Odeon Park Royal
1-6 Ritz Parade, Western Avenue,
London,
W5 3RA
1-6 Ritz Parade, Western Avenue,
London,
W5 3RA
2 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Classic Cinemas (UK), Odeon Theatres Ltd., Rank Organisation
Architects: Major William James King
Styles: Art Deco
Previous Names: Ritz Cinema, Classic, Tatler Cinema Club, Paradise Cinema
Nearby Theaters
Located on the busy Western Avenue between Park Royal and closer to Hanger Lane Tube (underground) rail stations in North West London. Major W.J. King built, designed and opened the Ritz Cinema for his London and District Cinemas Ltd. The entrance was in the centre of a parade of shops (Ritz Parade) and was dominated by a large brick tower that had inlaid glass tiles which were lit from within and it was topped by a glass lantern light. Inside the auditorium there were 1,300 seats in the stalls and 550 in the balcony. There was also a large tea lounge/cafe provided which seated 120.
The Ritz Cinema was taken over by the Odeon Theatres chain from 27th March 1944 and was re-named Odeon from 22nd April 1946. It was sold off to the Classic chain of cinemas in December 1967 and was re-named Classic Cinema. A year later it was operating as a part time Vogue Bingo Club with films showing on Saturday & Sunday only by January 1969.
From 1st July 1972, bingo and regular weekend films had been dropped and it was re-named Tatler Cinema Club screening uncensored adult movies. Less than two years later on 5th February 1974 it had been taken over by an independent and was re-named Paradise Cinema screening Asian movies. This closed in June 1980 and the building was demolished in July/August 1983 and an office block Orbit House was built. This has now been converted into a Premier Inn Hotel.
Contributed by
Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
Further details that I forgot to mention in my opening text:-
The Ritz Cinema opened on 9th April 1938.
The final programme as a full time Classic Cinema on 8th December 1968 was Terence Morgan in “The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb” and Koreya Senda “The H Man”(Bijo to Ekitainingen). Bingo then took over Mondays to Fridays, with films on a weekend.
When it became a Tatler Film Club the first programme was “Sex Serum of Doctor Blake” and Janet Banzet in “Professor Lust”. I have no record of the final depravity or the Bollywood films shown when it became the Paradise Cinema, as they were only advertised locally.
This was my local cinema, and I visited it frequently from the age of 7 to 16, when it stopped showing films full-time. One of its major attractions was that it was the only cinema in Ealing which was equipped with full 4 track mag Cinemascope presentation capability. I saw South Pacific there – in full surround sound – as a member of an audience of less than 10 people, so it was no wonder it had to close!
Even when it had closed, and was supposedly empty between 1980 and 1983, there were often lights to be seen inside, and the local belief was that people were actually LIVING in it.
a sad set of pictures here…
View link
Brilliant pictures, but VERY sad. To think that when I was a boy, it was the local 1st run cinema.
erotic urges! – press ad from march 1971 as the tatler
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/5448307280/
Used as a location in The Professionals episode First Night exterior and interior footage
The cinema was then called Paradise Cinema when it was seen in The Professionals episode First night(first transmitted in the UK on 21/10/1978). The movie posters shown all appeared to be from India?