A Letter From Hollywood
Russell W. Barrett,
Growing up in Willimantic, I spent a great deal of time at the Capitol
where I saw about 5,000 movies if my calculations are correct. It was
literally my home away from our family home on Lewiston Avenue. The
Capitol influenced my life more than I had ever imagined. I realized at
a young age that I too had the entertainment industry "bug" and, after
leaving Willimantic in the 1960s - - went on to work as a publicist and
producer for 20th Century Fox, Paramount Studios and NBC in New York,
London, and Hollywood. If not for the Capitol, who knows, I may have
become a mule skinner!
Early Memories: Staff, WWII Parade And Ten Cent Coca Colas:
As a kid in 1945 I can recall the joyous World War II Main Street
victory parade that I watched while sitting atop my mother Marjorie's
shoulders as the Capitol staff all assembled in front of the theater.
Mom wrapped my new brother Jim in her arms...there were cashiers Helen
Hallahan and Milly Potter, and stage manager Henry Morrisette, who
cheered as the procession of Willimantic's Home Guard, Air Raid Wardens
(including my dad), police and fire vehicles as well as WWI vets moved
down Main Street as a local marching band beat out "The Washington Post
March."
The Capitol had two candy machines in the lobby with boxes of Old Crows,
Milk Duds and Oh Henry's for 5 cents....there was also a 10 cents-a-cup
automatic soda machine that sometimes didn't work and people would kick
it hard. I liked the Coke. In the 1940s, men like Otis Fairbanks and
Jerry Lussier served as the theater's projectionists for many, many
years. Lionel Chauvin worked as the Capitol's Maintenance Director,
keeping the grand theater spotless and ship shape.
Later, in the 1950s, usher Marion "Pencil Louie" Miecyznski and doorman
Jim Kilmartin, always dressed in their taupe jackets with brass buttons
-- were Capitol fixtures; candy stand girl Shirley Nadile popped the
best popcorn east of the Pecos!
There were so many, many movies....on October 20 , 1946, "The Courage of
Lassie" broke the previous house record in its three day run with
receipts of $1,726. Tickets were 25 cents for kids. I also remember "The
Yearling" playing for two weeks.
Later, in the 1950s, usher Marion "Pencil Louie" Miecyznski and doorman
Jim Kilmartin, always dressed in their taupe jackets with brass buttons
-- were Capitol fixtures; candy stand girl Shirley Nadile popped the
best popcorn east of the Pecos!
There were so many, many movies....on October 20 , 1946, "The Courage of
Lassie" broke the previous house record in its three day run with
receipts of $1,726. Tickets were 25 cents for kids. I also remember "The
Yearling" playing for two weeks.
On December 9, 1953, "The
Robe
" with Richard Burton opened at The Capitol. It was the very first film
in Cinema scope with a top adult ticket of $1.25. Patron lines curled
down Main Street past Jim Sullivan's Coffee Spot and Hyde's to the YMCA,
just nearly touching the Gem Theater's box office -- the watermark my
dad knew would fill up the Capitol's 1200-plus seats. The St. Mary's
Drum & Bugle Corps marched with Mr. Barrett down Main Street to trumpet
the opening of "The Robe" at the Capitol that year. The biblical epic
played the theater through December 19th. More than $6000 in ticket
sales were recorded, not to mention all the popcorn, ice cream and candy
sold.
Other great movies played the Capitol too like "Shane," "From Here to
Eternity" with Burt Lancaster as well as Film Noir classics "DOA" with
Edmund O'Brien and "The Asphalt Jungle" with Sterling Hayden. "The
Thing" in 1951 scared people out of the theater. Willimantic was
introduced to 3 D with "The House of Wax" in 1953 too.
When a naughty Italian film called "Bitter Rice" with buxom Italian
actress Silvana Mangano played the Capitol in the 1950s, the Catholic
League Of Decency picketed the theater. Nevertheless, it sold out for
every showing. Several local priests joined the picketers. Some of the
city's most prominent citizens asked my dad to let them into the Capitol
through one of the theater's side doors so they could see "Bitter Rice."
The religious movie "Our
Lady of Fatima":
with Jennifer Jones was a hit too.
On Saturday mornings during the holidays, the American Thread Company,
The American Screw Company and The Electro Motive would each hold
Christmas parties at the theater for their employees' children, who
would be treated to Bugs Bunny cartoons, a Three Stooges featurette and
perhaps the classic "Scrooge" with Alastair Sim. Each child would
receive a special Christmas gift of candy, or maybe a baseball or a toy
truck. Abbott & Costello movies were also a big hit at Christmas. A
back-to-school "Pencil Box Show" also proved a yearly success at the
theater where kids would get free school supplies for buying a 25 cent
admission ticket.
The Stars Came To Willimantic:
In the early 1950s, during the Senator McCarthy blacklisting era, the
studios sent stars on trains across America to let the nation know that
not all of Hollywood was infested with Communists. Hand-picked "Good
American" stars like Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Esther Williams, James
Whitmore ("Battleground"), Rhonda Fleming and others came to
Willimantic's Union Station. My dad held a reception for the Hollywood
stars in the Capitol's lobby, which was attended by then Mayor Florimond
Bergeron and other local dignitaries. I remember the chocolate cake they
served and all that ice cream from Hallocks in Willimantic. I have Mr.
Gable's autograph somewhere.
Since the Capitol was designed as a vaudeville theater, several live
stage productions were produced at the Capitol in the 1940s and 50s.
Each year residents of the Mansfield State Training School produced
their own minstrel show.
In costume and make-up as plantation slaves -- they would sing and
perform songs like "Camp Town Races", "Mammy" and "Old Man River." This
was always a sell-out event. Today, this kind of show would not fly
anywhere in the country.
Willimantic's own dance studio -- operated by Miss Evelyn McFarlane
above the YMCA -- would hold its annual public recital at the Capitol.
Kids who aspired to be the next Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers would
treat the folks in the packed house to some soft shoe....some
songs...some terrific entertainment. One particularly talented youngster
I remember was Jimmy Knapp, who unfortunately died at a very young age.
I too was a McFarlane student, but never actually made it to the Capitol
recital. Ms. McFarlane rented the Capitol for $450 for her June 9, 1953
annual recital.
An annual touring Halloween stage show -- featuring a one-eyed magician
and his two accompanying pin-up girls in bikini's, would grace the
Capitol stage for some spooky antics. There was a Frankenstein monster
and a Dracula too. This annual show played the Capitol each year until
the early 50s. The lights would go out and everyone got thoroughly
spooked. Capitol staff members would get into the act performing as
hooded, phosphorescent ghosts. One year some prankster poured black ink
over the balcony onto the unsuspecting heads of patrons below. The
Capitol got a huge cleaning bill and show never returned. The pranksters
were never caught.
The Capitol's patronage started its slow decline in the 1950s when TV
became more available. The opening in the late 50s of the Mansfield
Drive-In Theater didn't help either. Also, U-Conn got its own College
Theater, which later was to close as well.
My dad left the Capitol in the 60s and retired. After graduating from
Windham High School (Class of '58), I got a job as the local reporter
for The Hartford Times covering Windham/Willimantic news. I also
enrolled at Willimantic State College and U-Conn to study liberal arts.
I left Willimantic in 1966 to take a job with 20th Century Fox Films in
New York to work as a trainee publicist on the hit movie "Dr. Dolittle"
with Rex Harrison. The last movie I recall seeing at the Capitol was
"The Pit and The Pendulum" with Vincent Price.
Little did I expect to go on to work for such a long, long time in the
entertainment industry, capped with my eight years with "The King of the
Night" -- Mr. Johnny Carson and "The Tonight Show" while at NBC in
Hollywood. Other notable stars and productions I have been associated
with/worked on include: the horror film "Rosemary's Baby" (shot in the
famous Dakota building in Manhattan), Anthony Perkins, Patty Duke,
Robert Stack ("Unsolved Mysteries") Connecticut's own Meg Ryan ("City of
Angels"),Charlton Heston and Pierce Brosnan's James Bond films.
Windham should be proud of the Capitol for there is no such facility to
match it's legacy and beauty in all of eastern Connecticut. I want to
see Willimantic kids -- and adults too -- enjoying the Capitol again as
I did.
Thank you. "A marquee light still sparkles......" (anonymous, 1934)
Charles "Skipper" Barrett
WILLIMANTIC
GEEK MAKES IT TO HOLLYWOOD:
This photo was taken in 1987 at the Beverly Hills Hotel in California
when Mr Johnny Carson was celebrating his 25th anniversary show TV
special at NBC and I served as his press agent at the time. The pretty
lady with Mr. Carson and I is my lovely wife, Barbara Wall Barrett. |