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Birmingham Cinemas

i saw flash gordon at the victoria , victoria rd aston and it was the saturday morning mattenee every saturday morning for for a 3 pence bit, astonia ,
 
Nice one Postie
Capital

Opened on the 4th April 1925

1929 it was enlarged. Tripled in 1979 it closed 0n 23rd December reopened on 29th.

Screen 1  450 seats  Screen 2  280 Seats & Screen  3 130 seats..

In that row of shops was a model shop and I got my Nephew a Scalelectric set there in the early 70s. Thanks for the memories Postie O0
 
Was the Model Shop called Hilliers Alf? I think it might have been, but it was just a little further along than the picture shows.
 
Capitol: The first cinema I went to at 5years old to see "The Wizard of Oz", I was terrified when then

Wicked Witch of the West appeared and had to be taken out :'(
 
I only went to the Capitol a couple of times, it was an odd place to build a cinema, every time a train went by the whole place shook, and the noise was such you couldn't hear the dialogue.
 
Did you know that the Capitol cinema is reputed to be haunted by two ex-patrons, a grey haired gent and lady, so perhaps it wasn't the trains that scared you but the two ex-patrons OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH
:flower: :cat:
 
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.
 
Alas the Beaufort is no more, it was sold about 25 years ago and a B & Q store took its place, for some years now it has been a bingo hall, and the good quality houses to be seen on the right of the cinema were demolished, there is now an Aldi Store and Farm Foods adjoining the Bingo Hall, and where the houses were is the car park. The Pet/Garden Shop opposite on the corner of Bromford Lane and Coleshill Road is still in business.
 
watched all the bruce lee movies at the Beaufort.... that was early to mid 70's I think. For a while after the cinema and houses had gone there was a hairdressers in a sort of moblie type unit. We used to shop at the fox and goose and occasionaly went in the Waitrose store to buy gravy powder.... the only thing we could afford to buy from there!! Miss Stock a teacher at Burlington street was a volunteer at Oxfam near to the Beaufort!!
 
Rod my headteacher Mr Powell at Cowper Street lived by the Beaufort  I went to see him in the 60s
 
I think I've mentioned it before, but my dad sometimes played the organ there in the 30s when the cinema (opened 1929) was still new, as he had just started a Sunday job at St Mark's Church Washwood Heath. The resident organist at the Beaufort at the time was Reginald New, a brilliant musician but not an easy person. He was always very good to us, but he moved back to London in about 1935 at the Regal Beckenham, where his wife Vi ran the cafe during the day and he played the organ in the evening and got back home when he felt like it. They communicated by leaving notes at homes or work. He still used to to organ tours round various cinemas in the circuit, and would come to see us quite regularly until 1957, when his arthritis in the knuckles was geeting the better of him. He wasn't much of a drinker but a great smoker and a vicious anti-semite. By coincidence, I have been past the Regal today, and as ever think of him.
He was replaced by Reginald (I think) Gorse, whom I knew as 'Uncle Gorse', whereas as Reg New was 'Uncle Reg'. According to the Cleggs' excellent 'Dream Palaces of Birmingham'. the organ was taken out in 1937 and sold to Parlophone who installed it in their recording studio in Abbey Road, St John's Wood, London - no more need be said about that.
As we lived the on far side of Erdington, I didn't go to the Beaufort very often, but I do remember taking a young lady who lived on the Chester Road there in 1957 to see 'Twelve Angry Men'.
Peter
It was still a fantastic building, a real Dream Palace.
Peter
 
Certainly is an interesting story Peter. I was fascinated by the Beaufort Cinema for years as it lay on the route that the bus took when we visited my Aunt Jessie who lived in Shirley. It always reminded me of a castle type building and I always looked for it. I also remember the houses beside it because the bus stop was close by. I did get to go to it many years later and the foyer was just as I imagined. It's amazing Peter, that Reginald New was a friend of your family. I had found this photo of him with a small write-up. https://www.wirelessworks.co.uk/info/whoswhoN.htm I like to listen to Nigel Ogden's show on BBC 2 every week,where he plays some great music and tells stories about the great cinema organists of years gone by.

About ten years ago I had a reason to visit the area where the Beaufort Cinema was located. It seemed strange to see it gone and I thought the area across the road had
hardly changed at all just the shops names.
 
:angel: It was The Rock and The Capital that were my hunts for my early teen years, Saturday afternoons and we would go early so we could stay on to see the film again if we thought it was a good un.
Progressing into most of the City Cinemas with 'The Gang' a group of teens from all over Brum who had friends or relatives who worked for Whimbush's in Small Heath. Sunday night was 'The Flick Night' and 'The Gang' often took up 1 and 1/2 rows at most Cinemas.

Chris :angel:
 
Every Sunday evening the City Cinemas were our teenage venues the  crowd manly of skaters from the springhill rink would arrange to meet at one or the other of the City  Cinemas. The best I recall was the Odean New Street, as there was normally about 12 to 15 of us we would arrange in advance for one of us to arrive early.It was his or her job to buy a group of tickets for what ever number would be going.  8)They would then go up to the coffee bar and wait for the doorman to start letting the crowd out side in, our group would filter in saying they were just going for a coffee,meeting up with who ever had the tickets at the top of the stairs by the parrot. >:D
Then we would all troop in to get to our seats. ::)
This went on for a number of years.They were great days,the usual venue after was the platform bar at Snow Hill for a B.R. Pie & 1/2 Pint.
I remember on one occasion a pal called Mick Burns whose Dad & Mom owned a cafe at Rednal, climbed to a waiting train of a laugh only to have it depart with him trying to get off, any one know were he is please let me know.LOL :2funny:
ASTON :angel:
 
Cromwell,
Don't forget the 'Grand' cinema on Alum rock Road. I think it was next road junction east of Highfield.
 
I used to love coming down the staircase at the Beaufort after watching a Romantic film in the 1/9d s.

As for the Pavilion,my sister and myself still call that part of Erdington/Wylde green, 'the Pavilion'.
 
Rupert Grand opened c1911/12 closed early 1950s, converted into a Garage :)
 
Alf,
I think it was still going in the early fities Must have closed later. Only had second rate old movies on though. Small cinema with a low balcony as I recall. Is it all gone now?
 
I only went to the New Town Palace once & the only memory was as we got up to leave the whole row of seats that had been in the down position all through the movie, shot up into the upright position. :2funny:
I thought my be this was some kind of ejector mechanism to get you to stand up for the playing of GOD SAVE THE QUEEN. :angel:
Don't even remember the movie. :-\
 
Aston I first went to the Newtown Palace with my Mom & Sister just after the War the Film was Snow White and the & Dwarfs.
Then with Dad only once to see The Red Beret with Alan Ladd and that was because his mate had served with the Red Berets :)
 
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