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Alum Rock - Capitol Cinema
- Thread starter Ian FOFB
- Start date
sylviasayers
master brummie
I can only remember going to the Capitol once, it was built over or next to a railway line, and when a train rattled by the whole cinema shook and you couldn't hear what was said on the screen.
dek carr
gone but not forgotten
sylviasayers
master brummie
Otherwise engaged eh Dek.
I used to live opposite the Capitol, above one of the shops, when I was a boy. I remember the fluorescent lighting being installed at the front of the cinema after WWII - they couldn't have it before because of the black-out precautions. Yes, the passing trains did make the building shudder
I remember that they had one of the first wide-screen installations (outside the city centre cinemas) but it was a bit of a cheat really because, to make the letter-box shape, they dropped a matt black curtain down to cover the top half of their normal screen so that it left a rectangular shape. Unfortunately, this meant that the Cinemascope screen was smaller than the normal film size whereas, at every other cinema I went to, the widescreen really was a bigger screen.
The screen that they had previously, before the curved Cinemascope screen, was made of glass beads, tightly strung together. When they took it down for the new one to go up, they found all manner of things trapped in the strings of the beads, that had been thrown by the audience - presumably by the kids in the front row at children's matinees when the Baddies were seen being chased by Roy Rogers or Gene Autrey.
I remember that they had one of the first wide-screen installations (outside the city centre cinemas) but it was a bit of a cheat really because, to make the letter-box shape, they dropped a matt black curtain down to cover the top half of their normal screen so that it left a rectangular shape. Unfortunately, this meant that the Cinemascope screen was smaller than the normal film size whereas, at every other cinema I went to, the widescreen really was a bigger screen.
The screen that they had previously, before the curved Cinemascope screen, was made of glass beads, tightly strung together. When they took it down for the new one to go up, they found all manner of things trapped in the strings of the beads, that had been thrown by the audience - presumably by the kids in the front row at children's matinees when the Baddies were seen being chased by Roy Rogers or Gene Autrey.
fatfingers
master brummie
I saw a lot of films there, cant say I remember noticing the trains though.
Pomgolian
Kiwi Brummie
Here's another view just before the bridge going towards town, I used to catch the bus to there from Gt Lister St going to my friends house in Bankdale Rd.
View attachment 64892
I've just before Christmas caught up with the family again after 45 years and the one son still lives in the house.
View attachment 64892
I've just before Christmas caught up with the family again after 45 years and the one son still lives in the house.
Alf
Gone but not forgotten. R.I.P.
Ian opened 4th April 1925
coerl21
master brummie
Hi All,
Do you remember the large black and white cat that lived there? He used to sit on your lap and suckle on your jumper. As a youth I used to go to the Capitol every Saturday night - it used to be packed with young people. I don't think anyone watched the films - it was just a meeting place to talk (or cant as my mother would have said). I do remember the passing trains very well. If you remember a film called "Earthquake" - it used Sensurround (big speakers & a big amplifier) which caused the seats to vibrate - well the Capitol got there first - 50 years ago!!
Paul
Do you remember the large black and white cat that lived there? He used to sit on your lap and suckle on your jumper. As a youth I used to go to the Capitol every Saturday night - it used to be packed with young people. I don't think anyone watched the films - it was just a meeting place to talk (or cant as my mother would have said). I do remember the passing trains very well. If you remember a film called "Earthquake" - it used Sensurround (big speakers & a big amplifier) which caused the seats to vibrate - well the Capitol got there first - 50 years ago!!
Paul
coerl21
master brummie
I do remember snogging with my girlfriend there - and each time a train passed our teeth clashed. When we left, her beehive was at a jaunty angle and contaminated with Brylcream and one side of my face covered in white panstick. And they said that romance was dead!
Cheers
Paul
Cheers
Paul
paul stacey
master brummie
I don't know if it is my age but it breaks my heart to see what has happened to our heritage and socitey.
paul
paul
hi paul ;
yes i said to myself yesterday ; after coming back from the belfry yesterday after noon and actual pasing through and passing the doors
and that particulr section of shops and banks especialy the capital which is no longer of our hearitage
as you guess to what ? ; he whole are is kaput ;and run down and the council aint doing nothink about it king heath aint far behind it ;
i would like to say i had a very long old friendwhomi grew up wih and a wealthy builder whom had a property behind them shops facing
and i recall he told me some years ago he owned those building way back yearsand i was driving back i loked to my right hoping to see if he may be knocking around because he told me years ago he rented those shops on the direct front facing the capital to people
and i said to myself sid what have you done its a disgrace how its all fell apart the city as lost its pride as i can see
best wishes astonian
yes i said to myself yesterday ; after coming back from the belfry yesterday after noon and actual pasing through and passing the doors
and that particulr section of shops and banks especialy the capital which is no longer of our hearitage
as you guess to what ? ; he whole are is kaput ;and run down and the council aint doing nothink about it king heath aint far behind it ;
i would like to say i had a very long old friendwhomi grew up wih and a wealthy builder whom had a property behind them shops facing
and i recall he told me some years ago he owned those building way back yearsand i was driving back i loked to my right hoping to see if he may be knocking around because he told me years ago he rented those shops on the direct front facing the capital to people
and i said to myself sid what have you done its a disgrace how its all fell apart the city as lost its pride as i can see
best wishes astonian
Hi Astonian
My father had one of the shops (an ironmongers) opposite the Capitol Cinema (1938-ish to 1956) and he sold it to your wealthy builder friend. The builder (A.F.?) had a builders yard at the back of the shops and my father owned the lock-up garages that adjoined it. The purchase gave him a large plot of ground that ran from the railway embankment down to the gardens of the houses at the side of the Pelham Arms.
If he ended up owning all the shops that fronted the main road as well, that must be a valuable piece of property now.
Do I gather from the thread that the cinema is now being demolished?
My father had one of the shops (an ironmongers) opposite the Capitol Cinema (1938-ish to 1956) and he sold it to your wealthy builder friend. The builder (A.F.?) had a builders yard at the back of the shops and my father owned the lock-up garages that adjoined it. The purchase gave him a large plot of ground that ran from the railway embankment down to the gardens of the houses at the side of the Pelham Arms.
If he ended up owning all the shops that fronted the main road as well, that must be a valuable piece of property now.
Do I gather from the thread that the cinema is now being demolished?
Bill Parker
master brummie
According to the book "Dream Palaces of Birmingham", Chris&Rosemary Clegg, the Capitol was designed by Arcibald Hurley Robijson and opened on the 4th April 1925. Four years later it was enlarged to a design by Satchwell&Roberts this increased the seating capacity to 1,400 from the previuos 900.
In 1979 the Cinema was tripled according to this book it closed for tripling on 23rd December and re opened on the 29th December, I find this difficult to believe. It re opened with the films "Bear Island" in the 450 seat screen 1, "Love at first Bite" in the 280 seat screen2 and"Bedknobs and Broomsticks" in the 130seat screen3.
The afore mentioned method of altering the aspect ratio of the screen, for Cinemascope presentation, by dropping a mask from the top of the screen was not unusual and was either done to save money or perhaps because it was not feasible to widen the proscenium arch. Cinemascope should have also come with four channel stereophonic sound, on a magnetic sound track, with speakers to the left,centre, and right with rear effects speakers making up the fourth channel, this was often not fitted to save costs. The anamorphic lenses needed to unsqueeze the image on the film were very expensive as well, so in order to try to get people back into the Cinema, after the introduction of TV, cost the industry quite a lot of cash.
In 1979 the Cinema was tripled according to this book it closed for tripling on 23rd December and re opened on the 29th December, I find this difficult to believe. It re opened with the films "Bear Island" in the 450 seat screen 1, "Love at first Bite" in the 280 seat screen2 and"Bedknobs and Broomsticks" in the 130seat screen3.
The afore mentioned method of altering the aspect ratio of the screen, for Cinemascope presentation, by dropping a mask from the top of the screen was not unusual and was either done to save money or perhaps because it was not feasible to widen the proscenium arch. Cinemascope should have also come with four channel stereophonic sound, on a magnetic sound track, with speakers to the left,centre, and right with rear effects speakers making up the fourth channel, this was often not fitted to save costs. The anamorphic lenses needed to unsqueeze the image on the film were very expensive as well, so in order to try to get people back into the Cinema, after the introduction of TV, cost the industry quite a lot of cash.
Mike Blakemore
master brummie
The Clegg book was inaccurate The Building was designed by Satchwell and Roberts The front Facia they had Archibald Hurley Robinson design that and the quantity surveying. We used the same method at Our Tivoli Yardley in 1927.. 1964 we had a new Proscenium installed for the new 48ft screen for the 70mm format we were going to do. This was designed by Modernisation Ltd., The old Boss B T Davis delayed the installation of the Westrex 5000 projectors until the old Chief projectionist retired ... The 70mm market was problematic and the 70mm was not installed.. the 1964 refurbishment photo I have put on previously The seating ended up 1 350.. 2. 250. 3 127 plus 2 for the blind (right behind a pillar which we never sold tickets for.
