Metro Cinema 1980

by Jonathan Morrill

Original - Sold

Price

$350

Dimensions

20.000 x 16.000 x 0.500 inches

Title

Metro Cinema 1980

Artist

Jonathan Morrill

Medium

Painting - Acrylic On Canvas

Description

"Metro Cinema 1980"
16"x 20" acrylic on canvas

Theater operator George I. Shafir had big plans for
258 Commercial Street. In 1954,
he renovated the main worship space of what had been the White Oak Meeting House.
Services were conducted here for more than a century until the dwindling congregation sold off the building in 1947.

George I. Shafir renovated this into what
The Provincetown Advocate called a “modern, comfortable and well-equipped motion picture theater”
and opened it as the Art Cinema — with deliberately discriminating bills featuring “fine, imported motion pictures and selected short subjects of cultural and art interest.”

One of the first was “The Little World of Don Camillo”, starring the French comedian Fernandel. When the Art Cinema reopened for the 1955 season,
The Advocate said its policy of catering “to the more discriminating class of moviegoers” had “
proved that most people prefer the best in movies,
whether foreign or domestic".
By the mid-1960’s, George Shafir was sharing the duties of running the Art Cinema with his son, Bill Shafir.

Very early in his career, John Waters convinced Bill Shafir to show ‘Mondo Trasho’ on the midnight program at the
Art Cinema.
“I four-walled the theater", Waters recalled in Shock Value, “agreeing to pay a set amount for each seat, whether they were filled or not. I did all the publicity and advertising and the cast hit the streets to give out flyers.
All three shows were sold out". Subsequently,
“Pink Flamingos” and “Desperate Living” had their Provincetown premiers at the Art Cinema.

In the late-1970’s, the theater was known as the
Metro Cinema and was run by Monte Rome,
who also operated The Movies across the street,
at 237 Commercial Street,
in the Provincetown Theatre building.

When Provincetown had its obligatory midnight screenings of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, they took place at the Metro Cinema.

Uploaded

February 15th, 2019

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