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Birmingham Cinemas

In yesterday's Sunday Mercury there was a letter from a 92 year old gentleman who was bought up in Aston and remembers going to the Globe Cinema where a man used to sit on the door and had a black velvet bag that they used to drop their two pennies into. Then there was the Newtown Palace, the roof would slide open at half time to let the smoke out!
Thursday nights he used to go to Burlington Hall. In the hall in the basement there was a clock on the wall and a big handle that struck up "O God Our Help in Ages Past".
Fascinating memories. He lives in Sutton Coldfield now and I wish I knew him!!!
 
I wonder if this is the gentleman I caught a snip of on Ed Doolan last year his father worked on the first refurbishment of the Town Hall. He was so articulate and his memories amazing. He lived in Sutton.
 
Is anybody there?

Haven't seen any Birmingham Cinemas activity for a while. Or have i still not worked this website out yet?:rolleyes:

Hope everyone out there is OK and rummaging about in our memory boxes.:)

If we see a link out there, how do we list it in the forum in this section? Just concerned I might press the wrong button somewhere and nuke the whole databse on here:D
 
Hi Richie:

There are 37 pages in this thread at the moment. Just look at the numbers on the right hand side. Those are the thread numbers with all kinds of postings
about Birmingham cinemas.

If you find a live link somewhere else on the internet that you want to bring on to a thread in the forum just highlight it, then copy it.....usually in your Edit menu. When you are ready with your message to add the link press Paste ( same menu as Edit) and your link will appear in the thread. Hope this makes sense.
 
Just Copy and Paste it on here Richie, you will be able to check and click on it yourself when you have submitted. :)
 
Richie us Posh lot from Aston live in Suffolk and Posh lot Di lives in Cambridge now the photo is good but where is it?:D
 
Alf, I reckon that's the shirley odeon on stratford road in, yes you guessed it, shirley, there's a morrisons supermarket there now, I could be wrong though.
 
Thanks Arthur, why I did'nt reconise it as I went to that Cinema a lot when I worked in Shirley for Ross Frozen Foods in 1964. I remember seeing Bruce Lee in one of his many Films and that was the last time I went there.
 
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A lovely example of 1930's building,Mike. There must have been a disease in the planning department in Brum, called knockitdownforfun. :(
 
Your starter for 10....

Yes everyone its the Odeon in SHIRLEY!! :biggrin:

Does any one want to see more from that collection?

Can find quite a few more others of all sorts of locations as time goes on. Maybe I could start a competition? I'm especially interested to see if anyone has got any photos in their attics of the Gaumont,Colmore Circus;the ABC Bristol Road;the West End in Suffolk Street(that was) and the Scala Superama.

I'm setting up my own webpage soon to exchange pictures and opinions from people around the world (I work as an overseas charity worker in the field of education) regarding the social contribution the cinema and the railways and transport generally have made in terms of architecture in different countries.
 
shirley Odeon

hi All,
definitely Shirley Odeon, and yes a Supermarket does stand on the site I was past there a couple of weeks ago.
Regards Chris B
 
Flying Fish!

Alf,

When you worked at Ross Foods and saw the Bruce Lee movie, was the title "Fist of Fury"-or even "FISH of Fury"?:D
 
Lovely picture of the Villa Cross in Villa Road, Handsworth, Richie. I went there regularly when I lived in the 1950's. Regularly had to queue to get in on a Friday or Saturday night, and was often turned away when the cinema was full. Judy
 
I was taken to the Villa Cross to see The Wizard of Ozz, I must have been no more than three, but it made such an impression, I have only seen the film one more time, when it was re jigged, and I remembered it:)
 
Di, I remember taking my sister to see the Wizard of Oz at the Grand (?) on Soho Road. I couldn't have been very old and she is 3 years younger than me. When the Wicked Witch came on screen she started screaming and I had to take her out and take her home. I was really annoyed with her. I have sen the film many times since, and still enjoy it.
 
:D:D:DThat made me laugh Judy i could just imagine her screaming and you making haste to get out of the picture house...Cat:)
 
courting

aston said:
THE BEAUFORT WARD END I would only have been about 4 or 5 remember seeing Mrs Minever, Gregory Peck & Grea Garson,.‚.. Also The Invisible Man Claude Raine's. (I think thats how you spell there names?)
After Mrs Minever I recall my Dad giving my a piggy back ride home, as we had to walk back no buses in the black out to our house.I pretended to be a spitfire pilot with saliva running down my mouth simulating blood after being shot by that German with the Luger.
O a child's imagination.
Click to expand...

my wife and i of 42 years did a lot of our courting in the beaufort and then we would go down the road to the fish and chip shop the best fish i have ever had it used to melt in your mouth they dont make it like that any more
brian:rolleyes:
 
Hi,
Just a few pics.

Sorry forgot how to make thumbnails in a bit of a hurry, it has come to me now, if you want me to re do them please contact me.

2q2gzg3.jpg

Beaufort Foyer

2db1m5e.jpg

Bristol Cinema

v33yp3.jpg

Broadway later Cinephone/Gala

27zmeja.jpg

Gaumont Interior before alteration

Regards Chris B
 
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:) Di Poppet. Just read you piece on the Odean cinema Perry Barr. I too used to go every Saturday morning for 6d about the same time as you. I do remember King Kong?. Looked forward to the interval when I would buy a hot dog covered in mustard and a strawbeery split ice loll. There used to be a lad called Terry Pestridge who would always spoil it by mucking about until he was eventually barred. I would then go round to my nans in Franchise street for lunch. She took me to see The Robe and we both cried right through it. TTFN. Jean.:cry:
 
Our local cinema was the Odeon on the Circle in Kingstanding. We'd go as kids to the Satdee Matnee and scream along with the rest of the rabble at all the baddies. When we emerged hoarse at 12 o'clock midday blinking in the bright light and with a funny taste in your throat, we'd pad across the road to the KS fish shop for a bag of chips, then stroll home, eating them out of the paper (newspaper of course, all soggy at the bottom from the vinegar)

If we wanted to go in the evening or for a film that was not a U certificate my younger sister and I (I had to take her EVERYWHERE with me) would wait outside for a friendly looking soul and ask "can you take us in please" more often than not they would take pity on us. Lord knows you wouldn't let your kids do it now would you?

I found a 10 bob note in the Odeon once, a lot of money in those days when your mom only had 8 bob a week family allowance, I handed it in and they asked me for my name and address in case it wasn't claimed. I waited months to get that 10 bob back. I never did!

Happy days

Joanio
 
Joanio you,re an Honest gal :)

But you should have took the Ten Bob note to your Mother,,
My Mom used to say,,if they are rich enough to carry it carelessly,,
then they are rich enough to lose it ,:rolleyes:

ps It would not have been "reclaimed" The staff/person you handed it to ?? :shh:

You did right,,but others wouldn,t,,, JohnY :cool:
 
I know that now John, I told my mom about it and although that 10 bob would have meant a lot to her, she said I'd only done what she'd taught me to do, be honest. With a few more years behind me now I know the person who I handed it to would have pocketed it! I was waiting in vain all those months wasn't I

Duh!!
 
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