The Nugget

Down the alley...

This week’s puzzle: The Nugget circa 1938

In the aftermath of Telluride Film Festival at Dartmouth, I wanted to celebrate the Nugget Theater. I knew vaguely it had been somewhere down Old Nugget Alley, but this shot shows it in all its pre-war glory.

Here’s a look at the site presently, from Google Street View:

Look closely and you’ll find a lamp in the same spot in both photos on the soon-to-be-torn-down building housing Walt & Ernie’s barbershop.

Along the way, I learned a lot about the history of the Nugget.
This detailed 1991 article provides an in-depth history of the theater.

A brief synopsis from a 1997 article:

After the fire, the building improbably housed a Western Union office:

If anyone can shed light on how the building was revived for that use, I please share it in the comments.”

Renowned NYT film critic Vincent Canby (Dartmouth ‘45) saw many movies there, and probably witnessed the fire that doomed that original Nugget:

https://archive.dartmouthalumnimagazine.com/article/1974/1/1/nugget-to-times-square

Here’s one story from a long history of “rowdy behavior” at the Nugget:

“A long time ago my grandfather, Donald Hunt ’25, filled in for a friend playing piano to accompany a silent movie showing at the Nugget. The friend was unable to play one afternoon and he asked Don to take over ‘because he knew I could play the piano,’ my grandfather recalled. Unfortunately Don knew only one song, ‘Ida, Sweet as Apple Cider.’ He played that song throughout the show. He played it louder and/or faster during the exciting parts of the movie, then softer or slower during the dramatic parts. This led attendees—mostly Dartmouth students—to yell, ‘Music, more music,’ followed by people yelling, ‘No music.’ Don kept playing, however, so the audience stopped shouting and instead began throwing things at him. As soon as the movie ended Don got up and rushed out the side door as fast as he could. He told his friend he wouldn’t be able to play at the Nugget again.

Photos and articles courtesy of Rauner Library, Darmouth Alumni Magazine, and the Nugget,

Thanks for reading,
Cameron Cross