If you’re Canadian you know the famous and very historic Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs for over 60 some on years BUT did you know that outside of hockey the Gardens played a role in bringing top musical acts, ice shows, operas and rally’s to the public of Toronto (to name a few)?

Lets take a look at the vintage non hockey history of Maple Leaf Gardens pre 1970s

Let’s Begin with…..ELVIS!

Elvis Presley played the Gardens in April of 1957 and it should be noted that this performance was among only five he ever performed outside of the U.S.

This is a letter signed by his fans that say “Presented to Elvis Presley, April 2 1957 on your personal appearance in the Toronto Maple Leaf Gardens. We would like to convey our greatest & warmest wishes for your continued success & happiness.”

A Description of the Evening:

Crowds estimated at 8,000 and 15,000 persons jammed Maple Leaf Gardens last night as Elvis Presley gave his first and second Canadian shows. Col. Tom Parker, Presley’s manager, said the second-show crowd was the largest Presley has ever faced in a personal appearance. I think Toronto audiences are terrific,’ Col. Parker said.

But if the Toronto audience was the largest Elvis has ever faced, to all reports it was also one of the quietest and best-behaved audiences ever to watch Elvis in action. Members of the troupe said the whooping and hollering and shenanigans just didn’t compare to what they had seen in other cities. However, they gave part of the credit for this to the 90 special constables on duty and to the alert Gardens’ staff. Whenever a youngster bounced up in his seat a policeman would reach over and plunk him down again. This sometimes gave the Gardens the appearance of a large jack-in-the-box, but it seemed to have the desired effect. Two women fans were ejected late in the second performance when they tried to break through 20 policemen and as many Maple Leaf Gardens’ attendants to reach the stage. Frankie Trent, who leads off the Presley show with a tap dance routine said he had heard a lot more heckling than was usual in most towns.’But the kids didn’t screech and run around as much as they did in other places,’ he said (Source).

Elvis on Stage.

The Ice Capades

Having an Ice Show at a place where there is Ice kind of makes sense. Here are the Ice Capades of 1955 as I don’t know what but those ARE giant ice cream cones in background. How cute!

Performer in Maple Leaf Gardens’ Ice Capades rehearsing Peter Pan with journalist. 1950s vintage photo.

Wartime Rallies

The rallies were held at the Gardens for enlisting as well as supporting Victory Bonds (source).

U.S. Radio stars Fibber McGee and Molly at Victory Loan rally-October 30th, 1945.

Need to hold a meeting?

Why not at the Gardens, like the Red Cross did in 1945.

The Metropolitan Opera was also noted for performing at the Gardens

Here is an image of a adorable little girl getting ready for her performance.

Back to the Concerts

In what was deemed the arena’s first rock ‘n’ roll show, Bill Haley and his Comets headlined a 12-act bill on April 30, 1956, that also included Bo Diddley, LaVern Baker, Big Joe Turner, the Drifters, the Platters, and Frankie Lymon.

FURTHER READING: The Biggest Rock n Roll Show of 1956 Performs at Maple Leaf Gardens Toronto

Bill Haley and the Comets Performing.

The Isley Brothers in the “The Biggest Show Of Stars-1960”.

And now for the..BEATLES!

The Beatles performed in Toronto a total of three times before calling it quits, each time at the legendary Maple Leaf Gardens. First, on September 7, 1964, and then a year apart on August 17 in ’65 and ’66 (one of their final concerts) (source).

Here are fans outside Maple Leaf Gardens (August 17th), as the press conference takes place.

This photo below is pretty cool as it was a garage sale find by the current owner who purchased an old photo album and found the ticket inside. What a find! (source). Can you believe that it only cost $5.00 to go see the Beatles in ’65.. $5.00!! Yooza!

The Beatles performing at the Gardens on August 17th, 1965.

What happened to the Gardens?

The Maple Leaf Gardens of today is a multipurpose facility, with a Grocery store occupying retail space on the lower floors and an athletic centre for Toronto’s Ryerson University, known as Mattamy Athletic Centre at the Gardens, occupying another level.

Recognition

Maple Leaf Gardens was named a National Historic Site of Canada in 2007 because it was:

One of the most renowned “shrines” in the history of hockey… the largest arena in the country when it was built, it was one of the country’s foremost venues for large-scale sporting events such as boxing matches and track meets, and non-sporting events such as concerts, rallies and political gatherings, religious services and opera… the Gardens holds a special place in the country’s popular culture: here Canadians welcomed a wide range of cultural icons from the Beatles to the Metropolitan Opera, from Tim Buck to Team Canada vs. the Soviets, from Winston Churchill to the Muhammad Ali-George Chuvalo fight.

—Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, June 2006 (Source).

Question: Do you have an arena in your home town or surrounding city that has amazing vintage history like this? Share in the comments section below!

FURTHER READING:

• Vintage Toronto Blog Posts Archive

Liz 🙂