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The News Theatre ???

C

cearnegiant

master brummie
Sure someone must have posted about the News Theatre,but cannot find any information about it.Once a week when taken into Town in the 50s my Mom would take me to The News Theatre.It showed cartoons and shorts like the three Stooges,Somewhere in town centre and bit scruffy even then.Loved seeing the Warner bros cartoons.Any help with location and why called News Theatre please
 
Thanks for that,Just been doing search and wonder if was actually The Jacey cartoon theatre? Which was in Station street.Says was The News Theatre before being called Jacey Cartoon theatre. Which would make make it the Electric Theatre. All I really remember is it was known has News Theatre but showed continuos cartoons and shorts in 50s.Really not far walk from New Street.
 
The Jacy was also known as you say the News Theatre but the one in the town centre is the one I remember next to the Red Lion pub. Dek
 
I was having a look around too. I remember the Jacey on High Street with the news band (New York style) running along the top of the building. I used to catch the bus on Martineau Street and you could see the news band from the bus stop at night. I ventured in there one rainy night after night school on Albert Street. Out of curiosity. This would be around 1953. They had newsreels and cartoons if I remember. Anyway, here is a British Pathe short clip regarding the 21st anniversary of the Jacey News Theatre in the High Street, Brum. Note the price of cigs! There is also some info on the one in London being visited by famous people of the era. https://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=60930
 
I am sure that my dad told me once, that the news theater was the oldest cinema in birmingham? but I have many happy memories there
paul
 
I remember being taken as a child to the Jacey cinema, we walked through the old New Street station which came out oposite the cinema. I think the Birmingham Rep. Theatre was next door before they built the new one in Broad Street.
 
your right jenny the news theatre I remember from my boyhood was Iam sure near to new street station , this showed newsreels of the day and some shorts as mentioned and mainy cartoons, I remember it was 1/6 each to go in which was pretty expensive in the 50's.
regards
paul
 
It was called a news theatre because that was originally its prime use, ie showing news reels prior to the advent of TV. It was opened as the Electric Theatre and in 1921 was renamed becoming the "Select "It was taken over by Joseph Cotton, major alterations being made at that time. With a new frontage it became the Tatler inMarch 1937.

It changed its name to "Jacey" in the early 1960s for showing feature films but my source is referring to a cinema in Station St,so are we taking the same cinema?
 
Hello Paul I think you mean the Jacy I used to go there now and again we would walk across the railway bridge at New St station cross Queens Drive down the stairs and the Jacy would be almost opposite in Station St. I only ever saw cartoon there the main News theatre was in the High St (open the link in Jennyanns post #6). Dek
 
I remember both these cinemas but never went into the News Theatre in High Street, but in the mid 60s I used to take my young son to the Jacey most Saturday afternoons, he loved it and had such an infectious laugh people would turn round to see who was laughing so much.
 
I used to be a cartoon addict when young and visited both news theatres regularly in the late 40's and 50's, if I remember correctly you could stay in as long as you like as the perfomances kept repeating themselves, had a preference for the one in High St, probably because it was nearer the tram stop the 3X (Aston/Witton) in Martineau St, Happy days. Eric
 
The Jacy was in Station Street it opened it's doors at 10:30am and ran a mixture of Newsreels, British Pathe, Cartoons and Batman, Flash Gordon, Three Stooges, Buck Rogers and Captain America to name a few.

Here's the start of a Flash Gordon series that ran at the Jacy enjoy

https://youtu.be/8I0lo42gcgM


 
The behind screen view of one of our cinemas didn't look much better until about 5 years ago when renovations took place!

Maurice :cool:
 
I went to the news Theatre in High Street regularly every Saturday night for about a year when I was about 14, as there was no comprehension of it being "unsafe" to journey alone at that age - unlike today. I needed 1/1d (old money) which was three pence for the bus fare from Hall Green and back and 10 pence to go in.

I remember a serial showing for about 15 weeks called "The Scarlet Horseman" - and on the last episode they let me in for free. I felt as rich as a king and bought some baked potatoes from the street vendor when I came out. I really have come to truly realise what my late brother once said - that we have seen the "best times".

The programme of cartoons and features lasted about just over an hour - but you could stop and see the programme over again if you wished. After the show I'd wander down to the Bull Ring to join the hordes of people gathered to listen to the "soap box" speakers and and the hecklers. Somehow, nothing we get on telly or anything of today's entertainment can match those heady days which have gone forever. Perhaps it was the simplicity of life and an appreciation of equally simple pastimes.

Regards to all our readers,

Stan Thomas.

P.S.
The other "news theatre (but not named as such was the "Tatler" in Station Street - opposite to one of the then entrances to New Street Station.
 
News Theatre Dale end/High Street

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