Lakewood Theater - Skowhegan, Maine

On Thursday’s “Another Old Movie Blog” post we’ll have a look at “Life with Father” (1947), a film from the stage play of the same name. That play was, at the time, the longest running show on Broadway. It had its premiere at the Lakewood Theater in Skowhegan, Maine.

Since 1967 the officially declared “Maine’s State Theater”, is one of the oldest summer theaters in the country, first offering summer stock in 1901. The tourists and resident summer colony of Lake Wesserunsett would be forever changed, particularly in Lakewood’s golden years from 1925 through 1941.

Some actors and actresses who’ve trod the boards there include Mary Astor, Betty White, Milton Berle, Carol Channing, Lana Turner, Gloria Swanson, Mickey Rooney, Myrna Loy, Patty Duke, Van Johnson, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Lillian Gish, Rita Moreno, and Humphrey Bogart.

A New York Times review from July 1935, the premiere of “Remember the Day” with Frankie Thomas in the lead, Keenan Wynn in a supporting role, noted that the audience members included Humphrey Bogart. John Drew Devereaux and his mother, cousins to the famous Barrymore family, were also in attendance.

The 1939 premiere of “Life with Father” included Howard Lindsay, Dorothy Stickney, and a young Teresa Wright. John Drew Devereaux played Clarence, Jr. opposite her.

For the coming 2011 summer season at the Lakewood Theater, have a look at this website. For more on its history, have a look here.