This Cinemas was built in response to the Planned Odeon being built in Rhyl. I am told that Rhyl Entertainments had been approached to sell the operation to Odeon. This was refused. The Regal was built long before the Odeon was finished in response to the threat posed. Odeon had difficulties building their cinema it kept on sinking into the ground.
Oscar Deutsch became involved only by buying £100 of Shares. The Clift faction of Shareholders held the majority shares interest until 1948.. When it became a FULL Odeon Weedan did no designing of this Theatre. Satchwell and Roberts where a far bigger practics, then Weedon and where shareholders in This theatre and Kingstanding. which are the 2 Odeon oddities. The tiles frontages where done by Cliftons associated companies long before Oscar Deutsch decided to use them. Deutsch built cinemas before these 2 sites was quite non descript.. Oscar Deutsch copied Sidney Clift ideas on Finace and systems. Even down to naming his Cinemas Odeon using part of his name.. Just Like Clift of Clifton. Another point they had Offices in the same building in Birmingham. In 1941 Odeon and Clifton nearly merged on the Death of Deutsch,
The company the purchased the Bath Company assets was “The Stratford Picture House Company Ltd., which was associated with Clifton Management. Sidney Clift only had 10% stake in the company which was why it survived. The Birmingham accountants Harold Brown. Solicitor Howard Baker (also Ranks Midland Legal Man). Dr Rowe and Ken Jones Snr were the main owners Having Sir Sidney Clift on the board gave the Theatre booking power. On the big fall out 1962 Those cinemas with this ownership configuration joined up with the BT Davis Group of Cinemas to form Theatre Administration Ltd.,
Was owned by Hewitson’s of Smethwick They built the Warwick Cinemas as a replacement for this then closed it. They used Horace Bradley who designed a number of theatres for Hewitson
The Vitoria Place House Group took over in the 1950’s From Hewitson’s of Smethwick when they put up a number of their cinemas up for auction One of the others was the Broadway Cinema Bristol Road which they sold off to Joseph Cohen of Jacey with 24 hours
Terry The Kine Year book has a very large number of inaccuracies as there was always a delay of up to date details reaching the company From 1954 seen the reduction of seating capacities due to CinemaScope being installed. The is legal a requirement for the front row in relationship to the top of the screen of 35 degrees Which seems to be being ignored now. But Probably the Local Licensing department no longer employ people that know what they are doing
Boyo45. Theatre Administration (BT Davis was the Chairman of that company) was the Film Bookers of the Theatre The Cinema was owned by BT Davis and Ken Jones The BT Davis Family still own the Savoy at Monmouth
The James A Roberts architects practice designed the structure of the cinema plus all of the Queensway They employed Modernisation Ltd., The John Freeze-Greene company to designed and the fitout the interiors of both cinemas
This Cinemas was built in response to the Planned Odeon being built in Rhyl. I am told that Rhyl Entertainments had been approached to sell the operation to Odeon. This was refused. The Regal was built long before the Odeon was finished in response to the threat posed. Odeon had difficulties building their cinema it kept on sinking into the ground.
Oscar Deutsch became involved only by buying £100 of Shares. The Clift faction of Shareholders held the majority shares interest until 1948.. When it became a FULL Odeon Weedan did no designing of this Theatre. Satchwell and Roberts where a far bigger practics, then Weedon and where shareholders in This theatre and Kingstanding. which are the 2 Odeon oddities. The tiles frontages where done by Cliftons associated companies long before Oscar Deutsch decided to use them. Deutsch built cinemas before these 2 sites was quite non descript.. Oscar Deutsch copied Sidney Clift ideas on Finace and systems. Even down to naming his Cinemas Odeon using part of his name.. Just Like Clift of Clifton. Another point they had Offices in the same building in Birmingham. In 1941 Odeon and Clifton nearly merged on the Death of Deutsch,
The company the purchased the Bath Company assets was “The Stratford Picture House Company Ltd., which was associated with Clifton Management. Sidney Clift only had 10% stake in the company which was why it survived. The Birmingham accountants Harold Brown. Solicitor Howard Baker (also Ranks Midland Legal Man). Dr Rowe and Ken Jones Snr were the main owners Having Sir Sidney Clift on the board gave the Theatre booking power. On the big fall out 1962 Those cinemas with this ownership configuration joined up with the BT Davis Group of Cinemas to form Theatre Administration Ltd.,
For Me. This Theatre had just as much design merit as the School of Art.. Mutter.. Mutter… Mutter.. You can guess what I feel.
Yes I did put the note on Focus Crewe I was going to add it to here :) saved me.
The Focus sign on the front.. ended up on the front of the Focus Cinema at Bagillt North Wales
I have loaded a picture of the cinema in better times
The Interior is virtually the same as The Clifton Perry Barr The difference was the paint effect
The picture I had, had a different name on the back which I have put on.
The Cinema was owned by George Parkes who also had “The Stockland Green Playhouse Company (Plaza) and the Apollo Cinema Tyburn Road
Films Carried on until the demolition for the New Complex. I help in Projection repairs there. Sid Sipping owned the cinema
Regal Daventry was owned by Sid Sipping
I believe the Theatre should be fully restored and not a conserved wreck of an auditorium
For the British Members This was the first professional Booking that Bruce Forsyth performed in.
Was owned by Hewitson’s of Smethwick They built the Warwick Cinemas as a replacement for this then closed it. They used Horace Bradley who designed a number of theatres for Hewitson
The Vitoria Place House Group took over in the 1950’s From Hewitson’s of Smethwick when they put up a number of their cinemas up for auction One of the others was the Broadway Cinema Bristol Road which they sold off to Joseph Cohen of Jacey with 24 hours
Terry The Kine Year book has a very large number of inaccuracies as there was always a delay of up to date details reaching the company From 1954 seen the reduction of seating capacities due to CinemaScope being installed. The is legal a requirement for the front row in relationship to the top of the screen of 35 degrees Which seems to be being ignored now. But Probably the Local Licensing department no longer employ people that know what they are doing
Boyo45. Theatre Administration (BT Davis was the Chairman of that company) was the Film Bookers of the Theatre The Cinema was owned by BT Davis and Ken Jones The BT Davis Family still own the Savoy at Monmouth
E.J. BRYANT Mentioned here was the main shareholder in the built Odeon Cinema Bradford and he built it. The Odeon was going to be a Clifton cinema
It was not the Arts Lab That was on a different site
Mr Woodruff main job was Managing a Woolworths
You see the canopy sticking out on the right We are still short of a full on picture of the frontage during this period
The James A Roberts architects practice designed the structure of the cinema plus all of the Queensway They employed Modernisation Ltd., The John Freeze-Greene company to designed and the fitout the interiors of both cinemas
The Cinema is currently being demolished. 29.6.19
The Cinemas was Built for the Victoria Playhouse company and later they sold to ABC