I grew up in Puerto Rico, and during the summer we would go to a theater on Loiza St. (possibly the Grand but I'm not sure). During the summers, we would go 2-3 times a week to see second run double features. It cost my mother $0.05 for my brother and me, and I think $0.25 for her. We saw many studio movies and B pictures. I remember Some Came Running, Marty, The Man Who Knew Too Much and so much more. I particularly remember the previews of And God Created Woman; my brother's eyes popped out, but we did not go the next week to see that.
Bedford Playhouse in New York. I remember seeing E.T. there with my family and I can also remember when I watched Romancing the Stone with my brother while our parents watched Out of Africa. Our movie got out first… I love that place.
The Thalia in NYC! I learned so much during its summer film festival - a different double bill every day for several months! Typical pairings: Casablanca and Maltese Falcon, A Day at the Races and A Night at the Opera. It had a small screen with the seat flooring slanting up towards it. I think I still have a summer schedule in a drawer somewhere. It looks like the original theater might be gone but its spirit lives on around the corner on Broadway and W95th in the Symphony Space as the Leonary Nimoy Thalia Theatre.
I remember so many of these Boston theaters Ty! Thanks for the memories.
1966, Coolidge Corner, “Born Free” for Susan Storey’s eight-year-old birthday party. Lions on the big screen at that age? How can you forget that?
1973: “Don’t Look Now” with Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland. OMG that red cape running through the foggy Venice streets: I’ve never been so scared in my life. That was playing at the Circle theater, now upscale condos. Did you mention that snazzy mid-century modern monolith?
And of course Marx brothers movies at the Orson Welles.😉
It was the tiny USAF base theater in Pruem, Germany, where my Dad was stationed in 1963-1964. I remember getting a nickel to pay for movie and popcorn and being allowed to walk by myself to the theater for a show - quite an adventure for a 6-7 year old!!
Movies I remember include Flipper and Mary Poppins ... I must have watched The Three Lives of Thomasina dozens of times! What a happy memory - thank you for prompting that with your column!
In Traverse City, Michigan, my cousins and I went to the Michigan Theatre every Sunday. During war time, the admission was ten cents if you were under twelve. We went at 1 pm and stayed through 3 showings until my Uncle came down the aisle and shooed us home. Later, I went to the movies every Saturday waiting for my mother to finish work. Serials shown on weekends were special and sometimes I worried all week about the hero. Streaming is my thing, but I look forward to your columns . My friends wonder where I get all the good recommendations.
I grew up in Somerville in the 50's and 60's and the Davis Square Cinema was the place to go. At that time it was dark and dingy. One of my fondest memories was not sleeping for several days after I saw "The Creature From the Black Lagoon for only $.50 cents
I grew up in Arlington so the Regent and Capitol theaters are were we went. The Capitol is still going. The Regent turned from movies to live performances. I saw Natalie Merchant and 10,000 Maniacs there a few years ago. I love the Lexington theater and go there a lot. So I still frequent the theaters I went to as a kid. I do not like the big multiplexes and their reclining chairs. I like the small art houses.
The Capitol in Bridgewater, MA. It was originally the Princess Theatre (1914) and became the Capitol in 1940. But we still called it the Princess when I was a kid in the 1950s. A small theatre with wooden-backed seats, dark rose velvet seats, and fancy-shmancy velvet curtains that opened before each showing. A live talent show preceded the Saturday matinee. I remember seeing 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the Shaggy Dog and The Absent-Minded Professor as well as House on Haunted Hill. Fabulous posters in the windows out front.
The Colonial Theatre and Brockton Theatre in Brockton, MA, for the "Beach" movies of the early 1960s and A Hard Day's Night; The Westgate Cinema in Brockton opened when I was in high school and I recall seeing The Graduate there. You had to dress up for that theatre...the ushers had fab uniforms!
In college: Casablanca at the Brattle Theatre, Invasion of the Body Snatchers at the Orson Welles Cinema, and Love Story at the Circle Cinema in Chestnut Hill.
Like you mine was the Coolidge and also like you all of the alternative theaters in he area. I live in Newbury so The Screening Room has been a staple for ages. I moved my family to California in 2000, Calistoga specifically. Just down Highway 29 was/is the Cameo, a great art deco gem where my son saw many of the Harry Potter films (first run) and more, including a one night showing of "Blazing Saddles" when he was 8 years old. He was the only kid in the place. We also had the Summerfield in Santa Rosa, an art house multi screen cinema and once in a while we went to San Rafael to the Smith ("Duma" stands out). I enjoy big, Star Wars level films in a modern setting with great sound and a massive screen (Jordans!) but also in smaller venues too, and I really do prefer seeing movies in a theater instead of at home. So glad that the small venues still seem to make it.
Too far back to say for sure. I grew up in Kansas. Didn't go to movies as often as i did once I moved to Boston (1975). I have a fondness for the Boston theaters of the 70's and early 80's, mostly gone. I loved the cinema 733. At 733 Boylston, in a basement. Cost $2 (sometimes even $1, I think) for sometimes two movies. they didn't run new films, as a number of other places (like the Coolidge). There was the Orson Wells, the Cleveland Circle Cinema, on Cambridge St near MGH....and...damn, a lot of others. Theater at BU....Main thing for me though is: I FREAKING HATE almost all modern cinemas. I HATE HATE HATE the big reclining seats. I was pefectly happy with ordinary seats that didn't reclilne (though some were better than others). But for me: those reclining seats are really uncomfortable. Big time uncomfortable. Has caused me to go theaters less than I used to, and there are some where I won't go at all. So: the place I like best now is in my town, the Landmark Embassy cinema in Waltham. Their booking isn't as good as it used to be (they used to show a of independent and foreign films, not so much anymore). But the seats don't recline AND they are good, and the screens are good and the sound is. I also like the Captial theater, except in a few places, they have really lame, broken down reclining g seats (not at all like the kind in newer places)...I used to love the West Newton Cinema a lot, but it's in such pathetic condition. The screens are crummy, the sound is bad, the seats are broken down, the projecters are...UGH! Now I won't go there unless I just have to see something only they have. It's been a long time since...
I have made it through a few films in those reclining seats (did I mention that I don't like them) and it is really a drag for me. They hurt my back and my legs and there's no way I can adjust them to work for me. Seem to be for somebody much taller than me. Or whatever.
I still don't remmeber the name, but there was a big theater on Cambridge st, near Mass General. And in the 70's, I saw All That Jazz there, which was a mind boggling experience for me. There wer many theaters in the Boston area that are long gone, and I liked them all!
Ty you need to get out of the house.... I have been back to the Coolidge several times in the last 7-8 months, my company CSC even has a wonderful series with them on films inspired by plays of Shakespeare. I have also been to the Arlington and other theaters. We don't have the privilege of your being able to get everything you want to see in DVDs. So be brave and face the world out there! Best wishes....Kati
The Drexel Theater in Bexley, just outside downtown Columbus, Ohio. I saw She’s Gotta Have It; Desert Hearts; Indochine; The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover; Sex, Lies and Videotape; Gas, Food, Lodging; Drugstore Cowboy, My Own Private Idaho; Life is Sweet; Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!; Paris is Burning; The Crying Game; I think I saw Blood Simple there and I know I watched Miller’s Crossing at the Drexel—which cemented my love of Coen Bros films. Two other films not seen at the Drexel but that developed my love for films was My Beautiful Laundrette and The Unbearable Lightness of Being. I also remember seeing The Manchurian Candidate at the Drexel. The film is so dark, we were sitting in complete blackness in the theater. What an experience! I moved to the DC area in 1993 and remember seeing Clerks at a small indie theater in Georgetown and I was a regular at a Dupont Circle theater as well. Also the Uptown Theater in DC did some renovations and re-opened with Vertigo—Jimmy Stewart’s blue eyes were huge on their screen!
I grew up in Puerto Rico, and during the summer we would go to a theater on Loiza St. (possibly the Grand but I'm not sure). During the summers, we would go 2-3 times a week to see second run double features. It cost my mother $0.05 for my brother and me, and I think $0.25 for her. We saw many studio movies and B pictures. I remember Some Came Running, Marty, The Man Who Knew Too Much and so much more. I particularly remember the previews of And God Created Woman; my brother's eyes popped out, but we did not go the next week to see that.
Bedford Playhouse in New York. I remember seeing E.T. there with my family and I can also remember when I watched Romancing the Stone with my brother while our parents watched Out of Africa. Our movie got out first… I love that place.
The Thalia in NYC! I learned so much during its summer film festival - a different double bill every day for several months! Typical pairings: Casablanca and Maltese Falcon, A Day at the Races and A Night at the Opera. It had a small screen with the seat flooring slanting up towards it. I think I still have a summer schedule in a drawer somewhere. It looks like the original theater might be gone but its spirit lives on around the corner on Broadway and W95th in the Symphony Space as the Leonary Nimoy Thalia Theatre.
I remember so many of these Boston theaters Ty! Thanks for the memories.
1966, Coolidge Corner, “Born Free” for Susan Storey’s eight-year-old birthday party. Lions on the big screen at that age? How can you forget that?
1973: “Don’t Look Now” with Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland. OMG that red cape running through the foggy Venice streets: I’ve never been so scared in my life. That was playing at the Circle theater, now upscale condos. Did you mention that snazzy mid-century modern monolith?
And of course Marx brothers movies at the Orson Welles.😉
It was the tiny USAF base theater in Pruem, Germany, where my Dad was stationed in 1963-1964. I remember getting a nickel to pay for movie and popcorn and being allowed to walk by myself to the theater for a show - quite an adventure for a 6-7 year old!!
Movies I remember include Flipper and Mary Poppins ... I must have watched The Three Lives of Thomasina dozens of times! What a happy memory - thank you for prompting that with your column!
In Traverse City, Michigan, my cousins and I went to the Michigan Theatre every Sunday. During war time, the admission was ten cents if you were under twelve. We went at 1 pm and stayed through 3 showings until my Uncle came down the aisle and shooed us home. Later, I went to the movies every Saturday waiting for my mother to finish work. Serials shown on weekends were special and sometimes I worried all week about the hero. Streaming is my thing, but I look forward to your columns . My friends wonder where I get all the good recommendations.
I grew up in Somerville in the 50's and 60's and the Davis Square Cinema was the place to go. At that time it was dark and dingy. One of my fondest memories was not sleeping for several days after I saw "The Creature From the Black Lagoon for only $.50 cents
The first movie I remember was at age 6, in Radio City Music Hall. Such a grand venue. I’ve enjoyed movies ever since.
Cleveland Circle Cinema. I remember seeing "It's a Mad, Mad World" there with my Dad.
I grew up in Arlington so the Regent and Capitol theaters are were we went. The Capitol is still going. The Regent turned from movies to live performances. I saw Natalie Merchant and 10,000 Maniacs there a few years ago. I love the Lexington theater and go there a lot. So I still frequent the theaters I went to as a kid. I do not like the big multiplexes and their reclining chairs. I like the small art houses.
The Capitol in Bridgewater, MA. It was originally the Princess Theatre (1914) and became the Capitol in 1940. But we still called it the Princess when I was a kid in the 1950s. A small theatre with wooden-backed seats, dark rose velvet seats, and fancy-shmancy velvet curtains that opened before each showing. A live talent show preceded the Saturday matinee. I remember seeing 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the Shaggy Dog and The Absent-Minded Professor as well as House on Haunted Hill. Fabulous posters in the windows out front.
The Colonial Theatre and Brockton Theatre in Brockton, MA, for the "Beach" movies of the early 1960s and A Hard Day's Night; The Westgate Cinema in Brockton opened when I was in high school and I recall seeing The Graduate there. You had to dress up for that theatre...the ushers had fab uniforms!
In college: Casablanca at the Brattle Theatre, Invasion of the Body Snatchers at the Orson Welles Cinema, and Love Story at the Circle Cinema in Chestnut Hill.
Like you mine was the Coolidge and also like you all of the alternative theaters in he area. I live in Newbury so The Screening Room has been a staple for ages. I moved my family to California in 2000, Calistoga specifically. Just down Highway 29 was/is the Cameo, a great art deco gem where my son saw many of the Harry Potter films (first run) and more, including a one night showing of "Blazing Saddles" when he was 8 years old. He was the only kid in the place. We also had the Summerfield in Santa Rosa, an art house multi screen cinema and once in a while we went to San Rafael to the Smith ("Duma" stands out). I enjoy big, Star Wars level films in a modern setting with great sound and a massive screen (Jordans!) but also in smaller venues too, and I really do prefer seeing movies in a theater instead of at home. So glad that the small venues still seem to make it.
Too far back to say for sure. I grew up in Kansas. Didn't go to movies as often as i did once I moved to Boston (1975). I have a fondness for the Boston theaters of the 70's and early 80's, mostly gone. I loved the cinema 733. At 733 Boylston, in a basement. Cost $2 (sometimes even $1, I think) for sometimes two movies. they didn't run new films, as a number of other places (like the Coolidge). There was the Orson Wells, the Cleveland Circle Cinema, on Cambridge St near MGH....and...damn, a lot of others. Theater at BU....Main thing for me though is: I FREAKING HATE almost all modern cinemas. I HATE HATE HATE the big reclining seats. I was pefectly happy with ordinary seats that didn't reclilne (though some were better than others). But for me: those reclining seats are really uncomfortable. Big time uncomfortable. Has caused me to go theaters less than I used to, and there are some where I won't go at all. So: the place I like best now is in my town, the Landmark Embassy cinema in Waltham. Their booking isn't as good as it used to be (they used to show a of independent and foreign films, not so much anymore). But the seats don't recline AND they are good, and the screens are good and the sound is. I also like the Captial theater, except in a few places, they have really lame, broken down reclining g seats (not at all like the kind in newer places)...I used to love the West Newton Cinema a lot, but it's in such pathetic condition. The screens are crummy, the sound is bad, the seats are broken down, the projecters are...UGH! Now I won't go there unless I just have to see something only they have. It's been a long time since...
I have made it through a few films in those reclining seats (did I mention that I don't like them) and it is really a drag for me. They hurt my back and my legs and there's no way I can adjust them to work for me. Seem to be for somebody much taller than me. Or whatever.
I still don't remmeber the name, but there was a big theater on Cambridge st, near Mass General. And in the 70's, I saw All That Jazz there, which was a mind boggling experience for me. There wer many theaters in the Boston area that are long gone, and I liked them all!
Ty you need to get out of the house.... I have been back to the Coolidge several times in the last 7-8 months, my company CSC even has a wonderful series with them on films inspired by plays of Shakespeare. I have also been to the Arlington and other theaters. We don't have the privilege of your being able to get everything you want to see in DVDs. So be brave and face the world out there! Best wishes....Kati
The Drexel Theater in Bexley, just outside downtown Columbus, Ohio. I saw She’s Gotta Have It; Desert Hearts; Indochine; The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover; Sex, Lies and Videotape; Gas, Food, Lodging; Drugstore Cowboy, My Own Private Idaho; Life is Sweet; Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!; Paris is Burning; The Crying Game; I think I saw Blood Simple there and I know I watched Miller’s Crossing at the Drexel—which cemented my love of Coen Bros films. Two other films not seen at the Drexel but that developed my love for films was My Beautiful Laundrette and The Unbearable Lightness of Being. I also remember seeing The Manchurian Candidate at the Drexel. The film is so dark, we were sitting in complete blackness in the theater. What an experience! I moved to the DC area in 1993 and remember seeing Clerks at a small indie theater in Georgetown and I was a regular at a Dupont Circle theater as well. Also the Uptown Theater in DC did some renovations and re-opened with Vertigo—Jimmy Stewart’s blue eyes were huge on their screen!