Strand Theatre

I have found small newspaper ads from 1907 for another movie theatre on East Avenue. It was called the Tremont Theatre. Anybody have any information on it? I’m wondering if it was an earlier name for the Strand or a separate place. No street number is given.

STRAND THEATRE PHOTO IN 1941 MGM REPORT

So many good memories of the Strand. At 77 I still remember the blue light around the clock to the left of the screen. Had to keep my eye on the time as I did not want to miss the Broad St. Bus. Now live in Minnesota.

The Strand Theatre first opened on August 29, 1921. The feature film was The Three Musketeers with Douglas Fairbanks. Here is a newspaper article reporting on that opening.
ARTICLE ABOUT OPENING OF THE THEATRE

Rudolph Valentino in Blood and Sand played the Strand in October 1922. THIS AD urges people who missed it in Providence to drive to Pawtucket to see it.

Item in Boxoffice magazine, January 15, 1955:

The Pawtucket Strand, closed by an 11-week strike of projectionists, reopened Christmas Day, using independent operators, with “The Last Time I Saw Paris.” Harold Lancaster is manager. The Strand, Pawtucket’s most popular house, has long been ranked as Blackstone Valley’s leading theatre.

From Boxoffice magazine, February 4, 1956:

“In the most extensive cooperation promotion ever seen in this area, 14 Providence and nearby houses used record-breaking newspaper advertising space in heralding the joint premiere of "The Day the World Ended” and “Phantom from 10,000 Leagues.” Virtually taking over the amusement pages of the local press for several days, the following houses united in the ad: Elmwood, Hope, Uptown, Liberty, Castle, all in this city; Community, Centredale; [u}Strand, Pawtucket[/u]; Union, Attleboro; Hollywood, East Providence; Palace, Cranston; Community, Wakefield; Park, Auburn; Palace, Arctic and Stadium, Woonsocket. A brief checkup of local houses indicated that opening days were solid."

When I was a kid (born 1951) it cost 35 cents for kids' tickets at the Strand. Disney movies cost more—50 cents! Adult tickets were, I believe 75 cents, and either 90 cents or a dollar when Disney movies were playing. All were double bills, of course. I saw many movies at the Strand.

This one surprises me — I still wish I had gone back there a couple of times. I suppose I would have done so if I had known it was to be soon gone.

Yes, it would be more expensive as it was a “first-run” theater, whereas the Lafayette was not. When I read these postings, it seems so impossible that so many years have elapsed!

I had thought it was gone by 1958, but apparently my recollection is faulty. I moved out of RI for a couple of years (1956-58), and I had thought that the Strand was gone by the time I returned. I’m sure I never attended the theater after coming back to Pawtucket — but perhaps that recollection is faulty as well. I knew the theater so well from working there in 1948-49, but of course that’s a VERY long time ago!! I do remember wishing that I could have gone inside just one more time before it was demolished.

Here’s a bit about the emergence of the Leroy and the Strand, and their rivalry, as taken from Susan Marie Boucher’s book The History of Pawtucket 1635-1976:

“With the opening of the Strand Theatre in 1921, and also the Leroy, a new concept was born in the entertainment world of Pawtucket. The Strand opened with a nine-piece orchestra providing the musical background, and voice and instrumental performances were given at each program. Carrying the insignia of Paramount Pictures, it ran the best shows in town.

“Vaudeville acts, ‘direct form the Palace.’ could also be seen at the Strand. The Leroy and the Strand, both large and opulent houses, were rivals for quite some time. After the advent of the ‘talkies,’ the Leroy laid claim to the coveted title of being number one—-the best in Pawtucket and one of the largest theatres in all of New England.”

Here is a photo of the strand from 1940.