The Glendale Theatre
The Glendale Theater opened December,1947 at the corner of Cranbrooke Ave and Avenue Road. The Glendale’s big curved screen was perfect for maxi-screen “Cinerama” and was advertised as “The biggest brightest Cinerama screen in Canada!”. The Glendale was home for long runs of movies – 2001: A Space Odyssey showed for several years. The theatre’s last movie was The Godfather Part 2. The Glendale was torn down in 1975 when it became a Ford car dealership. It is now Avenue Nissan.
The Boyd Gang
Edwin Alonzo Boyd worked for the Toronto Transportation Commission after he returned home from the war operating streetcars on the Yonge line. On September 9, 1949 he robbed a North Toronto Bank of Montreal which was the Left Bank Bistro (now Darbar Persian Grill) in our neighbourhood. He was captured two years later after another bank robbery and was sent to the Don Jail to await sentencing. There he met Leonard Jackson and Willie Jackson (no relation). The trio escaped early November 1951. They were joined by Steve Suchan and the foursome now called the Boyd Gang continued to rob banks. On March 6, Suchan shot and killed Police Sergeant Tong and the Boyd Gang was apprehended by the Police. On September 8, 1952 the Boyd Gang escaped from the Don Jail again and after eight days were captured in a barn near Finch and Leslie Ave. Steve Suchan and Lennie Jackson were both hung for the murder of Sargeant Tong. Edwin Boyd and William Jackson served lengthy jail terms. Boyd was released after serving fourteen years and moved to British Columbia where he died of pneumonia May 16, 2002.