I wish residents or former long-time residents of Woonsocket would offer some recollections of its other old theatres: Rialto, Bijou, Laurier, Park, Olympia, and of course this still-surviving and lovingly restored Stadium, about which we know so much more.
I once posted the Ambassador on Cinema Treasures. Someone must have deemed it unworthy because for most of its career it has been associated with live theater. So it was summarily removed. Here is a photo of the Ambassador in September of 1949 (was that a “slow” legit year too?) with patrons lining up for Rossellini’s “Germany, Year Zero.” I think these theatres should be added. After all the Henry Miller is on Cinema Treasures.
Although the original seating capacity of the Columbus was 1492 (get it? Columbus, 1492), when the balcony was sectioned off to form the Studio Cinema, the seating capacities changed to the following: Main auditorium: 900, Studio: 274.
The 1973 Providence Journal Almanac gives the seating capacity for Cinema 1 as 175, Cinema 2 as 190. Owner: Esquire Theatres, Inc.; Carmine Montiquilla, owner.
The 1973 Providence Journal Almanac gives the seating capacity of the (single-screen) theatre as 724. It was listed as owned by Esquire Theatres, Inc.; Lawrence Johnson, manager.
The 1948 Providence Journal Almanac says this theatre closed on August 16, 1947. It had a seating capacity of 1148. It had been leased to Associated Theaters, Inc, owner; Lawrence MacGillivary, manager.
A 1925 edition of the Providence Journal Almanac gives these facts about the theatre: Felix R. Wendel-Schaefer, manager; seating capacty, 1430; proscenium opening, 37 ¾ x 32 feet; footlights to back wall, 39 feet; between side walls, 71 feet; height to gridiron 42 feet. The 1931 Almanac lists the seating capacity as 1350.
The Capitol was previously known as the Colonial Theatre. A 1915 city directory gives the same address for the Colonial that the Capitol had: 569 ½ Westminster Street. According to a 1940 Providence Journal Almanac entry, the seating capacity of the Capitol was 996. The theatre was part of the E.M. Loew’s chain.
According to the 1940 Providence Journal Almanac, the Playhouse (formerly the Modern Theatre) was owned by B. Thomas Potter; leased by Modern Amusement Company, had a seating capacity of 1378.
A 1940 Providence Journal Almanac entry has the Olympia owned by Delphina Realty Company; leased and operated by E.M. Loew’s, Inc., Boston. The seating capacity was given as 1500.
Summary of a news article in January of 1930: a fire started in a millinery store on the second floor of the building that houses the Strand Theatre and other businesses. Although the management of the theatre was preparing to notify the patrons, the fire was contained in time and it became unnecessary. The location of the fire was on the other side of Union Street directly across from the entrance to Fay’s Theatre. Patrons of Fay’s were unaware of the event, but passers-by thronged the streets as fire apparatus thundered up to the door. Damage was minimal.
Summary of a news article in January of 1930: a fire started in a millinery store on the second floor of the building that houses the Strand Theatre and other businesses. Although the management of the theatre was preparing to notify the patrons, the fire was contained in time and it became unnecessary. The location of the fire was on the other side of Union Street directly across from the entrance to Fay’s Theatre. Patrons of Fay’s were unaware of the event, but passers-by thronged the streets as fire apparatus thundered up to the door. Damage was minimal.
Before being called the Olympia, this theatre was known as the Strand (from 1930 or so.) In city directories they had the same address as the even earlier Nickel. It is not clear whether the Nickel was demolished to make room for a new theatre, or whether it was simply the old theatre re-named. The Rialto’s street address was 41 Main Street, which should have placed it across from the Olympia.
In perusing microfilm of The Woonsocket Call (this theatre is less than 25 minutes from that R.I. city), I noticed a January 1930 ad for the Morse when it was showing “Four Devils.” That was F. W. Murnau’s 1928 film for Fox and is reputed to be lost.
Ads for the “New Park” still appeared in The Woonsocket Call in December of 1958. By May of 1959 they were not longer to be found. The theatre had closed for good.
I did some glancing through The Woonsocket Call on microfilm. A December 1929 ad advertising “Tanned Legs” referred to the Bijou as a Publix Theatre. I saw that the place was still operating in 1957 and had installed CinemaScope along with everyone else, but by 1958 the ads stopped; so it must have closed around then.
In his recent autobiography “The Good, the Bad, and Me,” actor Eli Wallach recalls his days as an aspiring Broadway actor in the 1940s. On days of casting rejections he would wander, he says, on 42nd Street where, for a quarter, he would watch the movies of great French actors Harry Baur, Jean Gabin, Louis Jouvet, Jean-Louis Barrault, Raimu. He writes on page 93: “‘God, that was brilliant acting,’ I would think, and try to find something in their performances to take as my own.” Wallach does not mention the Apollo by name, but it is certain that this is the theatre where French movies with those actors aften played and that he undoubtedly visited before taking the subway back to his home in Brooklyn.
In his recent autobiography “The Good, the Bad, and Me,” actor Eli Wallach (born 1915) recalls going frequently to the Rialto when he was growing up in Brooklyn.
He writes: “On Saturday the Union Street Toughs would go to the Rialto, a movie palace about three blocks from my house. The Rialto had a big marquee with red and green lights flickering on it, and I would pay for my admission with the dime I had earned during the week… We would all sit on wooden benches in the smoke-filled theater and watch Westerns starring Tom Mix, Hoot Gibson, and William S. Hart, who became my heroes…” (pages 20-21)
Wallach could not have imagined that one day he would be acting in films himself, including westerns such as “The Magnificent Seven” and “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” from which his book derives its sly title.
I wish residents or former long-time residents of Woonsocket would offer some recollections of its other old theatres: Rialto, Bijou, Laurier, Park, Olympia, and of course this still-surviving and lovingly restored Stadium, about which we know so much more.
A program at the Laurier in June of 1950 was “Pinky” and “The Big Cat.”
In June of 1950 a program was Howard Hughes' “The Outlaw” with Jane Russell along with “Harbor of Missing Men” with Richard Denning.
I once posted the Ambassador on Cinema Treasures. Someone must have deemed it unworthy because for most of its career it has been associated with live theater. So it was summarily removed. Here is a photo of the Ambassador in September of 1949 (was that a “slow” legit year too?) with patrons lining up for Rossellini’s “Germany, Year Zero.” I think these theatres should be added. After all the Henry Miller is on Cinema Treasures.
Although the original seating capacity of the Columbus was 1492 (get it? Columbus, 1492), when the balcony was sectioned off to form the Studio Cinema, the seating capacities changed to the following: Main auditorium: 900, Studio: 274.
The 1973 Providence Journal Almanac gives the seating capacity for Cinema 1 as 175, Cinema 2 as 190. Owner: Esquire Theatres, Inc.; Carmine Montiquilla, owner.
The 1973 Providence Journal Almanac gives the seating capacity of the (single-screen) theatre as 724. It was listed as owned by Esquire Theatres, Inc.; Lawrence Johnson, manager.
The 1948 Providence Journal Almanac says this theatre closed on August 16, 1947. It had a seating capacity of 1148. It had been leased to Associated Theaters, Inc, owner; Lawrence MacGillivary, manager.
The seating capacity for this Bijou was 407, according to the 1925 Providence Journal Almanac.
A 1925 edition of the Providence Journal Almanac gives these facts about the theatre: Felix R. Wendel-Schaefer, manager; seating capacty, 1430; proscenium opening, 37 ¾ x 32 feet; footlights to back wall, 39 feet; between side walls, 71 feet; height to gridiron 42 feet. The 1931 Almanac lists the seating capacity as 1350.
Early editions of the Providence Journal Almanac place the original seating capacity of the Castle as a single-screener at 781.
The Capitol was previously known as the Colonial Theatre. A 1915 city directory gives the same address for the Colonial that the Capitol had: 569 ½ Westminster Street. According to a 1940 Providence Journal Almanac entry, the seating capacity of the Capitol was 996. The theatre was part of the E.M. Loew’s chain.
A Providence Journal Almanac from 1940 says that the Empire was formerly known as the Victory and had a seating capacity of 1603.
The original seating capacity as the single-screen Hope was 1137, according to the Providence Journal Almanac of 1940.
According to the 1940 Providence Journal Almanac, the Playhouse (formerly the Modern Theatre) was owned by B. Thomas Potter; leased by Modern Amusement Company, had a seating capacity of 1378.
A 1940 Providence Journal Almanac entry has the Olympia owned by Delphina Realty Company; leased and operated by E.M. Loew’s, Inc., Boston. The seating capacity was given as 1500.
Summary of a news article in January of 1930: a fire started in a millinery store on the second floor of the building that houses the Strand Theatre and other businesses. Although the management of the theatre was preparing to notify the patrons, the fire was contained in time and it became unnecessary. The location of the fire was on the other side of Union Street directly across from the entrance to Fay’s Theatre. Patrons of Fay’s were unaware of the event, but passers-by thronged the streets as fire apparatus thundered up to the door. Damage was minimal.
Summary of a news article in January of 1930: a fire started in a millinery store on the second floor of the building that houses the Strand Theatre and other businesses. Although the management of the theatre was preparing to notify the patrons, the fire was contained in time and it became unnecessary. The location of the fire was on the other side of Union Street directly across from the entrance to Fay’s Theatre. Patrons of Fay’s were unaware of the event, but passers-by thronged the streets as fire apparatus thundered up to the door. Damage was minimal.
Before being called the Olympia, this theatre was known as the Strand (from 1930 or so.) In city directories they had the same address as the even earlier Nickel. It is not clear whether the Nickel was demolished to make room for a new theatre, or whether it was simply the old theatre re-named. The Rialto’s street address was 41 Main Street, which should have placed it across from the Olympia.
In perusing microfilm of The Woonsocket Call (this theatre is less than 25 minutes from that R.I. city), I noticed a January 1930 ad for the Morse when it was showing “Four Devils.” That was F. W. Murnau’s 1928 film for Fox and is reputed to be lost.
The theatre also featured vaudeville. The 1929 ad I mentioned above also touted “5 big acts.”
Ads for the “New Park” still appeared in The Woonsocket Call in December of 1958. By May of 1959 they were not longer to be found. The theatre had closed for good.
I did some glancing through The Woonsocket Call on microfilm. A December 1929 ad advertising “Tanned Legs” referred to the Bijou as a Publix Theatre. I saw that the place was still operating in 1957 and had installed CinemaScope along with everyone else, but by 1958 the ads stopped; so it must have closed around then.
In his recent autobiography “The Good, the Bad, and Me,” actor Eli Wallach recalls his days as an aspiring Broadway actor in the 1940s. On days of casting rejections he would wander, he says, on 42nd Street where, for a quarter, he would watch the movies of great French actors Harry Baur, Jean Gabin, Louis Jouvet, Jean-Louis Barrault, Raimu. He writes on page 93: “‘God, that was brilliant acting,’ I would think, and try to find something in their performances to take as my own.” Wallach does not mention the Apollo by name, but it is certain that this is the theatre where French movies with those actors aften played and that he undoubtedly visited before taking the subway back to his home in Brooklyn.
In his recent autobiography “The Good, the Bad, and Me,” actor Eli Wallach (born 1915) recalls going frequently to the Rialto when he was growing up in Brooklyn.
He writes: “On Saturday the Union Street Toughs would go to the Rialto, a movie palace about three blocks from my house. The Rialto had a big marquee with red and green lights flickering on it, and I would pay for my admission with the dime I had earned during the week… We would all sit on wooden benches in the smoke-filled theater and watch Westerns starring Tom Mix, Hoot Gibson, and William S. Hart, who became my heroes…” (pages 20-21)
Wallach could not have imagined that one day he would be acting in films himself, including westerns such as “The Magnificent Seven” and “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” from which his book derives its sly title.