Monday, November 15, 2010

Strand Theatre/ My World

Above the Strand Theatre, Beaverton, Ontario (in sepia)

Opened in 1940,  the Strand is the oldest surviving movie theatre in Canada.  In the theatre's lobby is a 1897 Edison Projecting Kinetoscope thought to have shown the first motion pictures in Canada. In those early days, movies were cranked by hand and shown in halls or in private homes.

Today the Strand shows oldies as well as modern films.



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30 comments:

B SQUARED said...

How the times have changed.

Darla said...

I'd love to see a movie there.

Darla

Cezar and Léia said...

How cool, I love cinema and this "vintage" stuff is so interesting!
I would love to see some old films there!
Léia

Anonymous said...

That's a fascinating piece of memorabilia. We had a "Strand" where I grew up, too, but it burned down a few years ago. :-(

Halcyon said...

Where is the Strand? I'd love to visit sometime!

Kathy said...

Does it still have velvet curtains?

Sylvia K said...

What a great theatre and times have indeed changed! A great piece of memorabilia indeed! Terrific post and a fun look at your world today! Have a great week!

Sylvia

Judy said...

It is a nice old antique. I wonder how long it will last out in the weather. It's fun to see these things from the old days.

Leora said...

My kind of movie theater!

Lisa said...

Stunning and so beautiful

George said...

I think it's wonderful that this old theatre has been preserved. I agree that it would be neat to see an old movie in that place. Thanks for sharing it with us.

cieldequimper said...

Please let it still stay as it is until I can go watch a film there! :-)

Penelope Notes said...

Enjoyed seeing this interesting look into the past. In some ways we have come a long way. Cranking by hand does seem like a difficult way to show movies.:)

Anonymous said...

that should be part of the must see in your neck of the woods.

i love the photo, did you tweak it a bit?

Patti said...

very cool photo, EG.

Ralph's grandfather was a movie projectionist in the good old days

Michelle said...

I would love to go there.

Lesley said...

and how wonderful that Beaverton has managed to keep the theatre open!

Kay L. Davies said...

This is wonderful. I hope they don't decide to close the theatre. It's a treasure.
-- K

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

Arija said...

I wonder if anyone can remember a time before movie theatres and I wonder what people at the time thought about the changes they brought in the way society functioned? Home entertainment became less important, instead of walking out with a girl you huddled in a dark theatre . . . the beginnings of our modern isolated selves, glued to a computer or DVD or mobile phone, nowhere for young people to meet and eye each other off so now we have datig agencies . . . how the world has changed.

kayerj said...

we have an old theater here called the strand too. Maybe on Wednesday I'll post it for Sepia scenes.

Randy said...

Wonderful photo!

Paulie said...

How very interesting! Must be a fun place to go also.

I left a comment below also.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful shot that captures the feeling of days past...

http://graceolsson.com/blog said...

interesting shot..Chaplin is a very nice figure..congrats
Grace Olsson

Gill - That British Woman said...

that is a neat photo,

Gill

Joe Todd said...

Thanks for your post. Gray day in Ohio maybe I'll take in a movie LOL

BraCom said...

sorry for the late reaction, but I had to do my job the whole day

Interesting My World Tuesday posting

Have a nice week,
Greetings, Bram

Link to My Word Tuesday post!

Seen on My World Tuesday

Small City Scenes said...

Excellent sign on the theatre. There are a few old timers left in Seattle. All ornate and beautiful on the inside. Velvet seats and ornate fixtures. Beautiful. MB

Gerald (SK14) said...

Great to hear the theatre survives

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

I used to work for a company that owned more than 50 cinemas, and I watched enough free movies to last a time time.

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East Gwillimbury is a rural town less than an hour north of Toronto, Canada's largest city. My family calls me CameraGirl because I take my camera with me wherever I go.