The Medford Theater was located on Salem Street, about a hundred yards from Medford Square. This is where Saturday matinees @
10 cents per kid were held during the Depression. Try as we could, we never managed to see every blasted one of the 12 or 14 installments of serials (Flash Gordon, cowboys, etc.)
Across Salem St. was a big building, with an immense empty space inside. This was outfitted as a cinema (Riverside Theater). Entrance was on far side, facing away from Salem St. We watched Shirley Temple there in the early 30s. Bad location for the entrance, the theater closing in mid-30s. The street, Riverside Avenue, had become quite a backwater after the great days of wooden ships there.
In a burst of publicity, the above theater reopened as Square
Theater, in late 30s. Its specialty … Proven Pictures … classics from the past. This time, the entrance was on Salem St., where it should have been all along. Its marquee was offset from that of the M.T. by perhaps 50 yards, and of course on opposite sides of Salem St. Was there any rivalry?
A little screen just inside the new entrance, and up above the
ticket booth, played short cartoons during the first few months
to build a new audience for the place. This, then, was the mixed history of the Riverside/Square Theater.
The Fellsway Theater was a good distance off, also on Salem
St., but almost halfway to Malden Square (next to the car
barn someone mentioned). This would have been a fine vantage
point for an observer of long ago to watch the winter sleighs
go by on their annual pellmell races from Medford Sq. to Malden Sq. See Jingle Bells for more race details.
Chevalier Auditorium … never a theater. This was the second
auditorium within the local high school. Luxurious. Huge balcony,
“U” shaped, with wings that clung to the walls, narrowing,
reaching almost to the stage!
Under the auditorium was a gymnasium, as lasge as the auditorium, and equipped with full-height, folding doors that could divide the place into two basketball courts. Folding bleachers were present.
So, Chevalier A. was never a theater in any way, as seen from the details above.
All three theaters were equipped with the mandatory working
stages, multiple curtains operated manually via ropes and counterweights. Dressing rooms would have certainly been present for costume changes.
Revivals of vaudeville were tried from time to time. Even the Square Theater lined up an eager row of young ones on stage,
along the footlights, in contests. The paddles had long elastics
with rubber balls on their ends. These were sent vigorously out over the front rows. A paddle miss put you out of competition!
Yoyos were introduced to the local population the same way. In the
above manner, vaudeville came back to its former venues, just a bit!
The Medford Theater was located on Salem Street, about a hundred yards from Medford Square. This is where Saturday matinees @
10 cents per kid were held during the Depression. Try as we could, we never managed to see every blasted one of the 12 or 14 installments of serials (Flash Gordon, cowboys, etc.)
Across Salem St. was a big building, with an immense empty space inside. This was outfitted as a cinema (Riverside Theater). Entrance was on far side, facing away from Salem St. We watched Shirley Temple there in the early 30s. Bad location for the entrance, the theater closing in mid-30s. The street, Riverside Avenue, had become quite a backwater after the great days of wooden ships there.
In a burst of publicity, the above theater reopened as Square
Theater, in late 30s. Its specialty … Proven Pictures … classics from the past. This time, the entrance was on Salem St., where it should have been all along. Its marquee was offset from that of the M.T. by perhaps 50 yards, and of course on opposite sides of Salem St. Was there any rivalry?
A little screen just inside the new entrance, and up above the
ticket booth, played short cartoons during the first few months
to build a new audience for the place. This, then, was the mixed history of the Riverside/Square Theater.
The Fellsway Theater was a good distance off, also on Salem
St., but almost halfway to Malden Square (next to the car
barn someone mentioned). This would have been a fine vantage
point for an observer of long ago to watch the winter sleighs
go by on their annual pellmell races from Medford Sq. to Malden Sq. See Jingle Bells for more race details.
Chevalier Auditorium … never a theater. This was the second
auditorium within the local high school. Luxurious. Huge balcony,
“U” shaped, with wings that clung to the walls, narrowing,
reaching almost to the stage!
Under the auditorium was a gymnasium, as lasge as the auditorium, and equipped with full-height, folding doors that could divide the place into two basketball courts. Folding bleachers were present.
So, Chevalier A. was never a theater in any way, as seen from the details above.
All three theaters were equipped with the mandatory working
stages, multiple curtains operated manually via ropes and counterweights. Dressing rooms would have certainly been present for costume changes.
Revivals of vaudeville were tried from time to time. Even the Square Theater lined up an eager row of young ones on stage,
along the footlights, in contests. The paddles had long elastics
with rubber balls on their ends. These were sent vigorously out over the front rows. A paddle miss put you out of competition!
Yoyos were introduced to the local population the same way. In the
above manner, vaudeville came back to its former venues, just a bit!
OldTheaterBuff