Alhambra Cinema

I spent many hours in the Alhambra as a boy. We saw films like Oklahoma, High and Mighty (about flying), many Tarzan films, Errol Flynn swashbuckling, and Boris Karloff horror films. For the latter there was often a suitable noise made by someone in the audience at the back.I remember seeing “The Fiend without a Face” (1958 version) with a good mimic of the man who lost half his brain, from the audience. The projectionist sometimes put the reels out in the wrong order, which made the Tarzan plot confusing. Another peculiarity of the Middlewich Alhambra was that there were two ways into the auditorium with different prices. The cheaper seats were up a ramp from the ticket desk. If you paid more, the customer went up the stair to what you expected to be the circle. However, it came out at the same seating but further back! There were a lot of US American service men (and possible women) in there during the second world war because there was an air base at nearby Byley. They were very annoyed to pay more for the same seats. Another feature of the Alhambra in the 1950s was Tommy Wilton. He was a socially disadvantaged man who they let in every evening free of charge. He sat in the front row. When he got very excited during car chases and cowboy fights, he would jump up and down in his seat. The programme was changed twice a week and Tommy attended every night, so when he already knew the plot he would stand up to tell the audience what happens next! When cinemascope arrived, both sides of the picture were projected over the wall and exit doors. Eventually they got the right lens for the screen size.