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Birmingham Cinemas

judy39 said:
Yes Alf - they used to put some really big names on! They were fantastic shows weren't they?
Click to expand...

Yes Judy much better than todays.

Patula Clark's show went on for nearly 3 Hours, I'd always been a Fan after that I went straight out and bought her latest record

Its Hour & a Half now for about £35 most shows.:)
 
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I heard Petula Clark being interviewed on the radio a few weeks ago, and it was very interesting to hear about her life and what she is doing now and where she lives etc. It seemed that she was always around when I was growing up. She was only a teenager then and several years older than me, but I've seen her grow up (as it were). She used to be in the comics as well - I think she was in Radio Fun.
 
The link to the Annuals takes me back Alf. Mind you I don't remember all of those but by 1957 I was too old for comics thinking more about dancing and boys :D
 
You are never to old for a Comic Judy never still some 80 ones lying about in my Kids rooms:D
 
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I know what you mean Alf. My eldest son has two boxes of comics in pristine condition from when he was young, all kept in separate pockets. Star Wars and 2000 AD.

My husband had a updated copy of the "Eagle" annual given to him for Christmas and loves it :D
 
Brilliant Lloyd, I saw it the other day while looking for buses and forgot to post, but its in my Favs.:)
 
Outside of Birmingham, but only just, was my local cinema as a kid. The Majestic, Bearwood Road, opposite St Mary's Road, seen here in a clip from a bus pic, had become by the mid-60s a Kings Hall market - but for a short time before it (and the bus garage) were pulled down, it reverted to a cinema, owned by a couple who later reopened the Oak, at Selly Oak, before that too fell to the developers' hammers.
 
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Majestic Smethwick.

Closed 21st Feb 1959

Lloyd

The Circle Area was reopened as a Cinema called the Studio on 31st March 1977 that lasted less than a year.:)
 
Sounds right, Alf.
I can remember seeing a few top films there, 'A night to remember', about the Titanic; Harry Belafonte's 'Island in the sun'; numerous westerns and thrillers, and 'Bridge over the river Quai', when there was a meccano model of the bridge about 6feet long in the foyer. Converting it into that market was the beginning of a downhill slide Bearwood has never recovered from, from my viewpoint. When I drive through there, which is rare these days, I still can't believe the Midland Red's huge depot has gone.
 
Having read one of the early posts in this thread, which lists the many cinemas in the city, I can only agree that the Newtown Palace was a 'flea pit.'

Living in the section of New John St West between Summer Lane and Newtown Row meant that it was no more than two minutes walk away and we used to visit it regularly.

Saturday mornings were of course ultra special; three old pennies for the matinee and if you were lucky you might have a couple of pence feft for an everlasting strip of toffee or sherbet dabs. There was always great kudos in being in the front row if you could manage it and even more to be gained if you could disrespectfully get out through the fire exits once the matinee had finished but before the national anthem started to play; once it did you were of course obliged to stand still and wait patiently, something that as kids we found a little difficult.

The cinema was pretty run down even then, the 50's, and although I knew that it was called the Newtown Palace it was only ever affectionately known by us kids as "the bug ole." We loved it and the sense of wonder that it brought into our lives, going to the cinema as a family was a regular treat and if the picture was really good you could usually stay in and watch it again, even if it did have the same ending!
So many happy memories for us all.
 
I have had a good look through this thread and can see little mention of this cinema in either of its incarnations. This is the cinema where most young lads between the ages of about 14 and 17 took a new girlfriend on their first date. After that the local flea pit was good enough, but we had to make that initial good first impression.

The Paramount Cinema opened in New StreetBirmingham in 1937. At the time it was reputed to be the largest in the midlands.

In 1942 it became part of the Odeon Cinema chain a couple of months after the death of the founder of the chain Oscar Deutsch,

Phil
These photos were lost. Below are photos which I believe may be the same as the original ones

City Paramount 2.jpgCity Paramount 3.jpgCity Paramount 4.jpgCity Paramount 5.jpgCity Paramount interior.JPGCity Paramount.jpg
 
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Just to confirm Alf, "Song of Norway" showing at Gaumont, Birmingham from March 28, 1971. Brochure displayed here. Other artefacts available.:)
 
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As you say Lloyd, the Majestic and The Oak were leased, to a fellow called Mike Flook, who also rented the another cinema at Nuneaton, I think the couple who managed both Oak and Majestic for him was A chap called Johnny Ball (projectionist/manager) and his wife was in the pay desk selling tickets.
Regards Chris B
 
Hi PMC1947: I'm a bit confused (really) about the cinemas in New Street.
I know the Odeon which is down at the Bull Ring end of New Street. Was the Paramount opposite Joe Lyons and close to the old Theatre Royal site which eventually became Woolworths?

I remember in l963 going to see Cliff Richards in "Summer Holiday" there and later on whilst on a five month visit to Brum in l972. I went to see James Mason and Diana Coupland in "Spring and Port Wine".

At that time the Birmingham Mail had a group called "Housewives Circle" that women could join and my Mother was a member for a short time. The newspaper rented the Paramount Cinema? on New Street once a month and members could show their membership card and get in free to see a film in the morning. When I went, on my Mother's card, there were only a few people there. I enjoyed the film and have always remembered it. Did I see these films at the Paramount?
 
Just to clarify some points made earlier.

Its an often quoted misnomer that Odeon was named from initials in Oscar Deutsch's name, this is not correct.

Deutsch's first cinema was the 'Picture House' in Brierley Hill, his second cinema was to be named the Picture House in Perry Barr. Picture House(Perry Barr) Ltd.. However as there was a cinema with a similar name at Birchfield, Director Mel Mindleson (one of the brothers behind Wrensons the grocers), suggested the name Odeon, having just been to Tunis and having come across the name there.

The Paramount Group sold seven cinemas to Odeon on 23rd Nov 1939, Birmingham was not one of them.

Deutsch continued negotiations with Paramount for all the remaining Paramount’s but could not reach a deal before his death on 5th December 1941.

A fact that not a lot of people realise also is that Deutsch was dying of cancer from the day he started the company in 1928, having had part of his bowel removed around 1925. When you consider he opened 258 cinemas that's not bad going!!

Obviously the Odeon Birmingham was later acquired by the group but my research ended with OD's death, so I cannot not be sure of the date.

Sources
Allen Eyles = Odeon Cinemas
Ronnie Deutsch (Oscars's Son) interview
 
Hi jennyann

Sorry I have only just spotted your post #592, but you won't go far wrong listening to Alf. Yes it would have been the Odeon at the Bill Ring End of New Street where you enjoyed your films.

Phil
 
I remember the Odeon near the Bull Ring, what was the name of the cinema as you went along on the left hand side towards the Town Hall ?
It funny I can only remember going once to see the film called
" Love Is A Many Splendid Thing ".
 
Hi GER22VAN: That's basically what I was asking. I know the Odeon is down near the Bull Ring but the films I mentioned were seen at the cinema that you have mentioned on the left hand side going towards the Town Hall. I guess I confused Alf and pmc1947 by
asking if this cinema was the Paramount. I realize now that the Paramount became the Odeon. Oh my poor head. Anyway, anyone have a clue about the cinema mentioned?
 
Hi Ger22van
the other cinema was originally the Theatre Deluxe, then it was renamed the Forum, and in its final years it was the ABC New Street.
a picture of the interior looking at the auditorium from the stage.
Regards Chris B
 
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