theater did have a narrow entrance.
Denis- without actually going to look at the building, I’m 99% certain that the Howard Johnson’s was located in the Granite Trust building, but in a wing that stretched back from the tower itself in the front. I went there often at lunch time on Saturdays circa- late 1950s. It was right across Chestnut Street from the Strand.
One Sunday morning sometme in the 1960s, Richard Cardinal Cushing of Boston held an ecumenical church service in the Strand. I think it may have been the first time I heard the word “ecumenical”. The Cardinal was a promoter of interfaith activities. The theater was probably chosen becasue it was “neutral ground”, and he may have sponsored similar meetings at other Boston-area movie theaters.
The Patriot Ledger Archives column of Dec. 22, 2008 has a reproduction of an ad for the Alhambra Theatre which ran in mid-December, 1933. The ad says “Cont. 1:30 to 10:30”; there is an NRA eagle emblem, and “A Holiday Program”. The 4 Marx Bros. in “Duck Soup”, plus co-feature “Chance at Heaven”, plus Paramount News.
Ian- regarding the shoe store on Washington Street in the former Orpheum lobby entrance. Many times in the 1980s and 1990s, when walking past it on cloudy days with no sunlight outside,if the rear door was open I could clearly see the original marble stairs leading up to the Orpheum foyer; they used those steps to hold rows of shoe boxes. R. Noyes- you need not apoligize for the quality of your recent photos- they are very nice and, if anything, make the Orpheum look good ! A few corrections to your text. The Orpheum never had more than 3000 seats even when it was new. Thomas Lamb was in charge of the 1915-16 reconstruction, and by that time the stage had already been moved to the north end of the building – that happened during the construction work in the summer of 1900. He designed the entire interior as it appears today, as well as an entire new west wall, the side of the building nearest to Tremont St. (The Orpheum auditorium is wider than the Music Hall auditorium). As for ownership, I think that it is owned by the Druker Company, but I’m not sure of that.
In the old Boston Post of Dec. 21, 1950, theater critic Elliot Norton paid tribute to the Colonial on its 50th birthday. He states that show people like it because of its large stage, ample storage space, big scene dock, many dressing rooms and large, very nice star dressing rooms on the stage level at stage-left. His brief history of the theater up to 1950 does not mention movie shows, unfortunately.
The photo on the MGM Report, taken in 1941, is a tight shot of the entrance and marquee. Lost’s photo, posted above on Feb 16, shows more of the facade. But it is almost certainly the same theater. In 1941, there was a very elaborate marquee which was mounted only over the entrance and under the arch. There was also very fancy stained glass within the arch.
The 2,400 capacity for the new House of Blues music hall is the limit of number of patrons who can be admitted. The only fixed seating will be in the balcony. The capacity is almost as high as the Orpheum.
The Boston Herald today has an article on the new Boston House of Blues which is set to open very soon. It’s located on Lansdowne Street near Fenway Park in uptown Boston. Central to this club is its music hall which has a capacity of 2,400 and includes a balcony with “stadium seating”. (Well, don’t most theater balconies have stadium seating by default?) Live Nation owns it and already has 57 attractions booked into it within the next few months. They have only 6 attractions booked into the Orpheum. The article is headed “New House of Blues fills Hub club void” and is written by Jeb Gottlieb. He suggests in it that the days of the Orpheum Theatre downtown may be numbered.
I went by it in the 1950s but never went into it. It was a typical Burley theater of that period. Very popular with sailors ! The entrance was brightly lit and rather garish. The nearby area was honky-tonk. I’m fairly certain that it showed movies in between stage shows at that time.
The Lyric has been renovated inside at some point after Lost’s 4 old photos were made. According to the photo in Marquee Magazine, the balcony has been greatly enlarged, with a shallow front section, a cross-aisle, and a large rear section. But the side walls are the same.
This theater is profiled in the newest issue of Marquee Magazine (Theatre Historical Society) because the THS plans to visit it during their annual convention in July. The profile states that it was opened Oct 1894 rather than 1895. The auditorium is pictured and has a single large balcony, with side galleries. I seem to recall that it is housed in a large free-standing building.
The Lyceum in Ithaca is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. The Mgr. was M Gutstadt; there were 8 members of the house orchestra under George Coleman. The house was on the ground floor and had gas illumination. The proscenium opening was 36 feet square and the stage was 36 feet deep. There were 3 daily newspapers and 3 weeklies; hotels for show folk were the Ithaca, Clinton House, Hollister House and Tompkins House. The 1897 population of Ithaca was 15,000.
Rick Benjamin- for photos of the Lyceum, try the Theatre Historical Society, Elmhurst IL. Their website, with e-mail address, is historictheatres.org. Or perhaps there is a local historical society in Ithaca. Another possibility is the archives of Cornell University in Ithaca.
In the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide, there are 2 theaters listed for Providence: the Providence Opera House and the Keith’s Opera House. There are no street addresses in this Guide, unfortunately. The Keith’s OH was managed by J.T. Fynes. There were 750 seats in the orchestra, 551 in the balcony, and 500 in the gallery, total: 1,801. Ticket prices ranged from 15 cents to 75 cents. The theater had both gas and electric illumination and was located on the ground floor. The proscenium opening was 32 feet wide, and the stage was 35 feet deep. The population of Providence in 1897 was 155,000. Hotels for show folk were the Narragansett, City, Perkins, Perrin and Dorrance. There are 3 ads: the Hopkins Transfer Co. at Union Station, handles scenary and baggage; Old Colony Bill Posting Co., 212 Union St., posts ads, as does Charles F. Haskins, Bill Poster, at 230 Westminster St.
There is a new cinema operation in Plymouth. It’s called Plimouth Cinema, and has been operating for the past few months in the Linn Theatre at the Plimouth Plantation complex, 137 Warren Avenue in Plymouth. Single-screen, shows recent movies.
The address was 15 School Street in Brockton, at the corner of Main Street downtown. It had 1,685 seats. These two facts are in an article in the Quincy Patriot Ledger of Feb. 5, 2009 by Maria Papadopoulos titled “City to honor last living survivor of Strand blaze.” These facts are also in an earlier article by the same writer posted above by Lost Memory on Feb. 3, 2009. That article states that the Strand opened in March 1916 and was renovated in August 1937. The writer states in both articles that the Strand was the largest theater in Brockton.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Cameo Theatre in Uxbridge is dated May 1941 and states that there were no competing movie theatres in town. This implies that the Bijou was closed as of May 1941.
According to an article in the Quincy Patriot Ledger today, the restoration work at Stetson Hall is nearly finished. They have even rented out an office suite on the ground floor. A new crimson house curtain has been hung on the stage and lighting trees have been installed on the auditorium sidewalls. Seats have not yet been installed in the balcony. The main floor is flat, polished wood, and will have movable seating, much like Memorial Hall in Plymouth, which has fixed seating in the balcony and portable seating on the flat main floor. An application has been submitted to place Stetson Hall on the National Register of Historic Places.
In an article in the old Boston Post of May 14, 1950 “Many Hits Made Upon Hub Stages” by drama critic Elliot Norton, mention is made of the play “Harvey” which opened at the Copley Theatre on Tues. Oct. 7, 1944. Written off by everyone as a quick flop, the Boston audiences at the Copley liked it from the start and it went on to New York where it became one of the most popular plays of the 1940s. It was later made into a sucessful movie.
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”.
More about Joe Cifre. In 1916 he opened a theatrical equipment company, apparently called Joe Cifre Inc. Around 1953 he sold his company to Arthur Porter and partners who changed its name to Major Theatre Equipment Corp. This company has just moved from Dorchester Avenue in South Boston to larger quarters on Holmes St. in North Quincy.
I remember when Martin & Lewis played the Met. It was around 1952-53; I was in Quincy H.S. at the time and some students skipped school and went to see them. The stage house at the Met then has since been replaced by a new and much larger stage house. The stage door and the loading door were at stage-left originally. I have been told a couple of times that it is still possible to go from the lobby to back stage by way of a passageway in the basement which leads from the lounges at the lower level to the basement under the stage.
In his posting above of Feb. 3, 2006, pbrooke writes of one Dean Gitter who was associated with the Esquire/Orson Welles in the 1960s. Dean Gitter was the chairman of the Howard National Theatre Museum Committee in Cambridge in early 1961. Their goal was to preserve the historic Old Howard Theatre in Scollay Square, Boston (1846-1962) and to turn it into a theatre museum and performance center. A copy of the committee’s proposal, written by Dean Gitter and dated March 1961, is in the archives of the Theatre Historical Society in Elmhurst IL. I had no idea that Dean Gitter was associated with the Orson Welles cinema.
There are occasional and infrequent live performances at the Brattle. On Jan. 18 there will be a concert by “Department of Eagles”.
The marquee in the 1939 Life photo found by mister boob is the same marquee which was on the Orpheum in the 1941 photo on the MGM Theatre Report. This theater did have a narrow entrance.
Denis- without actually going to look at the building, I’m 99% certain that the Howard Johnson’s was located in the Granite Trust building, but in a wing that stretched back from the tower itself in the front. I went there often at lunch time on Saturdays circa- late 1950s. It was right across Chestnut Street from the Strand.
One Sunday morning sometme in the 1960s, Richard Cardinal Cushing of Boston held an ecumenical church service in the Strand. I think it may have been the first time I heard the word “ecumenical”. The Cardinal was a promoter of interfaith activities. The theater was probably chosen becasue it was “neutral ground”, and he may have sponsored similar meetings at other Boston-area movie theaters.
The Patriot Ledger Archives column of Dec. 22, 2008 has a reproduction of an ad for the Alhambra Theatre which ran in mid-December, 1933. The ad says “Cont. 1:30 to 10:30”; there is an NRA eagle emblem, and “A Holiday Program”. The 4 Marx Bros. in “Duck Soup”, plus co-feature “Chance at Heaven”, plus Paramount News.
Ian- regarding the shoe store on Washington Street in the former Orpheum lobby entrance. Many times in the 1980s and 1990s, when walking past it on cloudy days with no sunlight outside,if the rear door was open I could clearly see the original marble stairs leading up to the Orpheum foyer; they used those steps to hold rows of shoe boxes. R. Noyes- you need not apoligize for the quality of your recent photos- they are very nice and, if anything, make the Orpheum look good ! A few corrections to your text. The Orpheum never had more than 3000 seats even when it was new. Thomas Lamb was in charge of the 1915-16 reconstruction, and by that time the stage had already been moved to the north end of the building – that happened during the construction work in the summer of 1900. He designed the entire interior as it appears today, as well as an entire new west wall, the side of the building nearest to Tremont St. (The Orpheum auditorium is wider than the Music Hall auditorium). As for ownership, I think that it is owned by the Druker Company, but I’m not sure of that.