Milton Cinema

A member of my high school graduation class was the owner at one point in time of the cinema. He could not compete with a 8 screen multiplex in Quincy MA

FYI. I just edited the video so it no longer appears sideways. Enjoy.

Here is a Youtube video of a recent walk through the old State Theater/Milton Theater. Frankly, the video is not very good, and it is hard to hear much of the talking or see much. But the shell of the auditorium is still intact. Looks like there’s some sunlight peaking through the roof, though.

Re: ken mc’s photo of May 1 — note the name on the marquee “Milton Cinema”, NOT “East Milton Cinema”. My memory is that this theater was called the State for many years, then the Milton Cinema.

Yes, there was a fire at the coffee shop and it did spread to the old theater, however, I live down that street and the old theater is still standing. The coverage of the fire shows the theater, which can be seen here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-qiAA3EM_M

Here’s the Boston Globe story on the fire. It says the former theatre space was “now used mostly to store auto parts”.

The organ’s fate is a mystery to me, but your theory makes perfect sense. The fellow who purchased it could very well have done so as a collector, with no intention of installing it in the Milton Theater. By the way, the purchase price included labor. His, not mine. At the time I thought the deal was a fair one. Still do. a.l.

In the sixties, the owner (I don’t remember his name) bought the Needham Theater’s pipe organ. This gigantic instrument had a console with several keyboards, a myriad of floor pedals, and an impressive array of stops. Its pipes were located behind louvers on either side of the proscenium, the tallest almost a foot around and at least ten feet high; the smallest resembling a cigar. It also had a drum, cymbals, and diverse other Rube-Goldberg-type contraptions. Powering the bellows, in a room below the stage, was a one horsepower electric motor (whose roar could be heard above any music the organ produced). I don’t think the buyer intended to install it in the Milton theater, but, rather, to use it elsewhere. I recall the selling price. It was $300. alvan levenson

I grew up in Milton in the 1950’s and 1960’s. At that time we knew the place as the “Milton Art Theater” and not the State Theater. I think it changed to the “Milton Cinema” about 1968 or so. I saw “Ben-Hur” here during a general release, probably in 1960 a year after it first came out. In 1962 “West Side Story” was likewise playing here a year after its first release. The cinema was unusually long and narrow, not like other suburban theaters of its time. There was no balcony. Compared to the ornate Oriental Theater in Mattapan or the Strand in Quincy, we felt our little movie emporium in Milton was somewhat laughable and plain. The screen was relatively small and the sound system was limited. I doubt it had stereo sound. Because the screen was small, I always wondered why people would sit way in the back, unless they liked the feel of watching a television. If I remember correctly, the lavatories were strangely located on either side of the back and accessed by little staircases that were actually in the theater itself (not the lobby).

Just two summers ago I was visiting my mother, who still lives in Milton, and spent some time exploring my old haunts in East Milton Square. I walked around the back of the theater and was surprised to see it still there. A door is located on the right side (from the front of the street) and it appears that the place is being used for storage purposes of some kind.

It was originally called the State Theatre. It was on the north side of Adams Street, just east of East Milton Square, and in the 500-block, I think. There is a MGM Theatre Photograph and Report for this theatre, dated April 1941. It was a MGM customer, was in Fair condition, Was over 15 years old, and had 710 seats, all on one floor. I don’t know when the name was changed to Milton Cinema, but I will guess circa 1970. It was very close to the Quincy line, but I never went in it when I lived in Quincy in 1940s and 1950s. I have notes that it closed in Sept 1987 after a bitter fight between the owner and the operator; then reopened in November 1987 with a new operator. Around 1990 or so it became a comedy club. During its long movie career, it was always a single-screen, I believe. I think the formal name was Milton Cinema and not East Milton Cinema— to be sure, one would have to look at old newspaper ads.

By the way, the listing above says “Twin”. Are you sure? I thought this was a single screen.

Java Jo’s web site. I’ve e-mailed the owner and pointed him to this page; I’ll let you all know if I get a response.