ABC Edinburgh
120 Lothian Road,
Edinburgh,
EH3 8BQ
120 Lothian Road,
Edinburgh,
EH3 8BQ
3 people
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See my comment accompanying image number 3 in the photos section.
Photo added.
The opening of Europe’s first triple cinema, the ABC Edinburgh 1969:–
http://www.britishpathe.com/video/new-abc-cinema/query/ABC+Edinburgh
Photo uploaded of auditorium from the stage.
3 photos uploaded.
I used to work here in the early 60s when Les Lovell was the manager, I played Ice Hockey with his sons. It was the time that they started to have live bands like the Beach Boys and The Trogs and a few others it was a great time on Lothian Road 1960s was the best.
Mike_Blakemore on May 12, 2013 at 5:04 pm (remove) So.. Right.. Fanatical— Odeon… From when I started with ABC and finished being an Independent Circuit Director. I Expected and gave Presentation. to almost All Programmes. Inc of an Overture inc a suitable colour on the Tabs to set the mood.. Turning the sound up on Trademarks and screems Hmm.. The Bang of the Gong.. The Fox Fanfair.. The Roar of the Lion.. The Multiplex management are only interested in Coke and Popcorn sales. Cinema has lost “The Magic”
acs is spot on. When TVs are becoming ever more sophisticated, one would think cinemas ought to be going all out to offer something very different – including a sense of occasion and special atmosphere, something well maintained older cinemas can do so well. Cinema architects with flair and imagination have long gone, as have the theatrical elements which can create magic in most cinema buildings. The multiplex screen is naked, in a “black box” with airport lounge lighting – a conveyor belt for films and giant portions of predictable, expensive refreshments. If you’re lucky, the sound will be fair to good; if you’re lucky, the other cinemagoers around you might know how to behave in a public place. Chances are, in four months time, you could watch the film when you want, in Blu-ray quality and in the undisturbed comfort of your home.
As with everything, mercifully, there are exceptions to the general rule and there are cinemas I travel many miles to enjoy, like the Odeon and Empire One in Leicester Square, the Rex, Berkhamstead, the Plaza, Stockport, the Pictureville, Bradford and several other, largely independent, cinemas whose owners/operators know the value of putting on a good show around the film programme.
I have load a picture of the interior View (i hope I have loaded right one. (The pencil on back faded)
Photo as the Cannon in 1993 here:–
View link
So great city centre cinemas are closed down, and I mean the Odeon Clerk Street also, in order to have crappy and soul-less multiplexes which no one likes spending time in when the film is not being shown, and during this time are only perfunctorily utilitarian though also depressing or migraine giving. These cinemas used to make people happy. They were unpretentious and well thought out, and if they had a small bar, it would be a nice place to relax at. Aside from that, cinemas, as these did no doubt, should make the viewer want to treturn to the building. People just get sore heads nowadays with the crappy multiplexes. It is just that some people don’t want people to enjoy themselves. It is nothing else.
I used to work there and was at the closing do in 2001. Last time I visited it was all very strange to see it converted…
RB