Tag: allen chain

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From Chaplin to The Artist: Music and silent film as enduring allies

Eric Veillette

This article was originally published by CBC Music on February 29, 2012. It appears here in a slightly edited form. On the screen of the Museum of the Moving Image, Charlie Chaplin’s iconic Tramp character prompts roars of laughter from the audience. The film is The Immigrant (1917), and the seats of the Brooklyn-based theatre are filled with children seeing a silent film for the first time. Their eyes are wide, beaming, and the laughter is infectious. For the last several years, New York-based musician Ben Model has paid a weekly visit to the museum to provide piano accompaniment for … Continue reading From Chaplin to The Artist: Music and silent film as enduring allies

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The world’s smartest dog at the Beach Theatre

Eric Veillette

We’ve written about several Allen theatres over the past three years, but often ignored is their majestic Beach Theatre, which opened on December 15, 1919, months after the premiere of their other east-end showplace, the Danforth. The Allen’s theatre chain extended nationwide, but in Toronto, they also owned the Allen, which later become the Tivoli, the College, St-Clair, Parkdale and the original Bloor Theatre, which now houses Lee’s Palace. Designed by Allen stalwart C. Howard Crane, the Beach’s exterior resembled that of the Danforth, with terra-cotta adorning the facade and the entrance at the middle of the building. Faced with growing debts, the … Continue reading The world’s smartest dog at the Beach Theatre

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Allen’s College Theatre

Eric Veillette

I had a great time covering Openfile Toronto‘s #citysigns project this week, including a look at Toronto’s remaining theatre marquees. The third and final story examines the curious history of the Matador Tavern’s neon sign dangling above 466 Dovercourt Rd. Mere steps from the tavern, which began its storied career as a dance hall during World War I and a bowling alley in the 1950s, was Detroit architect C. Howard Crane’s majestic College Theatre. At 1588 seats, it was the only Toronto house in the once-mighty Allen chain to feature a curved, street-corner entrance. Three years before the Allen chain … Continue reading Allen’s College Theatre

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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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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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Allen’s Danforth Theatre

Eric Veillette

Nearly a year after celebrating its 90th anniversary, the Danforth Music Hall has closed its doors last week. When the Festival chain of rep cinemas let it go in 2004, the venue re-opened as a live entertainment space, hosting memorable concerts like the Arcade Fire in 2005. Last year, with the intention of creating a new theatre district on the Danforth, its owners entered into an agreement with DanCap Productions. I’m not sure of the specifics, but its first big production, The Toxic Avenger, closed within a few months. At the anniversary, over 800 people gathered to see a silent film … Continue reading Allen’s Danforth Theatre

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Lee’s Palace Shows its True Colours

Eric Veillette

by Eric Veillette Yesterday, Torontoist reported that the colourful amoeba and monster-laden mural which has adorned the facade of Lee’s Palace for over twenty years was taken down, to be replaced with a new creation by original artist Runt. Annex residents may feel it looks temporarily naked without it, but it gives us a better view of the building, which once housed a movie theatre. Designed by architect C. Howard Crane in 1919, it opened as The Bloor Theatre, which was part of the Allen’s national chain of cinemas. This photo, taken in 1921, shows  the westward view of the … Continue reading Lee’s Palace Shows its True Colours

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The Danforth Music Hall Turns 90!

Eric Veillette

by Eric Veillette In today’s Saturday Star, I write about the Danforth Music Hall’s upcoming 90th anniversary. On Tuesday, August 18, Heritage Toronto and the Riverdale Historical Society will be celebrating this milestone by unveiling a plaque in its honour. By recreating the events from nearly a century ago, the evening will also feature a silent film, Dollars and Sense, with live accompaniment. The Music Hall, originally known as Allen’s Danforth, remains one of the best examples of this former theatre empire. Other Toronto Allen survivors are the Bloor and Parkdale. The former – a popular midtown cinema until the … Continue reading The Danforth Music Hall Turns 90!

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Talkies the Talk of Toronto!

Eric Veillette

by Eric Veillette Eighty years ago, on Dec. 28, 1928, the talkies came to Toronto. Despite the freezing weather that winter evening, over a thousand movie-goers ventured out to the Tivoli, located at the intersection of Richmond  and Victoria Sts. to see a midnight preview of The Terror, a haunted-house whodunit. This was more than a year after a New York City audience watched and listened as Al Jolson got down on one knee and sang “My Mammy” during The Jazz Singer premiere on Oct. 6, 1927 at the Warner Bros. Theatre.  Contrary to popular belief, that wildly successful “photo-dramatic … Continue reading Talkies the Talk of Toronto!