It’s the steepest balcony I have ever been in. There is no way you would want to watch a movie from it, but, for a kid, going up there held a similar thrill to climbing to the top of a tall tree. It would have been a good place to watch the June Taylor Dancers!
Boston has lost a great many theatrical treasures; the Stuart is NOT one of them! It had no redeeming qualities in the late 1950’s, other than perhaps being the cheapest ticket in town. I only went there once when I was about 14, but it was just as described above, and worse! While I was not fighting off a middle-aged sexual predator, I saw part of the worst film I have ever seen, something called “Prehistoric Women.”
In the 1950’s and early 1960’s the Pilgrim was still in good shape and very beautiful. What I most remember were the large, steeply sloping balconies. Sitting in the second balcony, a dizzying experience, you could not lean back and cross your legs without blocking your view of the movie screen!
The Fenway was an ornate, beautiful theatre, though certainly not as impressive as the RKO Keith Memorial, the Metropolitan, the Lowe’s State, and the Lowe’s Orpheum. There was also a small bowling alley underneath the theatre and accessed through a door to the left of the main entrance.
I attended the Strand many times in the 1950’s and early 1960’s. The auditorium was fairly ornate but the lobby areas were modest with low ceilings. At that time the theatre was not maintained very well, in stark contrast to the gorgeous Lowe’s State and Uptown and even the Fenway. It seemed to be about half the size of the Uptown, which had an enormous and seldom used balcony. Children were admitted for a dime, reduced from twelve cents in the early 50’s, but had, if not accompanied by an adult, to sit in the left corner of the balcony under the watchful eye of an usher. However, we could always move to the orchestra after going downstairs to buy something from the concession stand or to go to the bathroom. The last time I attended the Strand may have been for a double feature of Ben-Hur and Spartacus, perhaps in 1961; this was affordable entertainment, at less than two cents an hour!
It’s the steepest balcony I have ever been in. There is no way you would want to watch a movie from it, but, for a kid, going up there held a similar thrill to climbing to the top of a tall tree. It would have been a good place to watch the June Taylor Dancers!
Boston has lost a great many theatrical treasures; the Stuart is NOT one of them! It had no redeeming qualities in the late 1950’s, other than perhaps being the cheapest ticket in town. I only went there once when I was about 14, but it was just as described above, and worse! While I was not fighting off a middle-aged sexual predator, I saw part of the worst film I have ever seen, something called “Prehistoric Women.”
In the 1950’s and early 1960’s the Pilgrim was still in good shape and very beautiful. What I most remember were the large, steeply sloping balconies. Sitting in the second balcony, a dizzying experience, you could not lean back and cross your legs without blocking your view of the movie screen!
The Fenway was an ornate, beautiful theatre, though certainly not as impressive as the RKO Keith Memorial, the Metropolitan, the Lowe’s State, and the Lowe’s Orpheum. There was also a small bowling alley underneath the theatre and accessed through a door to the left of the main entrance.
I attended the Strand many times in the 1950’s and early 1960’s. The auditorium was fairly ornate but the lobby areas were modest with low ceilings. At that time the theatre was not maintained very well, in stark contrast to the gorgeous Lowe’s State and Uptown and even the Fenway. It seemed to be about half the size of the Uptown, which had an enormous and seldom used balcony. Children were admitted for a dime, reduced from twelve cents in the early 50’s, but had, if not accompanied by an adult, to sit in the left corner of the balcony under the watchful eye of an usher. However, we could always move to the orchestra after going downstairs to buy something from the concession stand or to go to the bathroom. The last time I attended the Strand may have been for a double feature of Ben-Hur and Spartacus, perhaps in 1961; this was affordable entertainment, at less than two cents an hour!