Granada Theatre

Interesting to see postcard pic of the Granada with its new two-sided marquee. The original one (or at least the one I remember) was a rather dark, three-sided one, but it did take awhile to get used to the new look. Without a doubt my favorite Malden movie theater; its unique feature was that it had not only the main entrance on Pleasant Street, but another on a street alongside. Don’t remember the name of that street, but if one were to go pas this other entrance, one would encounter a large parking lot, but if you entered this smaller box office, you would encounter the balcony section — quite a sight as you passed a view of the entire audience, balcony and orchestra, lit up by the movie playing on the big CinemaScope screen …

From 1960 a photo postcard view of Pleasant Street along with the Granada Theatre in Malden.

Here is a 1980 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/qc9c3z

Best thing to do is upload them to a photo-sharing site such as Flickr, ImageShack, or PhotoBucket, then post a link to them here.

Can you scan them in and upload them?

The architectural historian, Douglass Shand Tucci, in his noted book about Boston-area architecture “Built in Boston, City and Suburb”, mistakenly refers on page 216 to the Granada in Malden as the “Alhambra” Theatre.

It was a 99 cent theater when i worked there. The sign said 1 cent donation as well. lol. There were 3 theaters. I’m sure I inadvertantly ran it into the ground a little by selling both halves of the ripped ticket every now and than and keeping a buck. I was 12 after all and that was too tempting. My life of crime pretty much ended there so I guess I’m not that horrible of a person.

I’m 37 and lived in Malden in the Linden area until 1980 and moved to a street behind the library. I worked in the Granada theater from about 1980ish to….? don’t remember. Maybe a year or two. The owner’s name was Roland something or other.

I was too young to work but at that time we somehow made friends with the people working there and they got to know my family. Not the tightest ship at that time I’m sure you’d expect. We’d hang out there after hours and play indoor soccer matches up in the hall outside theater 1 upstairs.

My brothers being older and more daring used the tunnnels under there that ran throughout parts of malden square to “explore” the area. They have some stories and clearer memories I’m sure. I really do remember pretty clearly how the interior and a lot of the office area and storeage areas looked though.

Interesting fact, as you faced the concession counter if you looked to your right there were a bank of exit doors. Above them high on the wall were a shield and swords (it was a spansh baroque style theater after all). I think one of my brothers “liberated” them when things went south.

I had those on my bedroom wall into the mid nineties. I wonder what happened to them after that (i had stupidly painted them too). I’m sure there not somewhere in my moms house anymore but i’d like to think they are. Maybe I took them to my first apartment and then got rid of them. I don’t remember but I sure do regret losing track of them.

Reading the above, I have to wonder where the people of Malden go for entertainment now. Not only are there no movie theatres at all remaining in Malden, there are also none in any of the surrounding towns. (Stoneham’s has been restored as a live stage; otherwise, all are gone now.)

This website is fascinating overall, and I truly enjoyed (with much sadness and nostalgia thrown in)this segment on the Granada Theater and those who contributed to it. The last two postings are particularly good; the projectionist gives a clear, precise rendering of what was going on. I left Malden and came to Washington, D.C. in 1957, but returned briefly in 1965 when I saw several movies (Failsafe, Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte, et al)when the theater was still a single screen. According to reports from those who saw films there after, another screen was added as the projectionist so ably points out, and then a third. Without a doubt, it was the finest theater in Malden; the others: the Orpheum, around the corner and across from the Public Library which played
the films just shown at the Granada at a “nice” price; the Mystic further up Pleasant Street which also showed second run films as well as older classics; ditto for the Auditorium a bit further up the street; and on the other side even further up, the Strand which usually showed first-run films which the Granada probably didn’t want since they usually were not the “mega hits” (my opinon). I didn’t know there was another theater (the Capitol, very tiny) in Suffolk Square until we moved across town to that area. As small and as old and smelly as it was, it still installed a wide CinemaScope screen albeit marred by a dent which occurred when unpacking it! Mr. Salters' posting is extremely informative, and as for his question, No, there was no atmospheric sky ceiling. If there had been, it would have been one more reason for me to gaze around this beautiful theater instead of watching the film, especially when it was shown on the big, wide screen with stereophonic sound. The boxy marquee Ron mentions was replaced in the mid fifties by a two-sided one with white background and black letters. About that time, also, the theater stopped using custom-made movie posters with 3-dimensional gold glitter letters in favor of the “standard” posters we’re all familiar with. This theater was particularly impressive if one entered from the small side-street box office which led to the front side of the balcony section. From there, one could see the full house, orchestra, balcony and all the people engaged in watching a film. Good old days? Why not!

Having been a projectionist at the Granada, I can tell you that it was a single screen “movie palace” until 1965, when it was closed for renovations and the house was split. A new screen was installed at the foot of what had been the balcony, projected from the original booth. At that time, the Century 35mm projectors were outfitted with 4-track magnetic stereo heads. The new screen had three Altec A-7s behind it, with eight surround speakers around the rest of the house.
The original house had a new booth built under the balcony, outfitted with new Century 35mm/70mm projectors and arc lamphouses. The projectors could run optical mono, 4-track 35mm magnetic or 6-track 70mm prints. There were 5 Altec A-7s behind the screen and 8 surround speakers throughout the house. When the lower house was split at the beginning of the 1980s, the 35mm/70mm projectors were sold to pay for the renovations.

A couple of quick updates on theaters mentioned above: The North Reading Cinemas started life as the “New Meadows Cinemas.” It had two screens. It later became the “North Reading Cinema.” Starting with the two screens it had, it later added a third one upstairs in an existing store room. It was called “The Screening Room.” It has long since closed, but the building still exists as office space called “North Park”.

The Surf in Swampscott is gone, replaced with condos.

The West Peabody Cinemas began as the “Jerry Lewis Theaters.” The owners had big plans for it, and had hoped Jerry himself would come to the opening. He did not. It was part of a chain, advertised as one in which “a husband and wife could run the entire operation.” The building later became the Jewish Community Center, and still later was leveled and is now part of the parking lot of the ajacent strip mall.