Framingham Views

The Cinema at Shoppers World, with the Balcony Closed. Wasn’t it always that way? I don’t know how many times on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon we had to chase some kids from the balcony. And yet nearly every Saturday night back in the mid to late 1970s the balcony would be open to sell out crowds. From American Graffiti to Saturday Night Fever, Poltergeist, Animal House, and so many others, the Cinema I and II auditoriums which were to my immediate right in this view, would sell out every week.

Originally the big auditorium had 1432 seats. It was split in half in the early 1970’s. The large chandeliers were made from imported glass. The hanging lights over the concession stand were also imported and nearly impossible to replace, I was told.

Upstairs, to the end of the aisle, and through a door, was the popcorn room. The exhaust was high outside above the front, and you could smell the popcorn as you approached from the parking lot.

I took this picture around 1983.  I’m sure there are still lots of folks around who remember this scene, whether they worked there then, or went to the movies.

Memorial Day in Saxonville was an occasion for honoring our Veterans, and each year there was a parade that was attended by all the neighbors.

The Civil War had been over for 68 years when this photo was taken next to the Athenium Hall near the Fire Department at the start of the Memorial Day Parade in 1933.

Young Vincent Mistretta in knickers stands behind his Father who is directing some instructions, as the Parade Marshall,  to the right in this photo.

Young Vincent remembers bits and pieces from those days in the 1930’s and ’40s. Saxonville Square had a cast iron horse watering fountain. On the Roxbury Carpet factory side of the road remained trolly tracks half buried.  There was once a trolly that ran to downtown Framingham. In the 1930s, the bus cost a nickel.

Across Elm Street from the School which still stands, there was a Casino with a dance floor and a stage. The Casino held dances, minstrel shows, concerts and more.  There was a projection booth for showing film and 2 pool and 2 ping pong tables. There was also an area for exercise equipment. One side of the dance floor had double French doors that opened onto a deck which had benches. The building sat on a hill, which looked down on 2 ponds below, where the Pinefield Shopping Center now stands.

There were two islands in the Ponds, one which was shaped like an arrow which pointed toward the Framingham Airport.

(more Saxonville memories coming soon, and thanks to Vincent Mistretta Jr. for contributing these memories and the photo.)

The E.M. Loews Hollis Theatre closed in 1954. The building is still there, owned by a Church. Imagine if the theatre were still there today. Here’s how the block might look.

As quoted in the Metrowest Daily News, spokespersons for the Salvation Army in downtown Framingham say they don’t have the wherewithal to support dishwashing for their nightly meals, and thus are running about $1500 a month in paper products.  As a result, they are having trouble making ends meet for their budget.

Considering finances, at $1500 a month for paper plates and styrofoam cups, wouldn’t you think a commercial dishwasher setup would pay for itself within 4 months? I know it would.

Chet’s Diner on Route 20 was a popular late night spot for many years. It was built on site, around 1931, and looks like what is called a Worcester Diner.  I found these photos at an estate sale a few years ago. The photographer seems to have stopped at Chets after an evening out in Boston, around 1940.

Here are some interior views.

Many years ago, Nobscot Cleaners seemed to be everywhere in Framingham. The store I remember well, was the one on Route 30 in between the Cock a Doodle Doo and the aero-moderne gas station. You know the block of stores that never seem to be open, with the sign in the window that says “refurbrished laptops.”  Nobscot Cleaners had a huge neon sign in front, and if memory serves me right, usually huge neon signs on top of every building they owned.

Back in the day when Cinemas had ushers in uniform, Nobscot Cleaners was the place to go every Tuesday. The crew would leave their uniforms (sport coat, and tux pants) in the office, so that the Manager could drop them off at Nobscot to be cleaned in time for the next weekend.

I don’t know what happened to all the Nobscot Cleaners, but they’re all gone. I wish I had a photo, but the only thing I could find, was a lonely coat hanger with the paper label still attached. Here it is. 

Eddie Byrnes was called the Gateman, as he guarded the front gate where most of the workers entered on the corner of Howard Street. Here’s a photo of Eddie, from the 1943 salute.

Here’s the Howard Street entrance with lots of people waiting to get their picture taken. 

In 1943, the Dennison published a couple of glossy pictorials, meant to be sent to the boys at war. It was intended to give them some hope for what was waiting back home. A good job, and friends. Here’s the cover of one of these magazines. 

Of course what else would the GI’s like to see while in their foxholes overseas? How about petite Helane Dugan, new girl in the transcribing department?  She must have been wondering what kind of a company she hired onto.  Of course what better than a girl from Saxonville, and here’s Jane Suprena of the Sales Service Department with a photo on a wagon wheel, maybe taken at the Twin Maple Farms?

Did anyone notice the announcers frequent mention of “deceptive style” when Okajima was on the mound pitching during game 3 of the World Series? Was that a subliminal suggestion dating back to the old days? Whenever I saw the headline of the newspaper the day after Dice   pitched , I couldn’t believe my eyes: Did they have to mention that he was the “Japanese Ace”? And the headline, with the subtle suggestion of a Charlie Chan cliche, could have actually looked like this, and might have if this were 1947 instead of 2007:

Newspaper pandering, or just a little bit of old time stereotype? You be the judge.

Kudos to Framingham for the efforts. This town has so much going for it, check out the link.

http://www.framinghamma.org/planning_dept/FDR_main.htm

And this one http://amazingthings.org/