The Fairfax Theatre originally opened in 1932 (July?) and it had an original seating capacity of 1,504. A Wurlitzer 2 Manual/6 Rank SP theatre organ was installed.
Still to be seen today in faded lettering on the rear of the stage house is the painted sign stating; ‘New Fairfax Theatre – Glorifying the Talking Picture’
Located on Bristol Road South, Longbridge, Birmingham. The Danilo Cinema was designed in an art deco style by architect Ernest S. Roberts. It opened on 28th January 1939 and had a seating capacity of 1,479. It was the 4th of Mortimer Dent’s Danilo Cinemas Circuit to open.
In 1946 the Danilo Cinema Circuit was sold to the Southan Morris operated S.M. Super Cinemas Ltd, but they retained the Danilo name. In 1954 S.M. Super Cinemas were sold to the Essoldo Circuit and the Danilo Longbridge was re-named Essoldo Cinema. It showed its last film “Barbarella” on 23rd November 1968 and was converted into a bingo club.
Located on Bristol Road South, Northfield, Birmingham. The Northfield Cinema was opened on 4th February 1929. The architect was Major Lewis R. McFarlane and it had a seating capacity of 1,178. It remained an independent cinema throughout its life, finally closing on 2nd June 1962 with the films “Blood of the Vampire” & “Grip of the Strangler”.
When operated by Mann Theatres, the Rialto suffered a fire on the stage in the early 1970’s? I belive this destroyed the organ console and in 1972 the organ pipes were removed from the chanbers. I am told that the reason why the plasterwork on the organ grilles either side of the proscenium opening was damaged (and remains so today) is because the pipes were literally just thrown out through the holes onto the front orchestra stalls floor before final removal. I can’t vouch authenticity in this story, it is just what I was told.
The organ was a Wurlitzer 2 Manual/10 Rank opened by Ray Metcalf in 1925. It became a popular instrument in the 1960’s when concerts and recordings were made on it by George Wright.
‘Motor City Marquees’ book about Detroit theatres by Stuart Galbraith IV (1965) lists: Loyal, 13803 Grand River, Detroit. 1926; 550 seats
‘The Loyal just missed the attendance boom during World War II. The theatre was re-named Alvin in 1940, but closed before the end of the year.’
The Film Daily Yearbook 1941 lists the ‘Alvin, Grand River, 440 seats’, but no mention of a Loyal Theater. I think FDY’s were typeset the previous year to their published year, so it could have closed after it went to press.
The street address of the Astoria is 10-13 Gloucester Place. It opened on 21st September 1933, the architect being Edward A Stone with interior decorations in a French Art Deco style by interior designers Henri & Laverdet (who had worked with Stone on his other Astoria Theatres in London at Streatham and Finsbury Park and at the Whitehall Theatre, London).
The Astoria Brighton was built for E.E. Lyons who was starting up a chain of Astoria Cinemas in southern England at the time, but he died in 1934 and the Astoria Brighton (together with several others of his cinemas) was taken over by the ABC chain of theatres. The final film shown was Barbra Streisand in “A Star is Born on 7th May 1977.
The Academy Cinema was re-modelled both externally and interally in 1938/39 by Gaumont British house architect W.E. Trent supervising local architect A.E. Potter. Work was done in the mornings and overnight without closing the cinema.
It was demolished in 1974, a block of offices Academy House was built on the site.
Warren:
According to Charles Francisco’s bok “The Radio City Music Hall-An Affectionate History of the World’s Greatest Theater” (1979) the next time that RCMH played a movie that wasn’t first-run there (after Cavalcade in 1933) was in early 1975 when it played “Gone With the Wind”
This is performance of G&S “Iolanthe” performed by the Ridgewood Gilbert & Sulivan Opera Co.. Sunday 21st November 2004 at 2:00pm Admision is FREE. A great opportunity to see the Loew’s and also see the stage being used. I wish I could be there.
According to Larry Widen and Judi Anderson’s book ‘Milwaukee Movie Palaces’ (1986) the architects of the Airway Theatre were Peacock & Belognia. It operated from 1949 until 1967 and seated 550.
The street address of the Savoy Cinema is 1649-1651 Pershore Road, Stirchley, Birmingham. It originally opened in 1923 as a silent cinema and music hall known as the Kings Norton Palace of Varieties (later known as the Palace Cinema).
In 1933 it was refurbished and modernised and re-opened as the Savoy Cinema. A monthly programme for 1938 is headed ‘The Savoy, Kings Norton’. It closed on 2nd February 1958 and was converted into industrial use, known as Savoy Works.
Strangely, the only ‘Savoy Cinema’ I have records of in my listings of Birmingham cinemas (various Kine Yearbooks) is the Savoy, Breedon Cross, Kings Norton which had a seating capacity of 950.
The King’s Norton Cinema opened in September 1938. The architect was Harold Seymour Scott and it seated 1,142. It closed in June 1983 and sheltered flats for the elderly have been built on the site.
There is a photo of the exterior taken in 1967 in the book ‘Birmingham Cinemas’ by Christine Wilkinson and Margaret Hanson published in 2003 by Tempus Publishing Ltd ISBN 0 7524 3080 7
The Majestic Theater, Dallas was used as an extensive film location shoot soon after closing in 1973. The theatre is seen to great advantage in many scenes of Brian De Palma’s “Phantom of the Paradise” (1974) starring Paul Williams. It is available on DVD.
The architects of the Maxine Theater were McFarlane, Maul & Lenz.
The Film Daily Yearbook 1941 lists the Park Theatre as having 790 seats.
The Fairfax Theatre originally opened in 1932 (July?) and it had an original seating capacity of 1,504. A Wurlitzer 2 Manual/6 Rank SP theatre organ was installed.
Still to be seen today in faded lettering on the rear of the stage house is the painted sign stating; ‘New Fairfax Theatre – Glorifying the Talking Picture’
During the early 1950’s the Gordon Theatre was part of the Fox West Coast Theaters circuit on District 1.
The headers at the top of this posting need to be updated to:
Status: Open
Screens: 1
Style: Art Deco
Function: Movies 1st run/Art House
The Fox Studio City Theatre opened about 1939. It had a seating capacity of 880. It closed to movies in February 1991.
The Allen Theater is listed as having 673 seats in the Film Daily Yearbook 1952.
Located on Bristol Road South, Longbridge, Birmingham. The Danilo Cinema was designed in an art deco style by architect Ernest S. Roberts. It opened on 28th January 1939 and had a seating capacity of 1,479. It was the 4th of Mortimer Dent’s Danilo Cinemas Circuit to open.
In 1946 the Danilo Cinema Circuit was sold to the Southan Morris operated S.M. Super Cinemas Ltd, but they retained the Danilo name. In 1954 S.M. Super Cinemas were sold to the Essoldo Circuit and the Danilo Longbridge was re-named Essoldo Cinema. It showed its last film “Barbarella” on 23rd November 1968 and was converted into a bingo club.
Located on Bristol Road South, Northfield, Birmingham. The Northfield Cinema was opened on 4th February 1929. The architect was Major Lewis R. McFarlane and it had a seating capacity of 1,178. It remained an independent cinema throughout its life, finally closing on 2nd June 1962 with the films “Blood of the Vampire” & “Grip of the Strangler”.
The architect of the Gladwin Park Theater was E.H. Rogers.
When operated by Mann Theatres, the Rialto suffered a fire on the stage in the early 1970’s? I belive this destroyed the organ console and in 1972 the organ pipes were removed from the chanbers. I am told that the reason why the plasterwork on the organ grilles either side of the proscenium opening was damaged (and remains so today) is because the pipes were literally just thrown out through the holes onto the front orchestra stalls floor before final removal. I can’t vouch authenticity in this story, it is just what I was told.
The organ was a Wurlitzer 2 Manual/10 Rank opened by Ray Metcalf in 1925. It became a popular instrument in the 1960’s when concerts and recordings were made on it by George Wright.
‘Motor City Marquees’ book about Detroit theatres by Stuart Galbraith IV (1965) lists: Loyal, 13803 Grand River, Detroit. 1926; 550 seats
‘The Loyal just missed the attendance boom during World War II. The theatre was re-named Alvin in 1940, but closed before the end of the year.’
The Film Daily Yearbook 1941 lists the ‘Alvin, Grand River, 440 seats’, but no mention of a Loyal Theater. I think FDY’s were typeset the previous year to their published year, so it could have closed after it went to press.
The street address of the Astoria is 10-13 Gloucester Place. It opened on 21st September 1933, the architect being Edward A Stone with interior decorations in a French Art Deco style by interior designers Henri & Laverdet (who had worked with Stone on his other Astoria Theatres in London at Streatham and Finsbury Park and at the Whitehall Theatre, London).
The Astoria Brighton was built for E.E. Lyons who was starting up a chain of Astoria Cinemas in southern England at the time, but he died in 1934 and the Astoria Brighton (together with several others of his cinemas) was taken over by the ABC chain of theatres. The final film shown was Barbra Streisand in “A Star is Born on 7th May 1977.
The Academy Cinema was re-modelled both externally and interally in 1938/39 by Gaumont British house architect W.E. Trent supervising local architect A.E. Potter. Work was done in the mornings and overnight without closing the cinema.
It was demolished in 1974, a block of offices Academy House was built on the site.
Warren:
According to Charles Francisco’s bok “The Radio City Music Hall-An Affectionate History of the World’s Greatest Theater” (1979) the next time that RCMH played a movie that wasn’t first-run there (after Cavalcade in 1933) was in early 1975 when it played “Gone With the Wind”
This is performance of G&S “Iolanthe” performed by the Ridgewood Gilbert & Sulivan Opera Co.. Sunday 21st November 2004 at 2:00pm Admision is FREE. A great opportunity to see the Loew’s and also see the stage being used. I wish I could be there.
According to Larry Widen and Judi Anderson’s book ‘Milwaukee Movie Palaces’ (1986) the architects of the Airway Theatre were Peacock & Belognia. It operated from 1949 until 1967 and seated 550.
The architect of the Avon Theatre was R.O. Rosen, who designed the theatre to seat 1,080 in orchestra stalls and balcony levels.
The Film Daily Yearbook 1941 lists the seating capacity of the Morse Theatre as 800.
The Film Daily Yearbook 1941 lists the seating capacity as 750.
The Film Daily Yearbook 1930 gives a seating capacity of 762.
Thank’s for clarifying that Derek.
The street address of the Savoy Cinema is 1649-1651 Pershore Road, Stirchley, Birmingham. It originally opened in 1923 as a silent cinema and music hall known as the Kings Norton Palace of Varieties (later known as the Palace Cinema).
In 1933 it was refurbished and modernised and re-opened as the Savoy Cinema. A monthly programme for 1938 is headed ‘The Savoy, Kings Norton’. It closed on 2nd February 1958 and was converted into industrial use, known as Savoy Works.
Strangely, the only ‘Savoy Cinema’ I have records of in my listings of Birmingham cinemas (various Kine Yearbooks) is the Savoy, Breedon Cross, Kings Norton which had a seating capacity of 950.
The King’s Norton Cinema opened in September 1938. The architect was Harold Seymour Scott and it seated 1,142. It closed in June 1983 and sheltered flats for the elderly have been built on the site.
There is a photo of the exterior taken in 1967 in the book ‘Birmingham Cinemas’ by Christine Wilkinson and Margaret Hanson published in 2003 by Tempus Publishing Ltd ISBN 0 7524 3080 7
The Majestic Theater, Dallas was used as an extensive film location shoot soon after closing in 1973. The theatre is seen to great advantage in many scenes of Brian De Palma’s “Phantom of the Paradise” (1974) starring Paul Williams. It is available on DVD.