With all this talk about theaters.........I thought..................another trivia topic !!!
In its heyday, Verdun had quite a few theaters given the population at the time.
How many ?
What were their names ?
And where were they located ?
We'll give this one a week ?
64 comments:
Steve,
Fifth Ave Theatre-between 4th & 5th ave on
Wellington St.
Park Theatre - Church Ave
Savoy Theatre - Welllington St West of Church
Ave.
Thats all I can think of. Of course that was in the
late 40's and 50's.
Margo
There is one movie house I do remember it was called the Savoy and if I recall it was where the old consumer's distributing building used to be. Now I think there is a pharmacy there (corner Willibrord & Wellington).
Wasn't there a Bijou as well further down by Hickson on Wellington???
>From: "Steve Christophe"
>Reply-To: "Verdun Connections"
>To: "Verdun Connections"
>Subject: Verdun Movie House Trivia
>Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2003 01:30:51 -0700
>
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Damn, that was fast. Margo and Sharron must have hit them all. The 5th Ave Theater on Wellington was replaced by the CBCstudio, now also defunct. The Park Ave Theater on Church between Verdun and Bannantyne was replaced by the bowling alley. Is that still there I wonder ? Savoy was located corner Willibroad as Sharron stated. The last one was on Wellington, between Regina and Hickson........Sharron was close on this one; though I have it down as being named the Palace Theater.............I will check the name out again.
Hi Folks, Does anyone remember going to the First Presbitarian Church basement to watch movies on a Saturday afternoon? The church was on ,maybe 4th Ave., between Verdun and Wellington ( I think). They always showed serials which would be continued the following week. This was in the early sixties. I remember meeting Linda Duquette there one afternoon. Anyone recall? Thanks, Jim
Jim. I do remember that church. I was baptised there. They built a new church as an addition, and made a gym out of the old chapel. They used the basement of the old section to show movies Friday night and twice on Saturday. I was an usher there, so I could get in for free. We got the old seats from the Park theatre and put them on 2X4's. We had to get them out and set them up on Friday before the movie and then put them back in storage after the last movie on Saturday. It was a lot of work, but fun. Winston Allison
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There was another one called the Palace beside the Chicken Nest restaurant and Charette pharmacy, remember now ?
the 5th avenue theater is now a flower shop that sells artificial arrangements. the Savoy is now a PharmaPrix store and the theatre on church avenue burned down 2 or 3 years ago. karen
the church was actually on 5th avenue between Verdun and Wellington. WOW that takes me back a bit.
Hi Steve. My aunt used to be the curator of the 5th ave theatre. Because I was the nephew I would get to sit in the booth with my sisters and cousins. It cost 25cents for two feature movies, a half hour superman serial, and a pile of cartoons. Did you know that the theater was actually a prespreterian church? And the theater was used for variety shows and musicals also. My aunts name was Mrs. Howells. My cousins were Bruce and Stephen Howells. Did anyone know them? The fifth ave theatre was the place where I got to see just about every scary movie made. The War of the Worlds---King Kong---The creature from 20,000 pathoms---The Pit and the Pendulum (and just about every other Vincent Price movie)--All the Three Stooges movies--- Bob MacDonald from Bannantyne and sixth. Grad: VHS 1969 http://rjmont_real.tripod.com Check out the west coast discussion page linked from that site. All those Montrealers in B.C. who miss verdun.
Yes Steve it was call the Verdun Palace Theater,and it was for the french,and later on turn it into english at the end but didn't stay open to long and not only that it was the last one to close in Verdun. P.S The frist one to close was the Park then the 5thAve,Savoy and last the Palace, and as to the park Theater after it close they turn it into a pool room and after that a few other things was there . Not to long ago it is now condo's there. and Houls is still there to the Bowling alley and pool room also. And the very first show i went to was on 5th ave the old church( First Presbitarian) and going back i can still see them all and my first date i took her to the Savoy.
Hi there, New member here. I definitely remember the "First Pres" movies. I saw Lassie Come Home there and won a plastic sword set in the raffle. My older sister would take me there all the time. Other rainy Saturdays my cousins and I would head to the Savoy for an all day extravaganza. Cartoons, serial, newsreel (Pathe News of the World), coming attractions, two movies, and then standing up for the national anthem at the end. A full day. Glad I found this site, Debra
Hi Debra. Welcome aboard. We are glad you found this site also. Tell us a little about yourself. Like where you use to live and are now living. Just a little bio. Winston Allison
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Hi there willibrord, Welcome to Connections, would that older sister be Linda by chance. Dannyb-
There were 4 Savoy,Palace,Park and 5th Ave. Savoy corner Willibrord and Wellington Palace on Wellington near Hickson Park on Church Avenue between Verdun and Bannantyne 5th Avenue on corner 5th and Wellington
This message has been deleted by the author.
Hi, I lived on Willibrord across from the park, beside St. Willibrord's. We had a big Collie called Bingo that everyone knew. My older sister's name is Judy and my even older brother is Marty. We all went to Bannantyne and Verdun Protestant High. I still visit regularly as my mother still lives in the old homestead. Deb
I believe that Church was on fifth ave., the folk group from St. Clements sang there one year.
Hi Willibrord Ave.
What years did you live on Willibrord? I lived on Willibrord accross froom
the Church. 292 to be exact. We moved to Moffat Ave near the corner of
Champlain about 1955. I sure remember the horse drawn Milk & Bakery wagons
in fact my 1st experiences would be following them with a shovel & basket
collecting manure for our "Victory" garden during the War years. A little
later on I worked with the horse drawn milkman (J.J. Joubert) & the bakery
wagon ( Wonder Bread. Last name Sullivan, first Marty (Tony). How old would
your brother Marty be. Spent a lot of time around the Willibrord Parks both
the green belt accross from the High School & the sports park further up the
street.
Tony
Hi Tony, My brother Marty would be about 61 years old now. We lived on Willibrord near the city hall from the forties to now. Not all of us of course but me mother is still there. Deb
Park Theater on Church ave Palace Theater on Wellingtoin near Regina Savoy on Wellingto near Willibroard Fifth Avenue Theater on Wellington corner Fifth Avenue
Hi Willibroard I lived on the corner of Willibroard and Verdun in the funeral home. Welcome aboard. Lorna
Steve what was the name of the movie
place in the basement of that Church on
Fifth Ave. South of Verdun Ave.
on the East side.
Home Francis. The movies were at The First Presbyterian Church. They built an addition onto the old church, and used the old section for the movies in the basement, and used the old chapel as a gym. I use to usher there. Winston Allison
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winnie3ave UShers at the 1st Presb..... ??? Only remember the unhappy guys who used to turn off the movie and threaten us "bad" kids. Of course many of the kids showed up to only be disruptive instead of watching the Laurel & Hardy and / or Tarzan flicks. I seem to remember the theater moving to the new section auditorium underneath the newer Church with a very large screen...Had to be mid fifyies. Great fun. 25c to get in and nickel and dime candy.... I was baptized in that Church and oldest brother married in it.
dflood64. I also was baptized at the First Pres. But the movies were in the old basement in the 50"s. The church bought some of the old seats from the old theatre that they closed down on Church Avenue. We had to move the seat out of storage and into place on Friday night, and then put them away after the movie on Saturday night. Winston Allison
This message has been deleted due to termination of membership.
Hi Ed Brown....I first went to the 5th Ave Theatre one Saturday afternoon with my friend Maureen Toal because we were fed up with the racket at the First Pres.Church. We were both only 14 I think or younger and the lady in the ticket booth said "You girls look kind of young, oh well, 50 cents please..."
I never told my mother what movies we saw because she would have had a fit! Anyway, they were pretty tame by todays movies. We saw Butterfield 8, with Liz Taylor, and GiGi, with Leslie Caron and Maurice Chevalle [sp]. Can't remember if there was a third.....Dianne
Hi Dianne (HappyDi2) ! Do you remember the poster of the film Gigi ? JM
Hi Jmhachey: Yes I remember the poster, it is a beautiful piece of art. I saw the movie on late night TV and thought it was rather corny, but it was all glamour and sex and sin when I was a 14 year old....Boy...the times they are a-changing....Dianne
Oh my goodness. The Wizard of Oz. I think it was the first movie I saw when I was about 8 or 9. Definitely not in 1940. I wasn't born yet, but I remember being terrified and my Dad had to take me out to the Lobby. My brother 4 years younger loved it and saw the whole movie with my Mom. I was never allowed to forget that I was the "Fraidy cat" and it was not real just a movie. Of course that was the days before we had a TV. Who Knew!!!!
Question, Why does my message 32 of 32 have a delete in the top bar. Did I say something wrong?
Hi Ruth, It only shows a "delete" bar on your pc. You (or the managers) only can delete a message. Cheers, Linda
The first movie in a theatre that I can remember seeing is "Lady & The Tramp", and I believe it was in 1955 (or so). We waited in a line-up that went around the block. A few years later, my sister and I named our puppy - what else? - Lady, and she was a blonde cocker spaniel.
Linda 1945
The brother who didn;'t cry and had to be taken out of the movie like his
older sister was my brother Art a fellow VHS classmate of 62.
Cheers: remewber going there with my cousin George Holdaway to watch movies on a Sat afternoon this was back in the 1950's
A trivia topic re: the Movie Theaters in Verdun,.........now we all must have gone to at least one movie,..and it must spark some interesting old thoughts,.....like sitting behind the girls,...when we were too stupid to just go and admit we liked them..........hahahahahah Reply
Recommend Delete Message 1 of 37 in Discussion From: Steve Christophe (Original Message) Sent: 9/7/2003 1:30 AM With all this talk about theaters.........I thought..................another trivia topic !!! In its heyday, Verdun had quite a few theaters given the population at the time. How many ? What were their names ? And where were they located ? We'll give this one a week ? Check out the posts,.or add some more,........We want to Hear from All of you Have Fun & Remember Verdun
true les...but after we started admitting we liked them, we didn't stop acting stupid..LOL
In the late 40's I can remember four theatres. Savoy, Fifth Ave. Park on Church St. and the last one I can't remember, but it was down on Wellington St. past Woolworths. Anyone remember the name...Jackie from Galt
"the shrinking man"....at the first pres
Hey Mawsey1! The theater you can't remember was the PALACE, on Wellington St., Just East of Hickson Ave. They had quite a fire there, in 1939! Several folks died in the stampede to get out.! They made new Laws about anyone under 16 without an Adult. It was rebuilt and I saw my first Technicolored movie there in 1940, named "Wings" with James Cagney! !WW1 Air Force) My Uncle took us kids and it was a SPECIAL for Children with Adults! I was 6 years old! Those plush seats,Stage and Grand Curtain were something else! We shared a 'Rocky Road Chocolate Bar! I can still taste it! I've seen the movie a few times since! (On TV) Many hours logged at the Palace! Sez Victah
..The Entrance,........and then some ..How Cool is that........ and in the second picture,.....my second floor gallery is almost visible,.......just before they changed that area,.......right across from Mains Pastry wasn't it? Have Fun & Remember Verdun
Thanks for those pics Les. Sure does bring back a lot of memories and movies...Jackie from Galt
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I may have already asked this question. Without looking up on the internet. Who starred in the movie, I Was A Communist For The FBI? Winston Allispon
Les are those photos Jpegs. They wont open for me.
I took my girlfriend, Jean Atkinson (5th Ave) and her friend, to the
Savoy to see Elvis Presley in 'Love Me Tender'. They insisted on
sitting in the first row! Looking up! I was immediately shocked into
another dimension. These two 15 year olds, began screaming at the top
of their lungs when Elvis appeared on screen. This embarrassed 15 year
old left the theater with face on fire, and I might add, neither one of
these darlings could care less. Young love - ouch!
Second Avenue.
Love cures people--both the ones who give it and the ones who receive
it.
--Karl Menninger
As far as I can recall, I thought it might be, Dana Andrews or Frank
Lovejoy, anyone remember these two Actors?......
Norman
>From: "winnie3ave"
>Reply-To: "Verdun Connections"
>To: VerdunConnections@groups.msn.com
>Subject: Re: Verdun Movie House Trivia
>Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 13:23:53 -0800
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>I may have already asked this question. Without looking up on the internet.
>Who starred in the movie, I Was A Communist For The FBI? Winston Allispon
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Hi Second Ave, Had not thought of that old movie Love Me Tender in many a moon. I believe I saw it at the Fifth Ave theatre. What I do remember is that the person I was with made great fun of Elvis singing in his long nightshirt and nightcap on. Those were the good old days! Ruth
I remember two theatres in Verdun. One was the Savoy, the other one was the Fifth Avenue. That was back in the '50's.
Hello junebug,.....in the photo albums you can find pictures of the Savoy,....and just a few weeks ago ,we had many pictures posted of a lot of different montreal Theatres,..... ........I will try to find a picture of the Fifth Avenue,.....but for now here's the Savoy .......................Have Fun & Remember Verdun.........................
JUNEBUG, THE OTHER MOVIE HOUSE WAS ST. THOMAS MORE CHURCH BASEMENT. THAT WAS FUN. BAHAMAS
Hi Bahamas, I remember St. Thomas More Church basement. We would sit on the floor cross-legged and watch great old movies, and serials where you wouldn't want to miss the next Saturday morning to see what was going to happen. Great times.
Thanks for the picture of the Savoy theatre. How do you attach the picture to your rmessage. I tried pushing the button for the picture but all I get is a bleep. Can you help me? Than ks Junebug
junebug, you probably have a "pop-up blocker" turned on. You'll have to turn it off just while you attach the pic.
DOES ANYONE REMEMBER THE MOVIES THAT THEY USED TO SHOW AT THE FIRST PRESPYTARIAN CHURCH ON 5TH AVE NEAR VERDUN AVE. I SAW LASSIE COME HOME THERE WHEN I WAS ABOUT FIVE YEARS OLD. SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY. DEBRA
Hi Debra: I also went to the First Pres church on Saturday, I can't recall specific movies, but they were kids movies, such as Laurel and Hardy.... One Saturday my friend Maureen and I were tired of all the little kids and their noise so we got brave and decided to try the 5th Ave theatre, we were about 13 or 14 at the time,... real old, eh?....anyhow we marched up to the ticket booth and the lady said "You girls look a little young, that's 65cents please". We saw Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Gigi. Pretty risque in those days. It was years later I told my mom and she laughed, but I know she wouldn't have been too pleased at the time....Dianne
Hapy Di2. I use to usher at the First Pres Church on 5th Avenue. Winston Allison
Debbie. Tell us about yourself, and when you went to those movies. Winston Allison
I'm not sure if the spelling is correct, please see the following: The "Savoy" = On Wellington corner of Real? 5th Avenue = On Wellington corner of 5th Avenue Can't remember name = On Wellington near a Pastry Shop Perhaps someone can finish
5th ave wellington st savoy wellington st park church ave palace wellinton st
Wecome to Verdun Connections Ron. I hope you enjoy browsing the messages and pictures. Looking forward to your memories of Verdun and area. Some of us share (too much if you ask some people) and some of us just enjoy reading. But we all have one thing in common that brought us here to Verdun Connections; a tie to Verdun. I've been away since 1977 and Verdun still pulls on my heart.
HI THERE; I CAN REMEMBER THE 5TH AVE. THEATRE ON WELLINGTON , THE SAVOY ON WILLIBRORD & WELLINGTON, ALSO THERE WAS ONE FURTHER DOWN ON WELLINGTON & ALSO ONE ON THE STREET BEFORE CHURCH AVE. NEAR BANNANTYNE, IF MY MEMORY IS CORRECT IT WAS CALLED THE PARK THEATRE. AND THERE WAS AN USHER CALLED SANDY
Re the movies shown at First Presbyterian on Fifth Ave… yes, apparently movies in churches were a “thing” in the early 60s after there was a fire in a private theatre somewhere and the govt responded by banning kids below a certain age from theatres. Except churches could dodge the restriction… and hence they showed flicks like Lassie that attracted the young’uns. Funny thing is that the basements of churches in the unregulated 1960s weren’t any safer for the kids… (This from my recollection of my Dad, who was Minister of that church until 1962.)
The fire that brought that change for kids attending theatre's was from 1927
copy and paste this link it will show you the Gazette link to the story
https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/history-through-our-eyes/history-through-our-eyes-jan-9-1927-laurier-palace-theatre-fire
I doubt that law was still in place in the 60's, as all of us kids went to movies at all the theaters in Verdun everyweek. I suspect the 5th av theatre was used just as a venue.
Some of those church's still hold events in their basements and they are the same basements they used for near 100 years now,
Cheers ! Thanks for surfing by and adding to our history
LesF
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