Framingham Cinema Shoppers' World
1 Worcester Road,
Framingham,
MA
01701
1 Worcester Road,
Framingham,
MA
01701
8 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: General Cinema Corp.
Architects: Benjamin Schlanger
Firms: Ketchum, Gina & Sharp
Previous Names: Cinema in the Shoppers' World, Cinemas I & II
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News About This Theater
- Jun 18, 2010 — "Jaws"... Happy 35th!
- May 14, 2010 — Please Post Today, May 14 --- "Jaws," Happy 35th
- Apr 18, 2007 — The very first shopping center theater: Stamford, CT or Seattle, WA ?????
Opened as a single screen on October 4, 1951 with Fred MacMurray in “A Millionaire for Christy” & Ethel Barrymore in “Kind Lady”. This was one of the first ‘modern’ shopping center theaters in the US. It was used for summer stock the first two seasons, then opened year round for movies. The original theater was added onto in 1963 becoming twin cinemas, then in 1974, another addition and a couple of splits, made this a sixplex before it was closed in December 1994. It was demolished in the 1990’s when Shoppers World was torn down.
Contributed by
David Wodeyla
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Recent comments (view all 74 comments)
October 4th, 1951 grand opening ad has been uploaded in the photo section for this theatre.
Also uploaded the ad for the twin on May 20th, 1964.
I can remember approaching the theater while “Earthquake” was screening and could hear the Sensurround a few hundred feet away in the parking lot! Big Cerwin Vega speakers! When Cinema II opened (not because of splitting – it was a completely seperate house in the same building as David W. said. The date seems correct. I saw Dr. Z. in ‘65) – it had one of the worst designs ever! The screen took up most of the end of the house and, to either side, the walls curved outward to join the side walls of the house. I guess it was supposed to give the feeling of drawing you into the picture except the curved walls were white and reflected the light from the screen. It must have been an experimental design because I’ve never seen anything like it anywhere else.
This site has also dredged up a fond memory of the GCC bumper shown before the “Coming Attractions” and “Feature Presentation”. Animation of letters running around the GCC logo like film threading through a projector accompanied by a jazzy high-hat cymbal and bass line.
The Cinema II screen installed was sometimes called a “Shadow Box Screen” General Cinema started using it in all of its new theatres in the sixties. Both theatres in the new Peabody Twin had them. Showcase Cinemas used it when they took over and re-modeled the Cleveland Circle when it was still a single house. It was simple to install and eliminated curtains and masking but made filing the projector aperture plates very difficult.
So right about the shadow box the patrons love it I being with G.C.C. since 1959 but the focus or aptitude was now as good and when you go to a plate picture really was not as clear as using masking I alway felt and most of the union men I know the masking help give a sharp look
It was actually invented in the early 1950’s by Ben Schlanger. Google it’s official name : RCA Synchro Screen.
Opened with “A millionaire for Christy” and “Lucky lady”.
Is there anything on the site now? The name sounds like a video library.
This closed in connection to the opening of the General Cinema Framingham 14 nearby in December 1994 (now known as the AMC Dine-In Framingham 16).