Lots of folks in this pic of Steelhouse Lane which was possibly taken on a Saturday or Sunday between May and early July in 1953. My favourite cinema the Gaumont is on the right where our crowd used to queue every Sunday for the evening performance. In this pic they queue to see Alan Ladd in Desert Legion which I did see but found slightly boring. A man carrying his young daughter stares at the camera while another man helps his wife down the high steps of the tram.
As we chatted in the queue none of us really noticed that the trams had been replaced by buses but we were startled one Sunday in January 1955 when newspaper sellers came running up the street with special editions reporting that an express train had crashed in Sutton Coldfield station.
The Steelhouse Lane photo in post#2561 with added colour. It is early summer 1953 and last days of service for the trams before ending in early July. A large queue at the Gaumont and the family on the left might be on their way to visit someone in the General Hospital.
i did not realise that the gaumont had only been standing for 51 years for some reason i thought it was much older..hardly worth building it reallyWasn’t it a treat to visit the Gaumont ? Like so many cinemas, it held many fond memories. Saw several films here with my mum, a big fan of musicals; West Side Story, the Sound of Music and a few Elvis films. Viv.View attachment 153048
I think the same happend with the Mayfair on College Road Kingstandingi did not realise that the gaumont had only been standing for 51 years for some reason i thought it was much older..hardly worth building it really
lyn
hi jollyjack...so pleased your dad lived to tell the tale he was very luckyMy father was on the team who made and installed the ventilation at the Gaumont, he took me in later years to visit. He also installed the ventilation at the Forum, he was well known at the time for falling from the internal dome, the scaffolding breaking his fall. Lucky for me or I wouldn't be posting this.
Hi, thank you, he was.hi jollyjack...so pleased your dad lived to tell the tale he was very lucky
lyn
My uncle was the projectionist at the Gaumont. I was taken there to watch the trialing of a 3D film when I was about 10. Sitting there, wearing the special glasses provided, a plane came flying towards me. I shot down to the floor, behind the seat in front of me, missing the rest of the film. I was a sensitive childWasn’t it a treat to visit the Gaumont ? Like so many cinemas, it held many fond memories. Saw several films here with my mum, a big fan of musicals; West Side Story, the Sound of Music and a few Elvis films. Viv.View attachment 153048