A "Gem" of a Theater & Other Movie Venues
Left: Photo of the Bourdon House and its barn.
Right: Photo of the Bourdon House and the barn after it has been adapted into The Gem theater. Note the “Gem” sign over the entrance to the theater.
By Jennie Shurtleff
The Gem was a theater in Woodstock in the early 1900s, and it was appropriately named for it was a local “gem” to the people who found their way to its door week after week.
The Gem was located on South Street, on the playground area of the current Woodstock Elementary School. A century ago, a small sign was attached to the front corner of the former elementary school that stood on the site. This sign pointed people to The Gem’s door.
Above: Woodstock Elementary School built in 1913. © Woodstock History Center
Below: “The Gem” sign on the school building.
Much of what we know about this theater was preserved by Kathy Wendling, a well-known local historian who wrote about the theater in 1986. At the time, there were still local residents who remembered the theater and shared their recollections of it with her.
Kathy noted that Christie Farrelly, David Farrelly’s mother, was the pianist. She would play appropriate music to accompany the silent movies. Some of the pianists clearly had latitude with their choices for music. According to Ellie Barnard, a long-time Woodstock resident, before Christie Farrelly, Jennie Cleveland was the pianist who accompanied the movies. Ellie relates: “I remember one scene of a wedding and her accompanying rendition was There will be a hot time in the Old Town Tonight.”
Another anecdote shared by Ellie Barnard was about Jerry Bourdon, who owned and operated The Gem. Ellie notes: “Dartmouth boys used to come over on Saturday nights and often were rather noisy. One time in particular there was much yelling, clapping, etc.; when suddenly the lights went on, the movie stopped and Jerry went down front. He said: ‘I don’t know what you think this is, but it ain’t what you think it is!’” Apparently those in the audience heeded his words and kept their jubilant behavior under wraps for the rest of the evening.
Another long-time local resident was Ruth Whitney, who lived on Hartland Hill. Ruth recalled movies being offered at The Gem three days a week, including Fridays and a Saturday matinee. The theater’s seating consisted of unpretentious folding chairs. The movies were often serials, and guests would show up week after week for the next installment of the movie.
Ultimately, The Gem was torn down to enlarge the school grounds. At which point, people began attending movies at the Town Hall Theater.
The showing of movies at the Town Hall became a polemical topic in Woodstock in the early 1940s. According to an article in the December 24, 1942, Vermont Standard, Peter Latchis had run the movie theater in the Town Hall for 5 ½ years. In October of 1942, Mr. Latchis indicated he would like to renew the lease. Apparently, in the meantime, the selectmen of Woodstock had been considering an alternate proposal submitted by well-known businessman and local philanthropist Owen Moon to take over showing movies at the Town Hall Theater. When the selectmen did finally respond to Mr. Latchis, it was to inform him that they had signed a 5-year lease with Mr. Moon, and that he (Latchis) had 60 days notice to vacate.
Town Hall with advertisement out front for an upcoming movie. © Woodstock History Center
Perhaps his lease being terminated should not have come as a complete surprise. Some six months earlier, on June 25, 1942, the Vermont Standard reported that “In an effort to obtain better movies for Woodstock, three local organizations – the DAR, American Legion, and Rotary Club – sponsored a petition recently sent to Peter D. Latchis of Brattleboro, owner of the Woodstock Theatre. Approximately 100 local citizens signed the petition.”
By December, a new group was being formed in Woodstock, called the Woodstock Associates, Inc. This organization, in which Owen Moon was a member, was formed for the “betterment of the town.” Their mission included promoting “education, charity, welfare, recreation, social and other purposes, for the improvement of Woodstock.” At the time the article was written, in December of 1942, the group stated that they did not want to have “anything to do with moving pictures at the present time;” however, simultaneously, arrangements appear to have been being made to allow Mr. Moon to assign the lease of the movie theater to any person without the consent of the Woodstock Selectboard. A short while later, in early January of 1943, the interests of the Woodstock Associates appear to have changed. The Rutland Daily Herald reports on January 5, 1943, that “the Woodstock Associates, Inc., an organization… will assume the responsibility of providing ‘better pictures’ in Woodstock.”
Methodist Church which was situated on the south side of the Green near the “Old Jail” building. © Woodstock History Center
While Woodstock’s selectman refused to renew Mr. Latchis’ lease, this was not the only bone of contention between the Woodstock Selectboard and Latchis. The Woodstock selectmen also granted Owen Moon, the theater’s new proprietor, exclusive rights to operate a movie theater in Woodstock by amending Chapter III of its Village by-laws and adding Section 6, which indicated “The erection or use of any motion picture house on Elm street, Pleasant street, Central street, the Green, North Park street, South Park street and Church street in said village of Woodstock, except such as were actually in operation on November 15, 1942, except by permits issued by the board of adjustment, is hereby prohibited.” This by-law amendment was later declared invalid as it was not passed by a two-thirds majority. The Brattleboro Reformer, in January of 1943, noted that “Even if the vote had been legal the end it achieved would not, as many a town has learned, much to its sorrow and expense to the taxpayers. The courts do not tolerate discriminatory laws.” That same article in the Reformer went on to add that “The Woodstock affair is just an old-fashioned town squabble, very amusing for the onlookers but devoid of any value. If some folks don’t like Latchis, or his theater or the movies shown therein, they may go elsewhere or even establish a theater of their own but they will find it impossible to legislate that one business shall be allowed in a certain area while another is not.” The views expressed in this article are consistent with those in an earlier article by the Brattleboro Reformer, published in 1942, in which the editors called Woodstock out on its “spot zoning,” which appears to have been designed to eliminate Mr. Latchis’ business interests in Woodstock.
In May of 1943, the Vermont Standard provides the next scene in the on-going saga. By then, the former Methodist church, which was owned by Mr. Latchis, was being remodeled into a theater. The former church had been built in 1835, but later sold after being self-denied in 1936. The interior of the former church, turned theater, is described as having the seats on the street level, with a sloping floor and balcony. In total, there were about 450 seats. Latchis indicated that the building was, at that time, only being used as a temporary structure and that ultimately he planned to tear it down to build a modern theater on the site.
The brick cape, now known as the Field Gardener House, being moved in 1961 down Elm Street to its new site on the south side of the Green, where the movie theater had been located. © Woodstock History Center
Latchis’ plans for the site never fully materialized, and Latchis ultimately closed the theater. After the Methodist Church building, turned theater, fell into disuse, it was eventually purchased by Frank Gardner, who had it torn down. A small 1826 1 ½-story brick cape, that had formerly been situated on what is now the parking lot of Mac’s Market, was moved to the site of the old church. The above photograph captures the historic re-location of this house as it was brought down Elm Street before being situated on the Green.
Thus ends the saga of the controversy between competing movie theaters in the Village of Woodstock.