Nov. 30

When you name your venue the Modern Theatre - and there have been a few of these - you're taking a bit of a chance because, as well all know, today's modern is yesterday's passe. And The Modern Theatre we're talking about here existed, well, way back in the day. It was the first Boston theater that showed "talkies" - movies where people's voices were heard for the first time. Kind of like the 3-D of its day. Up at Suffolk University’s Adams Gallery through November is an exhibit called "The Modern Theatre & the Boston-Hollywood Connection." Those of us in the 21st century may note that Boston once again has a pretty solid Hollywood connection, what with all the films being shot here - thank you tax break! - and the new studio complex planned for Plymouth. But back in the day - it was built in 1914 - it played has played a key role, not only in Boston’s historic Washington Street theater district, but also as an institution that helped establish a link between Massachusetts and Hollywood. One character key to the theater’s history is original owner Jacob Lourie. Aside from bringing Beantown the talkie, he came up with the concept of the double-feature – which soon had Hollywood studios churning out B movies to meet demand.

The Adams Gallery has an exhibit of old and new photographs, artifacts, video and movie posters that tell the story of The Modern Theatre, from a warehouse built in the ashes of the Great Boston Fire through its heyday as the first Boston movie theater to show those spoken-word moving pictures. It describes personalities and business innovations that reverberated all the way to Hollywood. Black-and-white photographs show the Washington Street theater district in its heyday, festooned with signs and lit by neon. Present-day photos document Suffolk University’s ongoing restoration of the theater’s historic facade, which was taken apart stone by stone for repair and will be rebuilt on site as part of a theater/gallery/residence hall complex.

Video clips from films shot in Boston show that the Hollywood connection endures today, and an oral history video now in production will offer a taste of what entertainment was like in the days before television. The exhibit, which closes today Monday Nov. 30, is open 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. and is free.

120 Tremont St.,617-305-1910 www.suffolk.edu/adamsgallery