Maxime Cinema
152 High Street,
Blackwood,
NP12 1AH
152 High Street,
Blackwood,
NP12 1AH
2 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 46 of 46 comments
Sorry cannot help – the first time that I ever heard of Max Corne was on this website.
While researching the JW circuit i’ve seen no mention of any working relationship between Albert Withers and Max Corne although it does sound interesting. How about you Editha, have you any knowledge of any form of working partnership between these too?
The Odeon Sketty, in Swansea was originally called The Maxime until Odeon took it over in 1947.
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Another cinema of this name ,in Wiltshire, described on another site, took the name Maxime when taken over by Max Corne. Both Corne and Withers had interests in cinema companies mostly in South Wales and the West of England.
Greetings, I never actually met A. Jackson Withers but I did several times get a sight of him. During my time at Warner Pathe he attended several of their promotional receptions. These took the form of lunches at either the Royal or the Park hotels to which anyone with a booking ability, from miner’s welfare hall secretaries to the likes of the bigger circuit operators,were invited. My tasks at these lunches was handing out promotional material as the guests left. At that time he was just another name to me.I later realised that he was the king pin of South Wales Cinemas but never saw him again once I’d taken up itinerant projecting.
I can confirm that the official name is MAXIME, my website includes a photograph from the late 1960’s or early 70’s and the cinema name is clearly identified. I’m unsure why it appears as Maxine in the header here, probably an oversight.
The sunday performance at the Maxime was always advertised by a poster outside the cinema, tp the far left as you look at the lower level of the fasade. It was always an X rated double bill or an AA as I was not old enough then to attend, this would have been the late 1960’s.
Was the name of this cinema the Maxine or the Maxime, as both appear in this posting, how was it listed in the Kinematograph Year Book? A pre-war edition may also reveal the ownership at that time.
Sunday cinema in Wales was controversial subject, like Sunday opening of pubs. When it was finally allowed some Councils wouldn’t allow “X” films on Sundays so the “Sunday Only” trailers were for old re-runs.
Hi Editha
The Sunday double bills that I recall were always X rated horrors although I’m sure that towards the very late 1960’s there were X rated double bills of an adult nature. It never crossed my mind that these double bills were screened as a result of the lower rental charges. I often wondered why the Maxine didn’t just play the usual programme on a Sunday.
Unsure if they did so during your time there, however it was always impressive when a foyer display was used to promote a film. I clearly remember the CHITTY, Chitty Bang Bang car on display in the foyer for the run of that film at the Maxine and Herbie, The LOVE BUG car on display when that film was playing.
Did you ever meet A Jackson when working for the circuit? I can Understand that Julian Hodge would not be seen, I believe he was mostly the financier.
Hello Element 54 – Thank you for your interesting contribution. I’ve not seen mention of Max Corne while researching this cinema and your question is interesting, do let me know if you have any further information?
I also agree with your comments that the Plaza â€" North Road, Cardiff was the best of the local cinemas around Cardiff â€" a real shame they demolished it.
Rarely mentioned is cinema owner Max Corne. Does this cinema’s name come his involvement in earlier years?
The attraction of keeping the Sunday outrun print till Thursday, was mainly that of an insurance issue. If the booked Monday feature failed to arrive for any reason (extreme weather, theft, or damage by a previous user making the print unusable) then at least you had something to present on the Monday if you could not get your next feature delivered on time. I can remember once getting a copy of “Only Two Can Play” that was heavily sprocketed. The consequence was that we played “House of Wax” on the Monday whilst awaiting an emergency delivery of a viable print, sent by train from London, to be delivered in time for Tuesday’s presentation, at the renter’s cost.
Most second and third run halls, outside of the Cardiff and Swansea halls, ran split weekly programmes with the changeover being on a Thursday and a Monday. FTS normally called at the halls during the early hours of Thursday and Monday mornings. Thus it was not possible for these halls to run a main feature on a Sunday without heavy extra transport costs. The normal Sunday policy was for a cinema to rent an out run feature that was of interest to a particular group. For example horror films always attracted quantities of young, over eighteen couples whilst comedies were attractive to families. Out of run features had the advantage of being rented at a fixed (usually low) rate and did not have to be returned to the vaults within twenty-four hours of final showing. This meant that a one off Sunday use print could be returned via FTS the following Thursday morning.
I cannot remember precisely the exact Sunday routine that was operated by the Maxine. The last time I was there was in 1962. However, I can comment generally about Sunday cinema. In most Welsh towns, at that time ,cinemas were allowed to operate between 1630 and 2130 hours on Sundays. In many some towns the showing of X rated material was banned on that day. Therefore halls had to find a five hour programme that filled the available time slot. Most of the Cardiff city centre halls showed their normal programmes and only adjusted the programmes if they had a week with an X film in the programme.
Hi Editha – you are out in the sticks a little being in Uzbekistan I’m sure. I’ve read with interest the coments on Neon at the Regent.
Please do try again to view the website and please do contact e using the email link on the site.
Greetings,
The problem may be that I am living in Uzbekistan. It is not unusual for web links to fail here. I will try again later this evening.
I put some comments about neons on the Cardiff Regent entry. They may be of interest to you.
Hi Editha â€" I’m sorry to read that you were unable to access my website using the link above, I’ve just tried the link above and have been able to access and view the site so please do try again when you have a moment to do so. I assumed the projection team would be very male so I am pleased to read that your experience was not so stereotypical.
I remember that the Maxine would offer a double bill on Sundays, generally horror movies for one performance in the evenings. I can’t recall if the Capitol offered a different programme on Sundays?
I recall the Capitol in the later part of the sixties, by then it was all a bit make do which might explain how our experiences were so different, The foyer was a odd shape and access to the projection room was via an external staircase? There was a significant size stage behind the screen with storage area underneath and a fair size fly tower. Like the Maxime there was external neon lighting.
http://cinemawales.homestead.com/INDEX.html
I tried to enter your website but got informed that the server could not be contacted.
In the early 1960s there were at least four women working regularly in South Wales boxes who were known to me. It was not really a masculine world. I kept getting asked out for dates but these were very difficult to arrange. Usually because I was covering for the day off of the projectionist who was actually inviting me for the date. As a jobberI tended to work six, or even seven days a week, if I could get extra work on a Sunday. The Sabbath working was always at double pay.
Hi Editha
Thank you for your memories of both the Maxine & Capitol Cinemas.
I always found the presentation at the Maxine excellent, especially those tabs when the P&D ads were screened. I can still picture the ticket seller at the box office {I think I fancied her} I also picture the person selling from the kiosk too. I would love to read more of your insight on this cinema. I loved your comments following the fire brigade visit.
And congratulations, I am impressed, a female projectionist in the masculine valleys of the 1960s, I doubt if there were many other females then and how did the guys take to you?
My website includes a link to my email address and I would love to hear more from you.
If you have any corrections, ideas etc having viewed my website please do let me know. The research has been painful. The website includes photographs of the cinemas.
http://cinemawales.homestead.com/INDEX.html
Thank you for your constructive criticism. It is most appreciated.
During the very early 1960s I did two periods of holiday relief in Blackwood where I worked at the Capitol and the Maxine as a third projectionist and rewind girl. Of the two cinemas at that time, the Capitol was the easier to operate in my opinion and to my eyes, the nicer cinema.
Whilst I was at the Maxine there was a visit from the Fire Service who inspected the emergency lighting. They were particularly upset about the lack of red lenses in the aisle lights. The problem was solved by buying many tubes of Smarties, sanding down the rims of the red plastic tube lids and then fitting them in place of the missing lenses.
Wonderful to see Editha Pearce’s contributions on cinemas in the valleys and while observing respect to Editha I must challenge some of the comments and information provided (sorry).
The Maxime cinema formed part of the Jackson Withers chain (using other trading names, as did many other valley town cinemas}. The interior was relatively modern with excellent tabs. The auditorium was spacious and the cinema was well run and managed throughout the sixties through to the seventies. Most locals would find it difficult to tag this cinema as a ramshackle or flea pit, on the contrary it was a pleasant venue with roadshow style presentation, the projection team were ahead of their time in many respects and the presentation was probably the highest in the valleys, based on my own experience as a patron.
The nearby Capitol cinema, operated by the same organisation, was ramshackle and considered a fleapit in comparison to the Maxine.
The 2-screen conversion in the original balcony was tasteful and when compared to other conversions of that era it was a considerable achievement.
I understand the local authority financially contributed to the operation of the twin screens, the Rank organisation were not overly interested in cinema then and more focused on bingo. It remains difficult to understand why the twin screens were not financially viable in an area that the nearest twin screen or large cinema was 12 miles away
Eventual Rank got it their own way and the twin screens close and the balcony converted back for bingo use.
I love how old cinemas were known locally as the ‘fleapit’.
Swansea had 2 wonderful examples of these and my god they lived up to the name.
Both The Castle and The Carlton are no longer showing movies to make you itch, not since the late 70s.