Colonial Theatre

The July 17, 1934 issue of Film Daily had this item about the Colonial: “Newport, R. I.—The Colonial, M & P.-Publix house, has reopened with pictures and vaudeville. The manager is John Connolly. Elmer Taylor is assisting.” As Gerald A. DeLuca’s comment from 2011 notes the connection between the Colonial and Paramount, it appears that this house was operated as part of the Paramount-Publix chain for much of its history,

End of the Colonial Theatre in 1940, as reported by Boxoffice magazine in its issue of April 27, 1940:

“E. M. Loew circuit took over operation of the Paramount, Newport, with manager Gerald G. Wagner and his entire staff at the Colonial moving to the Paramount. Colonial, occupied by Loew for the past two years has been sold to Miss Ruth L. Weiss of Boston and is scheduled to be torn down and replaced with a new $45,000 store for J. J. Newberry Co. According to Wagner, the same policy maintained at the Colonial will be continued at the Paramount; dual subsequent run features with added vaudeville on Sundays.”

[Note: the Colonial was not torn down but was converted to retail and became a Newberry store afterward.]

I grew up in Newport and never heard of the Colonial. Some of the older folks would mention the Paramount, but not the Colonial. So I’m totally surprised that it lasted as a theatre up to 1940! And even more surprised that the building is still there.

The theatre closed in the early 1940s, I believe. It was a Newberry’s (five and dime) store for a long while. It became an Express only a few years ago with the trend toward upscale shops in the area, like the very inappropriate-looking Banana Republic next to the in-restoration Opera House around the corner in Washington Square. After 65 years or more, most Newporters don’t even know there was ever a vaudeville and movie theatre in the building that now houses Express.

Here is a a photo of a flooded Thames Street after the hurricane that struck on September 21, 1938. The Colonial Theatre can be seen in the distance.

The Colonial opened on February 4, 1911, according to a card-file note at the Newport Historical Society.

Discovery…this theatre is NOT demolished. The exterior remains intact and in seeming good repair, with gutters and drain pipes extending from the roof area. It seems to have been used for many decades as various retail outlets, including a Newberry’s. Currently, a trendy store called Express occupies the original entrance and foyer area. Although this theatre is right there before your eyes, you need to look for it up and behind the Thames Street retail entrance. It is only a few feet from the rear of the Opera House on Touro Street and just a stone’s throw from the Jane Pickens (Strand). A scenery tower from vaudeville and theatrical days rises from the rear. Early Newport city directories list the street number as 146 rather than 144.

“High class vaudeville and latest motion pictures,” boasts a directory ad.

Here are five photos I took of the exterior.

ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR with rear of Opera House on right.
FIVE