Laurier Palace Theatre Fire
Encyclopedia
The Laurier Palace Theatre fire, sometimes known as the Saddest fire or the Laurier Palace Theatre crush, was a small fire that occurred in a movie theatre in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
on Sunday, January 9, 1927
. The fire — reportedly caused by a discarded cigarette
smouldering beneath wooden floorboards — started in early afternoon during a comedy called Get 'Em Young
. 800 children came to watch, and panic erupted when smoke began to billow into the theater. 78 persons died in the ensuing mayhem. The theatre was located at 3215 Ste Catherine St East, just east of Dézéry St.
The children — who were seated in the balcony — had trouble exiting the building, as one of two stairways that led to safety was locked. Furthermore, the doors opened toward the inside, not outside, meaning that the crush of children trying to escape had the effect of closing the doors more tightly, rather than opening them.
Smoke filled the air, choking and blinding the children within two minutes. Firefighters arrived rapidly from fire station number 13 just across the street, but not fast enough to prevent the deaths of 78 children. Of the dead 12 were crushed, 64 asphixiated; only 2 children actually died from the fire itself. The first to enter the building, Alphéa Arpin, discovered his own son, Gaston, aged 6, in the pile of cadavers. Another man, Adélard Boisseau, discovered one of his 3 children. He would identify the bodies of his two other children later that evening at the morgue.
On January 11, funeral services were held in l'Église de la Nativité (the Church of the Nativity), near the theatre, for 39 of the victims. More than 50,000 watched the funeral procession. During the homily, Father Georges Gauthier
, co-archbishop of Montréal, asked why, on the Lord's day, such places of pleasure are allowed to remain open ("pourquoi on laisse ouverts en ce jour (celui du Seigneur) des lieux de plaisir comme celui-ci qui vient d'être incendié?"). He stated concern about the moral safety ("sécurité morale") of children. He asked whether it was too rash to ask if, in this province, one could find souls great enough and impartial enough to write laws barring children from the cinema.
The Roman Catholic Church
seized upon the tragedy of the Laurier Palace Theatre as an opportunity to block children's access to the cinema in general, claiming that the cinema ruined the health of children, weakened their lungs, troubled their imagination, excited their nervous system, hindered their studies, overexcited their sinful ideas and led to immorality ("ruine la santé des enfants, affaiblit leurs poumons, affole leur imagination, excite leur système nerveux, nuit à leurs études, surexcite les désirs mauvais et conduit à l'immoralité").
A few months later Judge Louis Boyer recommended that everyone under 16 be forbidden access to cinema screenings. The following year, to appease extremists who wanted the cinema closed to all, such a law was passed and remained in effect for 33 years, until 1961. Building codes were also modified so that the doors of public buildings were required to open outwards.
In 1967 the cinema law was further modified, installing the Visa system, dividing movie-going populations into age groups of 18 and over, 14 and over, and general (for all). This change of law coincided with Expo 67
in Montreal, a time of rapid evolution of attitudes as the city began to open itself to the world.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on Sunday, January 9, 1927
January 1927
January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – DecemberThe following events occurred in January 1927.-January 1, 1927 :...
. The fire — reportedly caused by a discarded cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
smouldering beneath wooden floorboards — started in early afternoon during a comedy called Get 'Em Young
Get 'Em Young
Get 'Em Young is a 1926 film starring Stan Laurel.In a sad twist, this was the film being shown at the 1927 Laurier Palace Theatre Fire in Montreal, where 78 people died, all but one under the age of 16.-Cast:* Harry Myers - Orvid Joy...
. 800 children came to watch, and panic erupted when smoke began to billow into the theater. 78 persons died in the ensuing mayhem. The theatre was located at 3215 Ste Catherine St East, just east of Dézéry St.
The children — who were seated in the balcony — had trouble exiting the building, as one of two stairways that led to safety was locked. Furthermore, the doors opened toward the inside, not outside, meaning that the crush of children trying to escape had the effect of closing the doors more tightly, rather than opening them.
Smoke filled the air, choking and blinding the children within two minutes. Firefighters arrived rapidly from fire station number 13 just across the street, but not fast enough to prevent the deaths of 78 children. Of the dead 12 were crushed, 64 asphixiated; only 2 children actually died from the fire itself. The first to enter the building, Alphéa Arpin, discovered his own son, Gaston, aged 6, in the pile of cadavers. Another man, Adélard Boisseau, discovered one of his 3 children. He would identify the bodies of his two other children later that evening at the morgue.
On January 11, funeral services were held in l'Église de la Nativité (the Church of the Nativity), near the theatre, for 39 of the victims. More than 50,000 watched the funeral procession. During the homily, Father Georges Gauthier
Georges Gauthier
Georges Gauthier was a French Canadian Archbishop of Montreal and the first rector of the Université de Montréal....
, co-archbishop of Montréal, asked why, on the Lord's day, such places of pleasure are allowed to remain open ("pourquoi on laisse ouverts en ce jour (celui du Seigneur) des lieux de plaisir comme celui-ci qui vient d'être incendié?"). He stated concern about the moral safety ("sécurité morale") of children. He asked whether it was too rash to ask if, in this province, one could find souls great enough and impartial enough to write laws barring children from the cinema.
The Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
seized upon the tragedy of the Laurier Palace Theatre as an opportunity to block children's access to the cinema in general, claiming that the cinema ruined the health of children, weakened their lungs, troubled their imagination, excited their nervous system, hindered their studies, overexcited their sinful ideas and led to immorality ("ruine la santé des enfants, affaiblit leurs poumons, affole leur imagination, excite leur système nerveux, nuit à leurs études, surexcite les désirs mauvais et conduit à l'immoralité").
A few months later Judge Louis Boyer recommended that everyone under 16 be forbidden access to cinema screenings. The following year, to appease extremists who wanted the cinema closed to all, such a law was passed and remained in effect for 33 years, until 1961. Building codes were also modified so that the doors of public buildings were required to open outwards.
In 1967 the cinema law was further modified, installing the Visa system, dividing movie-going populations into age groups of 18 and over, 14 and over, and general (for all). This change of law coincided with Expo 67
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
in Montreal, a time of rapid evolution of attitudes as the city began to open itself to the world.