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Birmingham Cinemas

I was a Harborne Royalty boy from 1955/59, The an Oak cinema, (Selly Oak), boy till 1961. happy days how the kids to-day are missing out.
paul
 
I remember going to the Washwood Heath cinema pre war (WWII that is) to the Saturday children's matinee and the manager giving us a choice of which film we would like to see, the options were "Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm" starring Shirley Temple, or "Nurse Edith Cavell,"I think the boys must have had the strongest vote because we saw "Nurse Edith Cavell" .
Regards Reg
 
I have been given a carrier bag of what can best be described as bits of paper.I was going to throw them away but after taking a closer look I have decided to put them on the forum. The first one (post 1084) was going to be the only one but I tried ironing one of them and it improved to a great extent so I will post more of them.
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I have no dates or any other information but the names are on the buildings.
 
Hi. The Top picture is of the Maypole cinema was part of the Clifton Chain. The Lower one was the Olton Cinema at Olton Hollow. owned by the Capitol Cinema at ward End both Designed by Satchwell and Roberts..
 
Hello Mike, I know these two because they were on my side of town and I just assumed others would know because the names are on the buildings.
The Olton was my fleapit for the Saturday Matinee when I was a nipper. As I got into my teens I went up market to The Robin Hood or The Rialto.
 
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Here is another two, the Sheldon is familiar to me but I do not recognise the other one.
 
Hi Stitcher
I am not 100% but i am fairly sure the first cinema is The Regal on the soho rd
as you head towards Hockley, it was on the right.

You just pipped me to the post Roverman. But our thoughts are the same.


Regards Stars
 
Hmm.. The Olton Cinema was really the more up market then the Robin Hood and Rialto. Having worked for ABC and later was a part owner of the Oltons Parent company... The Olton Cost more to build then the other 2 put to gether. Had the more modern projection system eg Philips. was the first to have the FP7's that went back to the Philips in Holland when it closed.. (They paid us more then we paid for them to start off with.. The Olton Had the groups board room in and always had the money spent on the Theatre.. The Theatre had a full repaint every 10 years and cleaning coat every 5years. Unlike the Robin hood and the Rialto that had the same coat of paint and the same seats as when it closed as it opened... AS B.T. Davis the Chairman lived near by it had to be right....
 
I spent many happy hours in the Regal, and the photo brings back many memories. I queued outside there regularly on a Sunday afternoon! Does it still exist? Last time I went to Handsworth quite a few years ago, it was no longer a cinema. Such a shame as it was such a lovely building.

Judy
 
Hello Mike, I refer to the Olton as the local flea pit because it seems that is what everyone called the local cinema that screened the Saturday matinee's.
 
Alf said:
The first Odeon was in Perry (Pear) Barr (Hill).
Opened on 4th August 1930 by Oscar Deutsch the name ODEON derives from part of his name,
Oscar Deutsh Entertains Our Nation.
He was Born of Jewish Hungarian Parents in Balsall Heath 1889 Died 1941.
How many Cinemas do you have stories about and what was your favorite story of that cinema.
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How many people remember the Odeon song at Saturday matinees in the 50's My brother Mike and I still amuse our friends with a joint chorus of;
We come along on a Saturday morning,
Greeting everybody with a smile,
We come along on a Saturday morning,
Knowing it's all worthwhile,
As members of the Odeon Club we all intend to be
Good citizens when we grow up and Champions of the free
We come along on a Saturday morning,
Greeting everybody with a smile
So Smile! Smile! Smile!

This was followed by the manager saying "Once again Uncle Ernie" ( to the pianist) and there was a repeat performance with gusto. The really bad boys substituted "Like monkey's up a tree" for "Champions of the free" Simple pleasures!
 
Gaumont interior in 1961. I remember seeing West Side Story and The Sound of Music here. Viv.

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The Sound Of Music arrived in April 1965, it stayed for an amazing 168 weeks – the second longest run after the Dominion, in London. One patron – Miss A. Jackson – saw the film about 600 times, and was eventually granted free admission and her own seat!

Can anyone on here beat that?
 
Zambodini said:
The Sound Of Music arrived in April 1965, it stayed for an amazing 168 weeks – the second longest run after the Dominion, in London. One patron – Miss A. Jackson – saw the film about 600 times, and was eventually granted free admission and her own seat!

Can anyone on here beat that?
Click to expand...


There is probably someone still facing the screen at the Odeon, New Street having died in the auditorium in about the year 2000 judging by how often you see staff in there. Or doesn't that count?
 
"The Picture House" Ladypool Road Opened in 1915.. In the very early 1920's changed name to "The New Olympia Cinema. Seating capacity was 800.. Architect I beleive was Archibald Hurley Robinson.. Later became part of the Lyons Estate Curcuit which owned at one time "The Triange Gooch (Selling to ABC) "Globe Cinema Aston" "Bullring Cinema" plus 50% of the "Mayfair Cinema"


Closed 1958...
 
Piano. Drums and other things to hit sound effects :eek:) Double Bass. Violin might have two on Fridays and Saturdays. Matinees usually Piano only... That is what we used in Our Budget sites. which would match the plinth in front of the:playful: stage Hmm God the ruhbbish I know......
 
It's one I never used Mike but only because I did not live anywhere near there.
Glad you like it and it's my pleasure to post it.
 
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The Capitol Alum Rock.

If you look at the two pics of the Capitol you will see in CAPITOL 1 on the roof line you can see the pent roof of the auditorium behind the frontage, this is how the building was originally opened with an under balcony projection room. Shortly after opening the cinema was so popular a decision was made to extend the stalls area to the rear, the problem this caused was that because the screen was now further away the beam from the projector clipped the front overhang of the balcony, so to cure this problem a new projection room had to built on the flat roof at the front of the building. If anyone who went there wondered why the Capitol apeared very long and thin inside the auditorium, and also that size of the picture was relatively small compared with the size of the auditorium this is the reason. The new projection room can be seen in Capitol 2 picture
 

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