• Source: RKO Boston Theatre

The RKO Boston Theatre was a movie theatre in Boston, Massachusetts, located at 616 Washington Street, near Essex Street in the Boston Theater District. It opened as the Keith-Albee Boston Theatre on October 5, 1925.




History


The building had originally housed the Henry Siegel Co. department store. The theater section was designed by Thomas W. Lamb as part the Keith-Albee-Orpheum chain of vaudeville theatres. Keith-Albee-Orpheum became part of RKO Pictures in 1928, leading to the theater's renaming.
During this time it featured film, big band concerts, and variety theatre performances. Musicians Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller and others frequently played the theater. A typical show would be preceded by a Class B movie, newsreel and coming attractions. Later, it was used for major event pictures using the latest technologies, such as Cinerama. By the 1970s the theatre was multiplexed, and was called "The Essex", an exploitation movie house.




References






Further reading


Andrea Shea and David Boeri. "Reclaiming The Glory Of Washington Street’s Past." WBUR, December 21, 2010 (interview with Fred Taylor, who frequented the RKO Theatre in the 1940s)




External links



Flickr. Milton Berle, Jolly Gillette (Eileen Barton), Al Frazzini, Nat Madison, RKO-Boston Theatre, September 23, 1937.
Library of Congress. Drawing of Keith Albee New Bijou Theatre, Washington and Essex Streets, Boston, Massachusetts, 1927 (later the RKO-Boston)
Flickr. RKO Keith-Boston Theatre, Boston, MA - 1933
Flickr. RKO Keith-Boston Theatre, Boston, MA - 1935
Flickr. RKO Keith Boston, 614 Washington Street, Boston, MA, 1944
Flickr. Cinerama matchbook, ca.1950s (formerly the RKO-Boston)
Bostonian Society:
Postcard of Washington Street, ca. 1930-1945, showing sign "RKO Keith Boston"
Photo of 580-594 Washington Street, ca. 1958 (Cinerama at right; formerly the RKO-Boston)

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.
• Daftar film terlaris
• Katharine Hepburn
• Warner Bros.
• Vaudeville
• Warner Bros. Pictures Animation
• Time
• WarnerMedia
• RKO Boston Theatre
• Boston Opera House
• RKO Keith's Theater
• Mercury Theatre
• Jack Haley
• Washington Street (Boston)
• List of RKO Pictures films
• RKO Keith's Theater (Flushing, Queens)
• Bijou Theatre (Boston)
• The Shubert Organization