Tag: old toronto movie theatres

Toronto Cinemas2 Comments

Tura Satana twirls at the Victory Burlesque, 1963

Eric Veillette

Tura Satana, star of Russ Meyer’s Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! died on February 4 of apparent heart failure. Before she became the tough-girl phenom of cult film, however, she was a big star on the Burlesque circuit, often swinging her tassels on Toronto stages. One such occasion was on April 19, 1963, when she peeled off at the Victory Burlesque located on the north-east corner of Spadina and Dundas. On April 18, the day the above ad was published, the Toronto Star reported the “statuesque Eurasian” was set to retire in two weeks. The Star added: “Tura Sharon Satana earns … Continue reading Tura Satana twirls at the Victory Burlesque, 1963

Toronto Cinemas1 Comment

Buster Keaton 1895-1966

Eric Veillette

Buster Keaton died forty-five years ago today, and Silent Toronto would like to offer posthumous thanks for all the laughter that has filled (and continues to fill) Toronto cinemas. Seven Chances premiered at the former Shea’s Hippodrome in October, 1925. Last year I was fortunate to attend a screening at Casa Loma where the film was accompanied by Clark Wilson at the helm of the mighty, rumbling Wurlitzer organ. As I wrote in the Toronto Star in March, 2010, this organ was no stranger to Keaton’s farce — it was in use at Shea’s Hippodrome when the film premiered. It … Continue reading Buster Keaton 1895-1966

Toronto Cinemas1 Comment

The Pickford Theatre

Eric Veillette

By 1915, Toronto’s own Mary Pickford was arguably the biggest movie star in the world. Long before her name graced Canada’s Walk of Fame or her famous curls adorned a Canada Post stamp, her hometown paid testament to her success when a theatre at the north-west corner of Queen and Spadina was renamed the Mary Pickford Theatre. The theatre, later shortened to Pickford, had been known as the Variety for a few years and was originally named the Auditorium when it opened as part of showman John Griffin’s first group of theatoriums in 1906. During World War 1, it was … Continue reading The Pickford Theatre

Toronto Cinemas1 Comment

Ladies line up near the Uptown Theatre

Eric Veillette

Here’s a shot from April, 1946, showing a long lineup of ladies as the Uptown Theatre‘s marquee advertises Turhan Bey and Merle Oberon in Universal’s Technicolor spectacle Night in Paradise. The Star‘s Jack Karr called Arthur Lubin’s film “a big, wondrous joke.” The film opened on Wednesday, April 17, 1946. Check out the opening night ad! But what are the ladies lining up for? [1] Christina Stewart, media archivist at the CNE Archives, supposes they are waiting for a new shipment of nylons at the hosiery shop next to the Uptown — a likely occurrence in the post-ration days after the end … Continue reading Ladies line up near the Uptown Theatre

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The Walking Dead at the Allenby Cinema

Eric Veillette

With Halloween but a day away, here’s a photo of the Allenby Theatre’s lobby in 1936, showing Boris Karloff in The Walking Dead, with Gorilla Man, Snooper Service and Night Watchman as b-pictures. The gimmick on the poster (“Blow on this spot — If it turns GREEN, you are too weak to…”) is typical of that era, and was probably tongue-in-cheekly enforced by a tuxedo-wearing cinema manager. By the time The Walking Dead reached the east-end cinema in July of 1936, it had already played several Toronto theatres, including the Aster, the Kenwood and the Madison (now the Bloor), where … Continue reading The Walking Dead at the Allenby Cinema