Whitman Theater
35 Temple Street,
Whitman,
MA
02382
35 Temple Street,
Whitman,
MA
02382
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Janice- that’s good news. There’s nothing like getting info “from the horse’s mouth” (local people). Where is the Dyer Memorial Library? (I know it’s not the same as the Whitman Public Library). Please see if you can untangle the various names— Whitman Theater, Empire Theater, Warren Theater. Were these all names for the same building??? In other words, are we talking about one theater with 3 different names, or 3 different theaters in Whitman? What was the street address, if not 35 Temple St.? And what happened to the “Tragedy” wall hanging? Hope you can get some answers!
Hi Ron, I reached out to the Old Colony Historical Society and they referred me to the Dyer Memorial Library and the Whitman Public Library. I received responses from both. A women from the Whitman Library was excited about my inquiry and will be getting back to me at some point because she did say it would take sometime to research. Then I heard from a woman from Dyer Memorial Library and she referred me to the President of the Whitman Historical Society. I will be meeting with him on April 4th. A follow up email cam from the same woman from the Dyer Memorial Library who replied, “A researcher came in today who grew up in Whitman and knew the Empire Theater and told me that he does remember both of the wall hangings,Comedy and Tragedy. They hung on either side of the stage and screen area. Good luck, hope Mr. Campbell can help you out !”. Interesting enough he informed me of Mr. Hunt and I will be meeting one of his relatives. I want to say it is his son. Anyway, I will fill you in on the details soon.
The obituaries section of today’s Quincy Patriot Ledger contains an obit for Harold E. Hunt Jr of Whitman, age 97. He was a retired electrical engineer, and an Army officer in Europe in WWII. He was also a “movie projectionist and former owner of the Whitman Theatre.” He played tennis until 4 years ago. He, obviously, was someone who could have told us a lot about movie theaters in Whitman and surrounding towns.
Hi Ron, It is 98% zinc, three dimensional, 21 inches in diameter and the circumference 65.94 inches. No, I do not know anything about the other hanging or what museum. It was rumored to be Tragedy.
Janice- I see that you have added a photo of the “Comedy” wall hanging. What is its approximate size? (impossible to gauge from the photo). Do you know what museum the other hanging is displayed, and what they have to say about it?
Janice- Thanks; more pieces of the puzzle. It’s tough finding info on some theaters, like this one.
Hi Ron: It could of been 35 Temple Street prior to the Dentist Office that was built on the property where the Theatre originally stood. The address of the Dentist Office is 29 Temple Street. This explains the pictures that I have of the Theatre being torn down and our family Dentist standing on the lot once it was cleared. Interesting enough there is no Main Street in Whitman Massachusetts.
Janice- OK, thanks. Does the article mention what street it was on? Or anything about being named “Warren Theatre”? The Film Daily Yearbooks say that it was at 35 Temple St., and that Empire and Warren were the same theater. I have also seen a reference to the Empire being located at “750 Main St.” but I don’t know how accurate that is. There is not much about this theater here in Cinema Treasures and the person who set the page up never came back with any additional info.
Ron…Page 16 of the Brockton Enterprise-Saturday, June 22, 1968, Correspondent, Mrs. Eleanor Smith.
Janice- what is the date on your article? And in what publication did it appear?
I have an article with a photo of the Theatre being torn down. The first owner was named Harry Stanley and later purchased by Edward Luddy. The headline reads ‘Empire’ Falls to the Wreckers. The article talks about the types of acts performed and movies shown there. The article names several people who worked in the Theatre. I have photos of the building being torn down and in one of the photos there is a sign on the building “Whitman Theatre”. At one time it may have been named the Empire Theatre since the headline suggests it. My Dad salvaged a wall hanging of “Comedy”. It hangs in my home today. Rumor has it that “Tragedy” is hanging in a Museum.
Mike L. from Abington MA knew this theater as the Warren Theatre in the 1950s. He worked as an usher at the Strand in Rockland and says that the man who ran the Strand, first name “Lloyd”, took over the operation of the Warren in Whitman. This is probably the “Lloyd Patrican” mentioned in the intro above. Mike doesn’t know if it was ever called the Empire.
Empire Hall in Whitman was on a long list of theaters and halls in MA receiving state licenses as of Oct. 31, 1914. Leo Nourse was the Mgr and it was in Good condition. Was it the same as the Empire Theatre? And was the Empire this theater?
Lost – here’s where a local person would be helpful. It seems likely that the Empire/Warren was this theater. Perhaps it was never called the “Whitman Theatre” at all, or was renamed after 1955.
Was it originally known as the Empire Theatre? In the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook, there is an Empire Th. in Whitman MA. It had 873 seats and was open 6 days per week. In the 1928 Film Daily Yearbook, according to a friend who has it, the Empire Th. in Whitman was listed as part of the Boas Circuit of Boston, and was one of 22 theatres which they controlled at that time.