RE: Lost Cinema's of Brum - 3

Tell you what Phil considering the short time snce we started This list is going really well. SB

Next on the list, as I say trying not to repeat any already posted.

O to S
Odeon.................................. Kingstanding
Odeon.................................. New Street, City
Odeon.................................. Perry Barr
Odeon.................................. Queensway, City
Olton.................................... Solihull
Olympia................................. Sparkbrook
Orient................................... Aston
Oxford.................................. High St, City
Palace................................... Spring Hill
Paramount.............................. New St, City
Palladium............................... Hockley
Palace................................... Erdington
Park Lane................................ Aston
Pavilion Electric...................... ..Witton
Picture House........................... Erdington
Picture House........................... New St, City
Picture House........................... Sparkbrook
Picture House........................... Witton
Picture Playhouse...................... Acocks Green
Plaza..................................... Stockland Green
Premier.................................. Aston
Provincial................................ Harborne
Regal..................................... Handsworth
Rialto..................................... Hall Green
Robin Hood.............................. Hall Green
Rock...................................... Alum Rock
Rookery.................................. Handsworth
Royal Cinema............................ Corporation St, City
Royalty................................... Harborne
Saltley Palace............................ Saltley
Savoy..................................... Sparkhill
Savoy..................................... Stirchley
Scala...................................... Smallbrook St, City
Select.................. .................. Station St, City
Selly Oak Picturedrome................. Selly Oak
Showcase................................ Kingstanding
Sparkhill Palace.......................... Sparkhill
Springfield.......................... ..... Erdington
Star............................. .......... Gravelly Hill
Stirchley Empire......................... Stirchley
Stirchley Pavilion........................ Stirchley

Just one phil Odeon New Street is still operating SB

SB

How do you mean, I'm not making a list of those cinemas that are now closed. Although I think that most of the ones I have posted so far are. But that only because it has hard to find one that is still open. I'm trying to list all the cinemas that have ever been open in Birmingham since cinemas began.

I'm listing from books & memory so when finished and including those listed by yourself and other members we should have pretty much covered them all.

Then we can start to record our memory's of the ones that we remember. Anything of historical, personal memory or just of interest.

Phil

Now I understand, I thought we were only doing the ones that are closed I am with you now.

The final part of my list, I realise that some of these are still open today and some still exist though are being used for other purposes.

It would be nice if you could take a look at the list, recall whichever ones you can, and record you memories here. It would also be interesting if you knew if the cinema in question was still open or closed and gone or even closed but being used for another use.

Phil

T to Z
Tatler........................................ Station St, City
Temperance Hall............................ Temple St, City
Theatre De Luxe........................ .....New St, City
Tivoli.......................................... Station St, City
Triangle....................................... Gosta Gree
Tyseley........................................ Tyseley
Victoria........................................ Small Heath
Victoria Playhouse............................ Aston
Villa Cross...................................... Lozells
Warwick........................................ Acocks Green
Weoley Castle................................. Weoley Castle
West End....................................... Suffolk St, City
Winson Green.................................. Winson Green
Wylde Green Pavilion.......................... Wylde Green

I'll make a start with my recollections of The Ashted Cinema, Ashted Row, Nechells. From when I was about 5 until I was 10 I lived in Francis St which was just around the corner from this Cinema.

It was the local flea pit, I don't think it ever showed first run movies and they always seemed to be B films.

But it was cheap and as long as it showed plenty of cowboy films, we kids were happy enough. The Saturday afternoon matinées were good value at 4d for over two hours of entertainment.

We used to use the side door on Saturday afternoons, they had a pay kiosk there as well. The front entrance wasn't used at all for matinées. I suppose the theory was no kids could sneak in if there was only one entrance in operation.

The Ashted closed down and was demolished round about 1964.I think the area is now taken by a block of flats.

Phil

Another fleapit, bughole (what names we had for them) was the Olympia on Ladypool Rd in Sparkbrook. Me and my younger uncle "Ben" would often go to this picture house when we had seen what was on the Moseley.

Rember how Mon, Tue, Wed would be one film. Thu, Fri, Sat. would be another. Then Sunday would be another film. Not like the posher cinemas that did a 7 day run. The Olympia I think must have struggled more than most to stay open due to falling trade. It was one of the first to close at the end of the 50's and it never even changed over to Eastern films like most did.

It just closed and opened up later as a TV & Audio sales centre. As far as I am aware it still is used for this purpose now.

Phil

Trouble is of course Phil many Cinemas were kept going with people going in to see the news, especially about the war. When they got Television that must have cut cinema audiences by thousands in Brum alone. SB

SB

Did you notice how many name changes The Electric Cinema went through. It was known as the Electric, the Select, the Select Repertory Cinema, the News Theatre, the Tatler, the Jacey, the Classic, and the Tivoli. Now I believe its the Electric again.

Whats that nine name changes and eight different names. Unless of course anybody knowns of any more.

All I know is. if you were at New St Station and you needed a porter the only place you would find one was either in this cinema or in Cutlers (the Crown Public House).

Phil

Phil
Considering how old the Electric Cinema/Theatre/Flea pit is, I suppose it could have had a few different owners maybe, that would explain some of the name changes or maybe as audiences waned it was reinvented now again. SB

There used to be a cinema for the dirty mac brigade on Bristol St, near to Monaco House it had real comfy seats, I heard somewhere.
PJ

PJ

There was a small Art House? cinema next to the Odeon Ringway that showed films of a dubious nature said to be art films. Then there was the one around the corner on Bristol Street that just showed filth the Cinephone.

Phil

Phil
Is that where you left your mac?

The Imperial Cinema & The Alhambra Cinema. Another two picture houses I used as a youngster ans as a youth. Saturday morning it would be the 6d crush at the Alhambra on Moseley Rd Highgate to pass away the morning. Then home for some dinner, then it was out again to the Imperial Moseley Rd Balsall Heath for much of the same thing. The only thing is if we went to both matinées we didn't get money for an ice lolly.

Later in my youth I used both cinemas, it wasn't so much to see the films then. It was more to see what girls were in there. Though I did manage to see the first James Bond film Dr No on the Imperial and Ben Hur on the Alhambra.

Phil