Category: Toronto Cinemas

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A Victory Bond rally at the Midtown Theatre

Eric Veillette

Cinemas were often a choice neighbourhood site for Victory Bond rallies during both World Wars. In the above photo, members of an unidentified regiment are lined up in front of the Midtown Theatre (now the Bloor Cinema), then owned by 20th Century Theatres. Although I haven’t been able to properly date the photo, it was taken some time after the all-star flick Stage Door Canteen ended its two-month run at the Loew’s Yonge St. Theatre in September, 1943. Big thanks goes to Christina Stewart of the CNE Archives for unearthing this photo, which is also one of the rare shots … Continue reading A Victory Bond rally at the Midtown Theatre

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The Odeon Humber returns

Eric Veillette

After a delayed start or two, it appears the former Odeon Humber is finally set to re-open today, courtesy of the same folks who revived the Kingsway a few years ago. The Humber, located at 2442 Bloor St. West at Jane, was twinned in 1975 and closed in 2003 while under the control of Cineplex Odeon. But over sixty years ago,  on January 27, 1949, the 1200 seat theatre  opened with a flourish. In the spirit of showmanship and general bonhommie, the Rank Organization and theatre manager Chris Holmes held a gala premiere of the J. Arthur Rank production Blanche … Continue reading The Odeon Humber returns

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Allen’s Bloor Theatre

Eric Veillette

For over twenty-five years, Toronto concert-goers and Annex residents have known the building at 529 Bloor St. West as Lee’s Palace. But nearly a century ago, the Allen’s Bloor Theatre was one of the most luxurious suburban movie houses Toronto had to offer. The immaculately detailed 782 seat theatre held its premiere screening on March 10, 1919 with Cecil B. De Mille’s Don’t Change Your Wife, featuring Gloria Swanson. It was the first theatre to be built on that stretch of Bloor Street since the current-day Bloor Cinema, then known as the Madison, opened in December, 1913. Months later, the … Continue reading Allen’s Bloor Theatre

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You’re fired: Silent film musicians & the talkie revolution

Eric Veillette

To coincide with our upcoming Silent Sundays screening of Eisenstein’s pro-labour Strike on May 1, we examine how the arrival of sound pictures affected the livelihood of silent film musicians. The successful commercialization of synchronized sound films in the late 1920s was arguably the medium’s most important technological achievement since its invention. But often neglected is how the costly conversion to sound systematically put thousands of silent film musicians out of work. In Toronto, sound films first arrived at the Tivoli, at Richmond and Victoria Sts., when the Fox Movietone film Street Angel premiered on October 5, 1928. As Luigi … Continue reading You’re fired: Silent film musicians & the talkie revolution

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Elizabeth Taylor on the Loew’s marquee

Eric Veillette

With the passing of Elizabeth Taylor last month, here’s her name on the marquee of the Loew’s Yonge St. Theatre on October 3, 1952, opening day of the MGM Technicolor epic Ivanhoe, which also starred Robert Taylor and Joan Fontaine. When was the last time horses showed up to a Toronto film premiere? The Loew’s, located steps north of Queen on Yonge, opened on December 13, 1913 and was joined by the upstairs Winter Garden Theatre the following February. Fully restored in the 1980s and still operating as the Elgin & Winter Garden, the building’s current marquee is closer in … Continue reading Elizabeth Taylor on the Loew’s marquee

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The Parkdale Theatre: a passion den for teenagers

Eric Veillette

“This may seem drastic to you but I have seen the results of the work of some of these hoodlums,” wrote Ontario Censor Board and Theatres Inspection Branch chairman O.J. Silverthorne in 1953 after offering Famous Players some well-heeled advice on dealing with teen-age rowdiness at Toronto’s Parkdale Theatre. Located at Queen St. W and Triller Ave., the Parkdale was one of several theatres designed by C. Howard Crane for the national Allen chain of theatres. Premiering April 5, 1920 with the comedy Duds, it was Parkdale’s premier entertainment spot until the arrival of Sunnyside Amusement Park and the Palais … Continue reading The Parkdale Theatre: a passion den for teenagers

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Dinner and a movie at the Odeon Carlton

Eric Veillette

One of the few things missing in action when the Odeon Toronto (later Odeon Carlton) opened near Yonge and Carlton in September of 1948 was its much touted restaurant. Located on the mezzanine of the 2300 seat theatre, the Carlton Restaurant’s opening was delayed due to problems with existing theatre regulations. Bear in mind that in 1948, snack bars were not yet commonplace, so imagine the tizzy the Theatres Branch must have had when Odeon Canada proposed a spacious restaurant serving “light lunches, afternoon teas, evening dinners and late snack.” The first of its kind in Canada, the restaurant still … Continue reading Dinner and a movie at the Odeon Carlton

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Michael Gough, star of British horror films, dies at 94

Eric Veillette

Like many kids of my generation, my introduction to British actor Michael Gough was through his appearance as the butler Alfred in Tim Burton’s Batman, but the man also had a lengthy career starring in schlocky British horror films from the ’50s through the ’70s, many of which appeared on Toronto screens. My intention was to find an ad for Freddie Francis’ fantastic Trog, where Gough plays a scientist alongside Joan Crawford, but then I saw this great ad for Horror of Dracula opening at various 20th Century Theatres like the Downtown and the Midtown on June 24, 1958. In … Continue reading Michael Gough, star of British horror films, dies at 94