I should add that I once saw Jean Renoir speak at Harvard. It was March 5, 1965, and I don’t remember too much of the lecture except his statement that The Golden Coach had been inspired by the music of Vivaldi.
Please do go on. Nice comment. I’d like to know the exact dates or years of existence of this theatre, whether you were equipped for both 35mm/16mm, perhaps have links to ads or photos, read some more anecdotes, etc.
In this photo, we see a variety show put on at Patsy’s Hall by the Peacedale Fire Department in 1959. David Pelton, Herbert Rice, and Bruce Slader do their own version of the “Kingstown Trio.” (from the volume Peace Dale, by Betty J. Cotter, in the “Images of America” series.)
Note the screen behind the singers. I wonder how late movies continued to be shown at the Peacedale Theatre.
I managed to see Richard Burton as Hamlet at the Lunt-Fontanne on July 15, 1964. I remember that after the performance there was quite a commotion out front on 46th Street as Liz Taylor arrived by limo to retrieve Burton. I didn’t see and haven’t yet seen the Elecronovision version, but I used to own an LP recording of the play, with Burton.
Here are two old photos of the Woonsocket Opera House.
ONE: On the left is the entrance to the Opera House Pharmacy. The central entrance leads to the offices upstairs. The right arch is the theatre entrance.
TWO: Monument Square, with the Opera House in the center with the vertical “Opera House” marquee.
A note on the building from Statewide Historical Preservation Report – North Kingstown, Rhode Island, 1979:
“Former Beacon Lodge Number Thirty-Eight, I.O.O.F. (1884). An impressive 2-story, end gable, shingled building built as a meeting hall for several fraternal organizations.”
Yes, I saw Night Games there in January of 1967. Starring Ingrid Thulin and directed by Mai Zetterling, the Swedish movie is generally described as a strange, moody film. Which it certainly is.
I also found ads for stage shows and movies in 1911 & 1912. The span of verifiable activity expands. The theatre had boxes as well as a balcony, according to an ad. When I happened to get into this place a few years ago and it was being used by some local arts group, I did so by walking up a stairway from the Washington Street side to the second floor, where the theatre was. The floor was flat. This all leads me to believe that after the original Majestic closed, perhaps in the 1930s when the ads stopped, perhaps later, the flat floor was added over the first floor orchestra to form a theatre out of what had been the balcony. The original orchestra of the theatre, I theorize, was converted to commercial usage. The entrance to the theatre, I again theorize, had been on the Main Street side, where the “Majestic” sign is evident in photos. At the time I was in the place, there was no balcony. I believe now I was actually in the former balcony, because there was stadium seating rising up above the flat floor. Anyway, all theory.
Some mouth-watering films. The only one I went to was Ashes and Diamonds, but I have seen almost all of these movies at one time or another in various places.
Some early managers of the Lyric, based on East Providence city directories: 1941-42, Mrs. Fabiola Goff; 1944-1951, Charles S. Tobey (manager or treasurer); 1953, Herbert McGuire.
In 1912 one John F. Roach was the manager of this first Lyric.
Brow Street used to run from 38 Warren Avenue to 31 Waterman Avenue. Now the portion between Warren Avenue and Taunton Avenue no longer exists because of Rte. 195 and a group of criss-crossing highway ramps near the end of Washington Bridge at what was Watchemoket Square at one time.
I think the change was made also because there is no direct way possible into the auditorium from street level because of the added shops, unless you go in from the exit to the right of the screen. So out of necessity they had to devise this circuitous down-from-under rat-route. I hate it. The entrance from the front right was much better. In those days, if I remember correctly, there was just the ticket booth in the entrance and they didn’t sell snacks at all. In the earlier years they had single features, usually one show at 7:30 and one at 9:30 plus earlier ones on weekends. I’m still curious about knowing clearly whether they opened with the 1931 version of The Captain from Köpenick, if they opened in 1953.
Also, the description says the theatre is located on the “second floor.” Actually, it is the first floor and just a few steps in or out originally. But now that the entrance is on the left, from the basement area, and you have to walk down some steps from the street, then up a full flight to get into the hall, it seems like the second floor. From the front exits used after films, it’s still only a couple of steps or so to get out. The level of the auditorium has not changed, but the rear end has been severed.
The 1990 Brattle Theatre booklet commemorating the centennial of Brattle Hall says that the theatre was opened in 1953 by Cy Harvey, Jr. and Bryant Holiday. It also says that the first film shown was the German The Captain from Köpenick. Now, a version of that film with Heinz Rühmann, made in 1956, opened in the U.S. in 1958. So either the listed year of opening is incorrect, or else they opened with the 1931 version (!) directed by Richard Oswald. Harvey and Holiday founded Janus Films in 1955 to distribute foreign films nationally. Here is an old photo of the Brattle before its opening.
According to a 1934 reference, the Bijou was located next to the old Elks Hall, which then became Federal Hall and was across from the offices of the Woonsocket Call at the time. A 1915 photo of the Bijou and the adjacent Elks Hall appears above on my posting of June 18.
Diamond Hall was listed in 1928 and 1935 R.I. State business directories. I was told by the editor of the local weekly that the hall, located at the corner of Putnam Avenue and Austin Avenue, was torn down, probably in the 1930s. I am promised additional information, perhaps a photo. As far as I can determine, Diamond Hall was the only indoor Smithfield venue for movies before the advent of the Apple Valley Cinemas in the 1960s. There was also the Route 44 Drive-In, which was around by the 1950s.
From Buildings of Rhode Island by William H. Jordy, 2004:
“The Lyric Theater’s handsome sheet-metal elevation is dominated by a huge blind arch patterned in lattice which once measured the width of its missing marquee. Prefabricated stampings of Ionic pilasters, panels, frets, and swags are elegantly positioned around this center. (As this is written, the front has been Queen Anne-ed in dark greens and maroon, although it seemed more ‘lyric’ when it was properly white and pastel. So avowedly scenographic in character, this is perhaps the loveliest small theatre facade in the state. How sad that movies have left it!”
From Buildings of Rhode Island by William H. Jordy, 2004:
“Best of all is the front of the Lederer Theatre, a fantasy version of the Roman triumphal arch motif. Pastel colors in bone white again, lemon yellow, and lime green make this an exceptionally subtle example of commercial terra-cotta. A delicately detailed two-story lobby topped with a stained glass oval dome has been partially restored. Providence’s own George M. Cohan appeared in two productions here before it was converted from stage shows to movies in 1923, reverting to dramatic theatre in 1971 as the home of the important Trinity Repertory Theatre. It was then that the cavernous, ornamented interior was gutted to provide for two replacement theatres, one above the other, in the stripped bare brick manner prevalent for theater reuse in the early 1970s.”
The building on the far right in this photo, circa 1927, is the Peacedale Opera House. Here is a link to the other Peacedale theatre, variously known as Patsy’s Hall, Peacedale Theatre, State Theatre.
There was an earlier-built theatre in Peacedale called the Peacedale Opera House, not far from Patsy’s Hall in this tiniest of villages.
I should add that I once saw Jean Renoir speak at Harvard. It was March 5, 1965, and I don’t remember too much of the lecture except his statement that The Golden Coach had been inspired by the music of Vivaldi.
Please do go on. Nice comment. I’d like to know the exact dates or years of existence of this theatre, whether you were equipped for both 35mm/16mm, perhaps have links to ads or photos, read some more anecdotes, etc.
In this photo, we see a variety show put on at Patsy’s Hall by the Peacedale Fire Department in 1959. David Pelton, Herbert Rice, and Bruce Slader do their own version of the “Kingstown Trio.” (from the volume Peace Dale, by Betty J. Cotter, in the “Images of America” series.)
Note the screen behind the singers. I wonder how late movies continued to be shown at the Peacedale Theatre.
Here is a photo of said liquor store, formerly the Cumberland Cinemas.
I managed to see Richard Burton as Hamlet at the Lunt-Fontanne on July 15, 1964. I remember that after the performance there was quite a commotion out front on 46th Street as Liz Taylor arrived by limo to retrieve Burton. I didn’t see and haven’t yet seen the Elecronovision version, but I used to own an LP recording of the play, with Burton.
Earlier in the day I had gone to the Art in Greenwich Village to see Rex Harrison in the film Major Barbara, then to the 55th Street Playhouse for a Marcel Carné double bill: Bizarre, Bizarre and The Devil’s Envoy. A rewarding day.
Here are two old photos of the Woonsocket Opera House.
ONE: On the left is the entrance to the Opera House Pharmacy. The central entrance leads to the offices upstairs. The right arch is the theatre entrance.
TWO: Monument Square, with the Opera House in the center with the vertical “Opera House” marquee.
A note on the building from Statewide Historical Preservation Report – North Kingstown, Rhode Island, 1979:
“Former Beacon Lodge Number Thirty-Eight, I.O.O.F. (1884). An impressive 2-story, end gable, shingled building built as a meeting hall for several fraternal organizations.”
Yes, I saw Night Games there in January of 1967. Starring Ingrid Thulin and directed by Mai Zetterling, the Swedish movie is generally described as a strange, moody film. Which it certainly is.
I also found ads for stage shows and movies in 1911 & 1912. The span of verifiable activity expands. The theatre had boxes as well as a balcony, according to an ad. When I happened to get into this place a few years ago and it was being used by some local arts group, I did so by walking up a stairway from the Washington Street side to the second floor, where the theatre was. The floor was flat. This all leads me to believe that after the original Majestic closed, perhaps in the 1930s when the ads stopped, perhaps later, the flat floor was added over the first floor orchestra to form a theatre out of what had been the balcony. The original orchestra of the theatre, I theorize, was converted to commercial usage. The entrance to the theatre, I again theorize, had been on the Main Street side, where the “Majestic” sign is evident in photos. At the time I was in the place, there was no balcony. I believe now I was actually in the former balcony, because there was stadium seating rising up above the flat floor. Anyway, all theory.
And here is a photo of the Odeon.
Here is a 1963 Brattle Theatre “Summer Film Festival” program flyer. Because it is tall, I had to reproduce it in two parts. Here they are:
TOP HALF
BOTTOM HALF
Some mouth-watering films. The only one I went to was Ashes and Diamonds, but I have seen almost all of these movies at one time or another in various places.
In 1941-42 Mr. Samuel Bomes was listed as owner in the city directory, in 1955 it was Milton M. Bomes (his son?).
Some early managers of the Lyric, based on East Providence city directories: 1941-42, Mrs. Fabiola Goff; 1944-1951, Charles S. Tobey (manager or treasurer); 1953, Herbert McGuire.
In 1912 one John F. Roach was the manager of this first Lyric.
Brow Street used to run from 38 Warren Avenue to 31 Waterman Avenue. Now the portion between Warren Avenue and Taunton Avenue no longer exists because of Rte. 195 and a group of criss-crossing highway ramps near the end of Washington Bridge at what was Watchemoket Square at one time.
I think the change was made also because there is no direct way possible into the auditorium from street level because of the added shops, unless you go in from the exit to the right of the screen. So out of necessity they had to devise this circuitous down-from-under rat-route. I hate it. The entrance from the front right was much better. In those days, if I remember correctly, there was just the ticket booth in the entrance and they didn’t sell snacks at all. In the earlier years they had single features, usually one show at 7:30 and one at 9:30 plus earlier ones on weekends. I’m still curious about knowing clearly whether they opened with the 1931 version of The Captain from Köpenick, if they opened in 1953.
Also, the description says the theatre is located on the “second floor.” Actually, it is the first floor and just a few steps in or out originally. But now that the entrance is on the left, from the basement area, and you have to walk down some steps from the street, then up a full flight to get into the hall, it seems like the second floor. From the front exits used after films, it’s still only a couple of steps or so to get out. The level of the auditorium has not changed, but the rear end has been severed.
The 1990 Brattle Theatre booklet commemorating the centennial of Brattle Hall says that the theatre was opened in 1953 by Cy Harvey, Jr. and Bryant Holiday. It also says that the first film shown was the German The Captain from Köpenick. Now, a version of that film with Heinz Rühmann, made in 1956, opened in the U.S. in 1958. So either the listed year of opening is incorrect, or else they opened with the 1931 version (!) directed by Richard Oswald. Harvey and Holiday founded Janus Films in 1955 to distribute foreign films nationally. Here is an old photo of the Brattle before its opening.
According to a 1934 reference, the Bijou was located next to the old Elks Hall, which then became Federal Hall and was across from the offices of the Woonsocket Call at the time. A 1915 photo of the Bijou and the adjacent Elks Hall appears above on my posting of June 18.
Diamond Hall was listed in 1928 and 1935 R.I. State business directories. I was told by the editor of the local weekly that the hall, located at the corner of Putnam Avenue and Austin Avenue, was torn down, probably in the 1930s. I am promised additional information, perhaps a photo. As far as I can determine, Diamond Hall was the only indoor Smithfield venue for movies before the advent of the Apple Valley Cinemas in the 1960s. There was also the Route 44 Drive-In, which was around by the 1950s.
What’s a momento? That should be corrected to mementos.
Year?
From Buildings of Rhode Island by William H. Jordy, 2004:
“The Lyric Theater’s handsome sheet-metal elevation is dominated by a huge blind arch patterned in lattice which once measured the width of its missing marquee. Prefabricated stampings of Ionic pilasters, panels, frets, and swags are elegantly positioned around this center. (As this is written, the front has been Queen Anne-ed in dark greens and maroon, although it seemed more ‘lyric’ when it was properly white and pastel. So avowedly scenographic in character, this is perhaps the loveliest small theatre facade in the state. How sad that movies have left it!”
From Buildings of Rhode Island by William H. Jordy, 2004:
“Best of all is the front of the Lederer Theatre, a fantasy version of the Roman triumphal arch motif. Pastel colors in bone white again, lemon yellow, and lime green make this an exceptionally subtle example of commercial terra-cotta. A delicately detailed two-story lobby topped with a stained glass oval dome has been partially restored. Providence’s own George M. Cohan appeared in two productions here before it was converted from stage shows to movies in 1923, reverting to dramatic theatre in 1971 as the home of the important Trinity Repertory Theatre. It was then that the cavernous, ornamented interior was gutted to provide for two replacement theatres, one above the other, in the stripped bare brick manner prevalent for theater reuse in the early 1970s.”