Tag: nat taylor

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Canadian horror cinema turns 50

Eric Veillette

If a modern-day horror film were shot in the Royal Ontario Museum, a director might be inclined to set some action in the museum’s bat cave. But the revered exhibit didn’t exist 50 years ago when Julian Roffman directed The Mask, a psychological 3-D horror film which made use of the museum’s iconic totem pole. Premiering at Toronto’s Downtown Theatre on November 10, 1961, it ushered Canadian cinema into the horror genre established by Hollywood in the 1920s. Screened at TIFF Bell Lightbox this week, the film, a drug-use allegory in which an archaeologist blames an ancient mask for terrible … Continue reading Canadian horror cinema turns 50

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The Glendale Cinema

Eric Veillette

Last week, the Toronto Star’s Peter Howell wrote about Toronto’s forgotten theatres, including the University, the Willow and the Glendale. Of the three, only the facade of the University remains — the rest of it is a Pottery Barn store. The Glendale, a post-war theatre built by Nat Taylor’s 20th Century Theatres, opened with a flourish on December 1, 1947. It was a busy period in theatre-building — which had been prohibited throughout most of the war — so 20th Century, Famous Players, Odeon and all the independent exhibitors were busy building the biggest and sleekest moderne hard-tops in town. … Continue reading The Glendale Cinema

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East-end showplaces: The Ace Theatre

Eric Veillette

Al Jolson was no stranger to Toronto. From 1913 until a few years before his death in 1950, the King of Broadway called Toronto his second home, cavorting up and down his custom-made runway at the Royal Alexandra Theatre several times. While appearing in movies and on radio throughout the ’30s and ’40s, his stage appearances dwindled, but his fans could always see him on the big screen. The above photo of the Ace Theatre, at Danforth and Gough, was taken during the week of August 4, 1947. At the time, Jolson was enjoying a hearty comeback due to The … Continue reading East-end showplaces: The Ace Theatre

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The Westwood Theatre

Eric Veillette

The Westwood Theatre opened on February 28, 1952, with Ontario Premier Leslie Frost in attendance for ribbon-cutting ceremonies. Located at Bloor and Islington, the 1000-seat movie house was one of several new Toronto theatres built to serve the urban sprawl of the post-war years. It was a rather toned-down affair when compared to the opulence found in other new downtown theatres like the University and the Odeon Carlton. Still, the 20th Century theatre, originally built as a single-screen house (later tripled) is an example of the later work of architects Kaplan & Sprachman, who designed the Eglinton and the Circle; … Continue reading The Westwood Theatre

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The Uptown Theatre

Eric Veillette

To cinephiles, the theatres we patronize are often just as important as the films they show. It might only be a building, but once an audience is at attention and the image is flickering, the place takes on an organic quality. Whether it’s a run-down rep house, a bicycle repair shop moonlighting as a cinema or the second floor of a restored hotel, these darkened spaces allow us to forget the outside world, and as Neil Gaiman once put it, let “others think of things of import and consequence.” A few days ago, I asked  our Twitter followers to share … Continue reading The Uptown Theatre

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The Eaton Centre Cineplex

Eric Veillette

This week, we take a break from our usual musings over Art Deco and Atmospheric palaces and instead concentrate on a more recent phenomena — the multiplex cinema! by Jesse Hawken They knocked down the above-ground parking lot at the Eaton Centre a few years ago and with it, the late, not particularly lamented Cineplex theatre that was situated at the base of the parkade. The Eaton Centre Cineplex was the first mega-multiplex theatre in the world. There were 18 screens when it opened in 1979, expanding to 21 a few years later. When the place first opened it was … Continue reading The Eaton Centre Cineplex