Needham Theatre

The effort to bring “moving pictures” to Needham started more than a decade before the Needham Theatre on Great Plain Avenue was erected(It has its own page on Cinema Treasures). In 1913, Eugene Lawlor of Needham proposed to operate a motion picture theater in a building known as the “car barn” on Highland Avenue (located approximately between what is now Sudbury Farms and Dunkin’ Donuts). He would run 13 shows a week and had plans to add vaudeville shows.

The Board of Selectman initially granted Lawlor a license, setting off a fire-storm of objections from Needham’s respectable leading citizens. The theater, they said, would be too close to Needham High School and two churches; it was in a hollow behind trees which would require police protection; motion picture shows took vast sums of money from the pockets of parents; and appealing to youngsters would cause them to neglect their school duties, while injuring their eyes by prolonged viewing and late hours – 10 o’clock!

Mr. Lawlor countered that the remodeling of the car barn would do away with an eyesore and improve the value and appeal of the property – reminding the naysayers of their own words: “[Needham] residents are entitled to quiet and wholesome surroundings". Plus, he argued, motion pictures in Needham would mean a saving of considerable money and time for residents who had to pay carfare to see amusements in other towns. Nevertheless, it appears that the opposition prevailed. Although the Selectmen insisted on issuing the license, Town Meeting resolved that the town was opposed to the car barn being used for any form of entertainment.

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