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The Plaza Picture House

B

Benabby

proper brummie kid
Hi Fellow Brummies,
My next book is being centred on the Stockland Green area of Birmingham and will be covering the war years. I know that cinema going then was in it's hey day and wonder if anyone knows anything about the Plaza Picture House as we called it. What was it like inside? Does any one know? Did it for example have a gallery? I would be most grateful for any information any of you may have. Thank you very much
 
Another pic

The PLaza opened on Boxing Day 26th December 1927 under the management of William H Denbigh. It had a seating capacity of 884, the opening film was The Cat And The Canary starring Laura La Plante, the support was The Blonde Saint starring Lewis Stone. Silent films were shown up until the 5th April 1930. On the 7th April the first talkie was shown entitled Sky Hawk starring John Garrick. In 1933 the Management was taken over by Frank Riego and he was manager until the cinema closed on the 30th September 1978 with the film The Swarm with Michael Caine. The photograph of the Plaza with the queue was taken by Mr Riego's father on Sunday 19th June 1938 waiting for the 7pm performance to the film Whens Your Birthday starring Joe E Brown.
 
Hi Benabby:

I lived off Stockland Green from when I was very small until I was 22. I was born 2 years into WW2 and our lives centred around Stockland Green since food was rationed our grocer/greengrocer Mr Trappett was on Stockland Green. I wrote some stories myself about Stockland Green and some of it's shops. Regarding the Plaza...one of the Manager's during and after the war years was Frank Reago and he was written about on this forum. You can find my stories of Stockland Green at www.yourmemories.co.uk. Look in Life Stories menu
and enter place name.
I also wrote a story about the Stockland Garage.I have visited as recently as last November to the area.
 
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Nice photos Chris. Lovely to see them again. We had some great times there back in the day. Thanks for posting them.
 
I live around the corner from the "Plaza" if anyone would like me to take upto- date photos.
 
Ok will get the old box brownie out and take some pics for you lol,will try and do it later on today and put them up asap.
 
Thank you so very much for all that have helped me find out about the Plaza Cinema in Stockland Green. You are such a helpful lot, but I think Brummies are generally anyway. My books are all set in Birmingham, where I was born and bred and this time I chose Stockland Green because my husband grew up in Hampton Rd. just off Slade Rd and so we went to the Plaza sometimes though the Palace in Erdington High Street was nearer to my house, which was on the Pype Hayes Estate, When we moved into there from our back to back house in 1956 though there used to be a cinema on Tyburn Rd caled the Apollo, which is now a supermarket. Not sure when it closed but I had seen some good films before that. Anyone remember it?
Just off now to check on Jennyann's website and read what she has to say. I'm sure it will be most helpful. Thanks once again - Benabby
 
I have just gone on to the wonderful stories Jennyann has written about growing up in Stockland Green. What a terrific memory you have of a time now past and what really marvellous pictures you painted for me. It will be so useful as I am writing about that area to have your first hand accounts of it to read. I always strive for accuracy in all my books and so a great big thank you from a very grateful author
 
Benabby in the past have posted a pic with my granddad on the steps outside the Plaza with his uniform on duty, on the old thread someone did date the pic, but unable to locate the thread, will look this end Dave
 
Hi Dave, thanks for this but does that mean that your grandad was a commissionaire? I knew that big cinemas in the city centre sometimes had commissionaires, but I wasn't aware that the Plaza had one. This is quite amazing.

All the best
 
Benabby said:
Hi Dave, thanks for this but does that mean that your grandad was a commissionaire? I knew that big cinemas in the city centre sometimes had commissionaires, but I wasn't aware that the Plaza had one. This is quite amazing.

All the best
Click to expand...

Found it :) Yes :) Someone did put a date to it, hope they can again :)
 
Used to live at the bottom of Streetly Rd near where the 65 bus turned round, and spent many a happy hour in the Plaza. There was an old battle-axe who used to manage the place, think she was the owners partner. She was always coming down the aisle to threaten to chuck us all out of the Sat matinee shows if we got a bit noisy. Also remember getting ejected when I crept in one of the side doors to watch Spartacus.. Well I couldn't go in the main entrance, I was only 12 and Spartacus was an 'A'. Happy days.
 
replacement pics
 

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Saw Jungle Book at Stockland Green Plaza when it was first released. Must have been about 1968 or 1969. Still a brilliant film loved by kids today. Viv.
 
I don't know why but I seem to attract damsels in distress. There I was minding my own business parked in the Plaza car park reading my newspaper. It was about 8.30am, sometime in 1970 and I'd taken a days holiday from work. A car pulled into the car park a short distance away coughing and spluttering and then all was quiet as it rolled to a standstill; the driver tried, unsuccessfully, to restart the engine and then she got out. I looked all around to see if anyone was about to go to her aid but there was no-one in sight.
I thought, "I'm going to look a right lemon if I can't help." Anyway I got out and walked towards her, as I got closer I recognised the make and model of car, as I got closer still I smiled reassuringly, and she smiled back, apprehensively.
"My car's just died, I've been late twice this week already, If I'm late again I'll be out the door." She explained.
"Great!" I thought, "No pressure, then!"
"Open the boot." I said.
"Pardon?"
"Open the boot." I repeated
Her expression spoke volumes, "Great! What an idiot he doesn't even know the !BLEEP! engine is !"
"But the engine's at the front?"
I smiled and asked her again to open the boot, she complied and then she made her way back to the driver's door.
I disappeared into the boot and 5 seconds later I emerged, slammed the lid shut and walked to her side.
"It'll start now." I announced, nonchalantly.
She looked at me, sceptically, but got in just the same and turned the key, the engine burst into life.
She looked at me like I was the messiah.
Now with an expression of a mix of adoration and relief she thanked me and drove off.
I suppose if I had been a real gentleman I would have explained what I had done to get her car going, but I rather liked the thought that for the rest of her days she would recount the story of how a (handsome?) stranger went to her rescue and miraculously started her car in seconds - the only possible explanation: he was a Holy Man.
The truth is I knew her type of car suffered from a petrol pump fault, it was an electric pump located in the boot and suffered from a sticking diaphragm, which could be easily rectified with a sharp knuckle blow, a slight ticking noise indicated the pump was working again.
I know what you are thinking, "Why didn't he ask for her telephone number?"
I was then in a relationship with the future Mrs Peg Monkey.
Regards,
Peg.
 
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