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Birmingham Cinemas

Wendy, you are right the Managers of cinemas certainly stood out in their communities. The Manager of the the Plaza, Stockland Green. Mr. Riago was very
prominent locally. He had a very flash car and dressed very well as did his wife. As mentioned, the cinemas over the years were so popular and were the main entertainment for so many people. I doubt Mr. Riago could imagine a building with 20 screens like our local Silver City.
 
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Hmm When We planned to triple the Capitol (Ward End) (The Capitol used to own the Plaza) Frank Riago could not see how we could do it due to it being a long narrow building.. Needles to say he was pleased with the result...

Frank Riago During World War 1.. With his Father showed Films in the the Rest centres for the Service Men.. This later became the Army Kinema Corp.. He also gave Anne Heywood her first job in Cinema as an Usherette.. at The Plaza. She then went to "The Palace Erdington" Finally becoming a Star of Screen...
 
Thanks for that info on Frank Riago, Mike. He was very well known in Alsatian Dog circles in Birmingham. I have related in this thread how
I used to meet him most school mornings on the way to Marsh Hill Junior School, walking his dogs just down from our house on a piece of open land. I didn't know that Anne Heywood worked at The Plaza at one time. I know she lived briefly on Bleak Hill Road which is not far away from Stockland Green. We were in touch with Ann a few years ago as Ann attended Fentham Girls School at one time and we wanted her to attend the school Centenenary Reunion in Sutton Coldfield in 2004. Ann had no plans o come to England at that time and wrote us a great letter from her home in the USA to read out during the reunion.
 
most cinema managers were very smart, a pic of me when I was manager Of the Warwick Cinema Acocks Green.
 

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Lovely photo's Chris yes I remember in the 60's cinema managers were held in high esteem and always looked very smart.
 
Great photos Chris. Yes, Managers had to look smart. I remember Dad telling me that one of the requirements of his job was to wear a bow tie and a clean shirt front every day! Going back to the mid 1930s now!
 
This is a commonly held mishaprehension as the word "odeon" is of Greek origin and, long before Oscar Deutsch opened his first cinema there were "Nickleodeons" in the USA. No doubt Deutsch was aware of this and, as a showman, saw a way to bring his initials into the name of his cinema chain.
 
That is correct.. Nickleodeons was the real Idea behind the "Odeon" Brand It must be rememberd that Deutsch and Clift where very close friends. Clift had "Clifton" Deutch wanted his own name displayed "Odeons" :fat:
 
O`de´on​
n.1.A kind of theater in ancient Greece, smaller than the dramatic theater and roofed over, in which poets and musicians submitted their works to the approval of the public, and contended for prizes; - hence, in modern usage, the name of a hall for musical or dramatic performances.
 
I do. We moved from our back to back house in Bell Barn Rd to a council house on the Pype Hayes estate in 1956 and the cinema was there then because I went to a couple of films there with my brother. Initially I believe it was replaced by a supermarket.
 
Nick Mc. said:
This is a commonly held mishaprehension as the word "odeon" is of Greek origin and, long before Oscar Deutsch opened his first cinema there were "Nickleodeons" in the USA. No doubt Deutsch was aware of this and, as a showman, saw a way to bring his initials into the name of his cinema chain.
Click to expand...

I went to see an exhibition at the Jewish Museum in London about Jewish entertainers earlier this year.

There was a photograph of the first Odeon in Perry Barr and a mention of Oscar Deutsch and saying that the word Odeon was made up out of the initials of the phrase Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation

Not sure whether that was actually true? I'd not heard it before.
 
Since, as previously stated, the word "odeon" is of ancient Greek origin Oscar Deutsch no doubt saw the opportunity to include his initials in the name of his cinemas.
 
The Oak Cinema


Image2.jpg



Here is another Cinema on the Bristol Road, Selly Oak. c 1924.
The Cinema opened in 1924 and it closed in 1979.
 
I have so many happy memories of the "Oak", I was a Saturday Minors "Monitor" there too. I saw my first grown up film there Elvis Presley's "Jail house Rock".
paul
 
Thanks for that Brumgum. I'm sure there is more about the Clifton on this thread. My Dad was manager of the Clifton from the late 1930's to around 1945 ish. We used to live opposite the cinema. He would be sad to see it today. We were there during the war and Mom and Dad used to take me across to the Clifton's cellars when there was an air raid.

Judy
 
Jayell said:
Thanks for that Brumgum. I'm sure there is more about the Clifton on this thread. My Dad was manager of the Clifton from the late 1930's to around 1945 ish. We used to live opposite the cinema. He would be sad to see it today. We were there during the war and Mom and Dad used to take me across to the Clifton's cellars when there was an air raid.

Judy
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Yes i wish someone would buy it and do something with it. The Beacon was more my Cinema and it think belonged to the same group but the Clifton was a bit posher than the Beacon methinks.Did you know the Beacon?.
 
Greetings, I was a projectionist at the Clifton and Beacon way back in the late 60's, the projectors were BTH mk2 the same at both cinemas, think the box
was accesed from the a door in the upstairs foyer, been a long time.
Andrew
 
I remember going to a Saturday Matinee at The Beaufort, Washwood Heath. Some stupid boy sitting behind me put bubble gum in my hair! I got a real bollocking off my mom and she banned me from going again....as if it was my fault? I was about 9 in 1956! Happy memories!
 
Andrew Hope said:
Greetings, I was a projectionist at the Clifton and Beacon way back in the late 60's, the projectors were BTH mk2 the same at both cinemas, think the box
was accesed from the a door in the upstairs foyer, been a long time.
Andrew
Click to expand...
I used to go for the Saturday mornings for kids at the Beacon in the late Sixties, tickets were sixpence. Remember a great chip shop up the steps.
 
Here is a never seen before photo of the Scala cinema Smallbrook Street after it's closure and imminent demolition. I have posted this on the demolition thread but thought it would be nice to post it here.

img334.jpg
 
The Big Problem with the Odeon Queensway Way Property it is so designed it cannot be made to fit any other purpose then what it was built for. I had looked at it for a possible nightclub conversion a number of years ago.. To now avail... The problem with re-opening it as a Cinema 1.. No New Product available to show.. Re-runs are a waste of time. 2.. If The Rent was Free. Rates where far to expensive.. They where higher then the Birmingham Hippodrome (Theatre section of the complex) Having worked in the Theatre - Cinema - Leisure Business for 40 years. If I had my time all over again.. and know what I now know.. I would have become an accountant...
 
The good old days Cinemas,my local ones were The Rialto & Robin Hood -Hall Green, Springfield- Sparkhill
Piccadilly & Waldorf - Sparkbrook and I also used to go to The Kingsway -Kings Heath & the Carlton.
Because they used to change the Films on a Thursday & Sunday,and at one I remember that delicious ice cream brand
Eldorado with a Polar Bear Symbol,and in my Teens I was an usherette at the Robin Hood.

Jemina
 
A picture of The Picture House and Theatre Royal, with the letters G & M on the Theatre Royal as part of the decorations for King George and Queen Mary in 1911
The Picture House and Theatre Royal.jpg
 
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