Brief Encounter is brilliantly staged in the former screen one. The set and mix of film and live action are extremely clever. The film is recreated with added classic Noel Coward songs performed by the cast coupled with a live jazz band that serenades the audience before the show. This production should not be missed. It would be good if more theatre could be done in this space, in the meantime lets hope this show gets a further extension.
Thanks Ken for clarifying the distributer details. Also I now suddenly recall that we left the cinema in bright daylight so it must indeed have been a trade or press showing as you suggested.
Hi Ian, I recall the musical at Her Majestys in 1984 but it was the film I saw, I still have the soundtrack album and book somewhere. It may not have been the actual premiere but some sort of special advance screening for trade clients. My father worked as a senior manager for Granada Motorway Services at the time. I really recall the foyer and staircase from the upper circle as much the same as it is at todays Cinema Haymarket. The reason it was shown here (if only once) may be that the film was a 20th Century Fox release and I think they still ran the Carlton at this time?
If my memory serves me correct I saw the premiere of the movie Bugsy Malone her in 1976 sitting in the upper circle. I Recall the then undivided auditorium being fairly ornate and also recollect the two stage boxes were still being used.After the screening all the kids and maybe adults were handed a free record and paperback book in the foyer as they left. It would be nice one day though probably not cost effective if someone could buy the office building at the back and rebuild the stage.If the planners hadn’t been so hasty in 1979 this could have been a much valued Westend Theatre. Still great that some sort of live entertainment is back.
The upstairs screen was seen in a Derren Brown show on Channel 4 a while back. A group of public and showbiz people were taken blindfolded to a mystery location for a show by Derren that was televised. Eagle eyed cinema buffs should have spotted the location at once.
My stepfather who frequently attended this cinema remembers that the screen viewed from the stalls was far too high and made viewing a film uncomfortable.The favoured cimemas in Southall were the Palace and Dominion.
After the 1968 conversion the walls at the front near the screen were sloped inwards, possibly due to the auditorium being extended into the former stage area. The slope did give an unsusual effect when watching films from certain seats. Since the conversion into two screens this effect has been lost.
Showing my age but I saw the movie Grease here on its release in 1978. It was shown in Screen 1 and I can still recall the mad scenes at the final number as everyone danced on the flat floor that extends from the former circle front to the screen. Not sure I danced I was probably worried about going through into screen 2 or 3.
I recall the old Warner Westend shortly before demolition of the auditorium block. It was always a favourite place of mine to see a film in the 1980’s even the smaller screens built in the basement were good althpugh I seem to remmember they were reached through a maze of narrow corridors and could be hard to find!! The replacement is awful and bland and as I remember has a very strange angled auditorium in one of the screens.
Was in York yesterday and having a few hours to spare thought I might try and see Casino Royale at City Screen. No Chance, two afternoon screenings sold out and queues of people out the door. Surely this proves that a city centre cinema is viable and if this movie had been on at the Odeon business would have been fantastic. Someone please take on this building and prove it can work it is so sad to see it boarded up.
While I appreciate the original campaign to save the signage I can’t help feeling it may have added to Odeon’s unwillingness to refurbish this cinema as they couldn’t rebrand. And therefore contributed to the decline. This raises the question about the fine line of preserving buildings in museum state and operating in the modern market. I agree that little imagination has been used by Odeon but ironically if a new chain or single owner takes over and I sincerely hope they do, the old signage may be consigned to storage as Odeon like to protect their name and probably would object to it remaining in place. On a suggestion for the future,maybe Norwich Union should donate the freehold of the building to the city council , they can afford it. Then intrested groups could apply to run it.
It wasn’t that bad! Though maybe the years have given me a rose tinted view of the place. For some reason I saw a lot of films here including most of the James Bond series and still remember well the climb to the first floor box office to buy tickets. The cinema didn’t have screen tabs, instead there were those lava lamp oil patterns that spiralled over the screen while you waited for the trailers. Far out man!
I might not be here if it wasn’t for this building, my late Father Patrick Mullen was Assistant Manager and later manager in the early sixties and my mother a Drama Student worked as an usherette. They met at work and married soon after. It’s no wonder I have an intrest in cinemas!
This was quite a popular cinema in those days and my mother recalls many actors including Alec Guinness and would call in to watch films unnoticed by the public.
As a teenager I made an advert at the Studios, even then I was intrested in old cinemas but remember there was very little evidence of it having been one apart from the exterior as stated. My memory recalls there were two studios one at the front and one at the rear both roughthly the original height of the auditorium with dressing rooms built along the left handside. There was (at least as I recall it) no evidence of the circle which may have been removed. Later on I worked for a company belonging to the original owner of the studios and was told that at one time half the building was a TV property hire company and he developed the studios from this.
Surprisingly when watching a movie it was a very intimate cinema, Ken’s picture reminded me how as a child I was facinated by the changing colour of the fading lights in the Spanish windows before the film started. This was as close as I ever got to an atmospheric interior a real hidden gem.
Laurel and Hardy appeared in person on stage at this Cinema to introduce one of their movies in the 1930’s. (They were in town because Stan Laurel was visiting his Father who by then lived in nearby West Ealing)Has any one ever seen any pictures of this event?
Brief Encounter is brilliantly staged in the former screen one. The set and mix of film and live action are extremely clever. The film is recreated with added classic Noel Coward songs performed by the cast coupled with a live jazz band that serenades the audience before the show. This production should not be missed. It would be good if more theatre could be done in this space, in the meantime lets hope this show gets a further extension.
Thanks Ken for clarifying the distributer details. Also I now suddenly recall that we left the cinema in bright daylight so it must indeed have been a trade or press showing as you suggested.
Hi Ian, I recall the musical at Her Majestys in 1984 but it was the film I saw, I still have the soundtrack album and book somewhere. It may not have been the actual premiere but some sort of special advance screening for trade clients. My father worked as a senior manager for Granada Motorway Services at the time. I really recall the foyer and staircase from the upper circle as much the same as it is at todays Cinema Haymarket. The reason it was shown here (if only once) may be that the film was a 20th Century Fox release and I think they still ran the Carlton at this time?
If my memory serves me correct I saw the premiere of the movie Bugsy Malone her in 1976 sitting in the upper circle. I Recall the then undivided auditorium being fairly ornate and also recollect the two stage boxes were still being used.After the screening all the kids and maybe adults were handed a free record and paperback book in the foyer as they left. It would be nice one day though probably not cost effective if someone could buy the office building at the back and rebuild the stage.If the planners hadn’t been so hasty in 1979 this could have been a much valued Westend Theatre. Still great that some sort of live entertainment is back.
The upstairs screen was seen in a Derren Brown show on Channel 4 a while back. A group of public and showbiz people were taken blindfolded to a mystery location for a show by Derren that was televised. Eagle eyed cinema buffs should have spotted the location at once.
My stepfather who frequently attended this cinema remembers that the screen viewed from the stalls was far too high and made viewing a film uncomfortable.The favoured cimemas in Southall were the Palace and Dominion.
After the 1968 conversion the walls at the front near the screen were sloped inwards, possibly due to the auditorium being extended into the former stage area. The slope did give an unsusual effect when watching films from certain seats. Since the conversion into two screens this effect has been lost.
Showing my age but I saw the movie Grease here on its release in 1978. It was shown in Screen 1 and I can still recall the mad scenes at the final number as everyone danced on the flat floor that extends from the former circle front to the screen. Not sure I danced I was probably worried about going through into screen 2 or 3.
I recall the old Warner Westend shortly before demolition of the auditorium block. It was always a favourite place of mine to see a film in the 1980’s even the smaller screens built in the basement were good althpugh I seem to remmember they were reached through a maze of narrow corridors and could be hard to find!! The replacement is awful and bland and as I remember has a very strange angled auditorium in one of the screens.
Was in York yesterday and having a few hours to spare thought I might try and see Casino Royale at City Screen. No Chance, two afternoon screenings sold out and queues of people out the door. Surely this proves that a city centre cinema is viable and if this movie had been on at the Odeon business would have been fantastic. Someone please take on this building and prove it can work it is so sad to see it boarded up.
While I appreciate the original campaign to save the signage I can’t help feeling it may have added to Odeon’s unwillingness to refurbish this cinema as they couldn’t rebrand. And therefore contributed to the decline. This raises the question about the fine line of preserving buildings in museum state and operating in the modern market. I agree that little imagination has been used by Odeon but ironically if a new chain or single owner takes over and I sincerely hope they do, the old signage may be consigned to storage as Odeon like to protect their name and probably would object to it remaining in place. On a suggestion for the future,maybe Norwich Union should donate the freehold of the building to the city council , they can afford it. Then intrested groups could apply to run it.
It wasn’t that bad! Though maybe the years have given me a rose tinted view of the place. For some reason I saw a lot of films here including most of the James Bond series and still remember well the climb to the first floor box office to buy tickets. The cinema didn’t have screen tabs, instead there were those lava lamp oil patterns that spiralled over the screen while you waited for the trailers. Far out man!
I might not be here if it wasn’t for this building, my late Father Patrick Mullen was Assistant Manager and later manager in the early sixties and my mother a Drama Student worked as an usherette. They met at work and married soon after. It’s no wonder I have an intrest in cinemas!
This was quite a popular cinema in those days and my mother recalls many actors including Alec Guinness and would call in to watch films unnoticed by the public.
As a teenager I made an advert at the Studios, even then I was intrested in old cinemas but remember there was very little evidence of it having been one apart from the exterior as stated. My memory recalls there were two studios one at the front and one at the rear both roughthly the original height of the auditorium with dressing rooms built along the left handside. There was (at least as I recall it) no evidence of the circle which may have been removed. Later on I worked for a company belonging to the original owner of the studios and was told that at one time half the building was a TV property hire company and he developed the studios from this.
Surprisingly when watching a movie it was a very intimate cinema, Ken’s picture reminded me how as a child I was facinated by the changing colour of the fading lights in the Spanish windows before the film started. This was as close as I ever got to an atmospheric interior a real hidden gem.
Laurel and Hardy appeared in person on stage at this Cinema to introduce one of their movies in the 1930’s. (They were in town because Stan Laurel was visiting his Father who by then lived in nearby West Ealing)Has any one ever seen any pictures of this event?