Beach Memories: Remembering The Coliseum Theatorium on Queen Street East and other local movie houses

By GENE DOMAGALA

This article is for the “really old time Beachers” or for the motion picture aficionados.

Many years ago I was researching the different motion picture theatres in the Beach area and came up with some interesting facts- one of them  was the “Fox Theatre” originally the “Prince Edward” was not the first motion picture theatre in the Beach area dear readers even though many will doubt me.

By the way I am never 100 per cent sure on all my research subjects and I have been proven wrong on some occasions. But on this subject, I will say about The Coliseum Theatorium  that it is one of the first if not the first of the motion picture “houses” in the Beach on Queen Street East.

This particular theatre was built around 1909, about 115 years ago, and is still intact as a small building – although it is now undergoing a massive renovation as it is being converted into an athletic club.

The Coliseum, or the Latin name “Colosseum” which means large stadium or amphitheatre, is located at 2215 Queen St. E. It’s on the south side a short distance from Leuty Avenue.

The building has retained its original shape for many years. At one time its attendance was about 250 people and it was a motion picture house for about 10 years.

When it opened was the beginnings of the silent movies; a new innovation for those who wanted to be entertained much like all the modern communication devices we have now.

In those old days the Coliseum was patronized by Beachers of all ages. The prices were reasonable and they could see their favourite movie stars  or motion pictures on Saturdays or during the weekdays –  but never on Sundays as it was forbidden by law.

These old time movie houses were called different names some of them like The Coliseum were called a Theatorium and there were other names as well such as Pictoriums.

Whatever the names were they were in one way the major form of entertainment for many of the people of the Beach.

There was even of course other forms of relaxing like baseball, hockey, tennis, musical bands, plays put on by religious organizations and we for sure had amusement parks such as the Munro Park, Victoria Park Scarborough Beach Park- but these were only seasonal.

The motion picture houses or theatoriums became the mainstream of entertainment for the next 115 years. Then the “talkies’ came along and that changed how people watched (and heard) movies.

However, all of these theatres started with this one original in 1909 The Coliseum.

So if you remember any of the movies or any of the motion picture stars, then Dear Beachers of Long Ago Places, please let me know about your memories of The Coliseum. It was also for years a hardware store, then a dance studio and now to be an athletic club. Let me know.

Yours in history and film — “Cecil B.” Domagala.