I seem to remember reading on the menu of Monty’s restaurant in downtown Leominster, that it’s founder, Emanuel Montega, or “Monty” brought the first talking picture show to town. This was The Rialto Theater. I don’t remember ever being in the building when it was still a theater. I do however remember it being the YMCA for many years, and I remember entering the building, and while waiting to speak to someone at the front desk, looking around and realizing that I was in the lobby of a former movie theater. I went down a long hallway which led out of the lobby area to where an olympic sized indoor pool was. My next recollection of this building was in the late 80’s, when the building was put up for sale, and could have been purchased for $125,000. I do have vague memories of seeing a movie at the Metropolitan around the corner, and also being in the Plymouth Theater, actually performing on stage when I was quite young.
I grew up in Fitchburg and in the Fitchburg Theater. The Fitchburg was a gleaming example of an “Art Deco” style movie house, built in 1927, with a seating capacity of 1700. As a child growing up in the late fifties and early sixties, I witnessed this beautiful old movie house filled to capacity many times. I can still picture the giant chandeliers which graced the ceiling that seemed to be a hundred feet tall, the wall sconces that lit the outer aisles, and the signature neon clock near the emergency exit. I remember also, seeing a double feature, plus cartoons, shorts, and the occasional newsreel, all for about 50 cents! Right next door was the Saxon, (originally the Lyric). Though much smaller, (probably about 800 seats or so) it was no less grand, with a beautiful white ballastered balcony. Among the last things I saw at the Saxon were Johnny Winter, live in concert, and The Beatles Yellow Submarine movie. That was about 1968, afterwhich the theater closed, and fell into a state of disrepair. The roof collapsed and the building was razed. The Fitchburg however survived awhile longer as an operating entity. I made a trip out west in October of 1984. While in Phoenix Arizona, I happened to eat at a trendy restaurant which was decorated with all sorts of antiques. What fascinated me the most, was a glass case on one wall, filled with old theater posters, including some from The Fitchburg, and also Shea’s Theater in Fitchburg. Immagine my surprise to see this, 3000 miles from home! I was amazed to see names like Eddie Cantor and Rudy Valee on the stage at the Fitchburg, illustrating the theater’s Vaudville past. I returned from my trip to read in the paper that someone new had taken over the Fitchburg Theater, and renovated it into three smaller auditoriums. The balcony area was split into two theaters, and the downstairs was left intact as one, including the enormous screen, which I read someplace was 62 feet long, and rumored to be the largest indoor movie screen in New England. Although I never substantiated that as fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if it were true. The new operator also installed a new Dolby sound system throughout. To the best of my recollection, he ran it for two or three years, finally closing the doors for good. A couple years later, the ticket booth was vandalized, and was eventually removed from the front of the building. The Gourgeous neon script lettering sign on the overhang, had also been removed, prior to the last operator taking over, and it was replaced with simple flat panel signs with changeable letters. I feel sad everytime I pass through town and see it boarded up, and more than once I’ve thought how wonderful it would be if someone would restore this treasure before it meets the same fate as it’s sister next door did. I suppose It’s lucky just to have it standing at this point. My thought was that perhaps with the help of the the historical society and other such groups, The Fitchburg could be brought back to life, and used to show current as well as classic movies, plus used for stage productions, plays, dance recitals, and even rented out as a function hall for various corporate events, seminars and as a small concert venue. The Fitchburg was among the largest and most opulent of all the theaters in the area. There were six or seven in Fitchburg alone at one time, including the Saxon/Lyric, Shay’s theater on Day Street, (which had become the Gem, and was closed by the early sixties), The Universal Theater, on lower Main Street, (where Dunkin Donuts now stands)My dad was an usher at the Universal when he was a teenager. There was also the Cummings theater on Blossom Street, (in the area of the parking lot behind the former Roger’s in the Square store), and the Strand on Daniels Street in the Cleghorn section of town. This building also still exists. Last I looked, it housed the Palace Lanes Bowling Alley, a gym, a bar, and several apartments. If you enter the square in Cleghorn, the building had a mural painted on the wall that I believe was the outside of the wall the screen was on. Anyway, with regard to the Fitchburg, one has only to go down the road to Clinton Massachusetts and view the Strand Theater, (completely restored and successfully operated), or travel in the opposite direction to Keene New Hampshire and see the wonderfully restored and successfully operated Colonial Theater to realize that the same thing could be done in Fitchburg. Better still…rent the Jim Carrey movie “The Majestic” and you’ll know exactly what I mean.
I seem to remember reading on the menu of Monty’s restaurant in downtown Leominster, that it’s founder, Emanuel Montega, or “Monty” brought the first talking picture show to town. This was The Rialto Theater. I don’t remember ever being in the building when it was still a theater. I do however remember it being the YMCA for many years, and I remember entering the building, and while waiting to speak to someone at the front desk, looking around and realizing that I was in the lobby of a former movie theater. I went down a long hallway which led out of the lobby area to where an olympic sized indoor pool was. My next recollection of this building was in the late 80’s, when the building was put up for sale, and could have been purchased for $125,000. I do have vague memories of seeing a movie at the Metropolitan around the corner, and also being in the Plymouth Theater, actually performing on stage when I was quite young.
I grew up in Fitchburg and in the Fitchburg Theater. The Fitchburg was a gleaming example of an “Art Deco” style movie house, built in 1927, with a seating capacity of 1700. As a child growing up in the late fifties and early sixties, I witnessed this beautiful old movie house filled to capacity many times. I can still picture the giant chandeliers which graced the ceiling that seemed to be a hundred feet tall, the wall sconces that lit the outer aisles, and the signature neon clock near the emergency exit. I remember also, seeing a double feature, plus cartoons, shorts, and the occasional newsreel, all for about 50 cents! Right next door was the Saxon, (originally the Lyric). Though much smaller, (probably about 800 seats or so) it was no less grand, with a beautiful white ballastered balcony. Among the last things I saw at the Saxon were Johnny Winter, live in concert, and The Beatles Yellow Submarine movie. That was about 1968, afterwhich the theater closed, and fell into a state of disrepair. The roof collapsed and the building was razed. The Fitchburg however survived awhile longer as an operating entity. I made a trip out west in October of 1984. While in Phoenix Arizona, I happened to eat at a trendy restaurant which was decorated with all sorts of antiques. What fascinated me the most, was a glass case on one wall, filled with old theater posters, including some from The Fitchburg, and also Shea’s Theater in Fitchburg. Immagine my surprise to see this, 3000 miles from home! I was amazed to see names like Eddie Cantor and Rudy Valee on the stage at the Fitchburg, illustrating the theater’s Vaudville past. I returned from my trip to read in the paper that someone new had taken over the Fitchburg Theater, and renovated it into three smaller auditoriums. The balcony area was split into two theaters, and the downstairs was left intact as one, including the enormous screen, which I read someplace was 62 feet long, and rumored to be the largest indoor movie screen in New England. Although I never substantiated that as fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if it were true. The new operator also installed a new Dolby sound system throughout. To the best of my recollection, he ran it for two or three years, finally closing the doors for good. A couple years later, the ticket booth was vandalized, and was eventually removed from the front of the building. The Gourgeous neon script lettering sign on the overhang, had also been removed, prior to the last operator taking over, and it was replaced with simple flat panel signs with changeable letters. I feel sad everytime I pass through town and see it boarded up, and more than once I’ve thought how wonderful it would be if someone would restore this treasure before it meets the same fate as it’s sister next door did. I suppose It’s lucky just to have it standing at this point. My thought was that perhaps with the help of the the historical society and other such groups, The Fitchburg could be brought back to life, and used to show current as well as classic movies, plus used for stage productions, plays, dance recitals, and even rented out as a function hall for various corporate events, seminars and as a small concert venue. The Fitchburg was among the largest and most opulent of all the theaters in the area. There were six or seven in Fitchburg alone at one time, including the Saxon/Lyric, Shay’s theater on Day Street, (which had become the Gem, and was closed by the early sixties), The Universal Theater, on lower Main Street, (where Dunkin Donuts now stands)My dad was an usher at the Universal when he was a teenager. There was also the Cummings theater on Blossom Street, (in the area of the parking lot behind the former Roger’s in the Square store), and the Strand on Daniels Street in the Cleghorn section of town. This building also still exists. Last I looked, it housed the Palace Lanes Bowling Alley, a gym, a bar, and several apartments. If you enter the square in Cleghorn, the building had a mural painted on the wall that I believe was the outside of the wall the screen was on. Anyway, with regard to the Fitchburg, one has only to go down the road to Clinton Massachusetts and view the Strand Theater, (completely restored and successfully operated), or travel in the opposite direction to Keene New Hampshire and see the wonderfully restored and successfully operated Colonial Theater to realize that the same thing could be done in Fitchburg. Better still…rent the Jim Carrey movie “The Majestic” and you’ll know exactly what I mean.