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Mysterious Odeon item
posted by
Michael Zoldessy
on
March 5, 2009 at 7:40 am
For ten years, I’ve owned the most fantastic object. It’s a stainless steel tablespoon. It was originally owned by my late grandmother, and my mother has no idea where she got it.
What makes this spoon so fantastic is what’s stamped on it. On the front of the handle is the ‘O’ logo of the original deco design. On the back, running up the handle, is stamped “ODEON THEATRES”.
I was wondering if anyone here would know quite why Odeon would produce dinnerware (!), and if they had any other information on this strange and wonderful object. I’m still using it, and as it’s such an incongruous thing I will never get rid of it as it makes me stupidly happy!
Sorry for such a random one, but other research has proved fruitless for me…
Kindest regards
Alex Clement
Alex Clement
Comments (9)
Since you did not post what country she lived in. It would have tobe Canada or England mostly.
Didn’t theaters during the Depression give away plates and silverware? I’ve seen some ads to that effect from the thirties.
Possibly from a cinema with a cafe/restaurant as many did at one time.
I know of at least a couple of Odeon Theatres in the United Kingdom which had Cafe’s.
Odeon Worthing
Odeon Bristol
Most probably came from a cinema cafe or restaurant.
Rotherham Odeon also had a restaurant which was converted into the Victor Sylvester Dance Studio in the 1960’s.
You can add Southampton’s Odeon to the list, also as one of the last cinema restaurants to survive.
I had many a good, hot meal there, which included being able to hear the film soundtrack while running. The same memorable situation happened just up the High Street at ABC’s Forum Cinema!
Oh yes, those were the days of consummate showmanship. NOT anymore!!
The Odeon Balham in South London also had a cafe operating pre-WWII.
Another Odeon with a cafe was Luton Odeon