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#183898 - 9th Nov 2007 2:26pm
Cinemas
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chriskay
Veteran
Registered: 25th Oct 2007
Posts: 696
Loc: shropshire
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A couple of days ago I came up & did a little project. One of the jobs I had after I left school in 1952 was as a cinema projectionist. The two cinemas I worked at were the Ritz which was on Conway St., where there's a car park now, next to Argos, & the Plaza in Borough Rd. I didn't go to the site of the Ritz, but visited several others & took pics.
The Ritz was opened by Gracie Fields in 1937, the year I was born. It closed in 1969.
These weren't the only cinemas in town, but they were the main ones. The Ritz & Plaza had Wurlitzer organs, which rose from a pit & were played during the interval.
At that time, the programme would consist of the main feature, a second short feature (what we in the trade called a 2 reeler) & a newsreel & trailers for forthcoming films. The programme always finished with playing of "God Save the King" & it was very rude not to stand for this, or to leave before it finished.
While I was at the Plaza, we were converted for Cinemascope, with a wide screen & extra lenses, called Anamorphics, to expand the film, which was standard 35mm. but had been compressed during filming. These lenses were swung in front of the standard lens when a Cinemascope film was shown. Surround sound too!!
There was quite a skill in maintaining correct illumination on the screen. The light source was carbon arc & you had to keep the carbons correcty adjusted, or the screen would go brown on one side & blue on the other.
Attachments
Description: This Aldi is where the Rialto was. Just up the road from Bebington station, towards New Ferry.
Description: This is where the Regal was; Bebington Rd. King's Lane is 50 yards to the left. Fairs is behind me & 50 yards to my left.
Good Saturday matinées here.
Description: The Regent, on Church Rd., Tranmere,to the left of the Black Horse. The top of Well Lane is 50 yards to the right.
Description: The Plaza was next to the Kingsland dance hall, where the builder's yard is. I'm standing in Harrowby Rd.
Description: A close-up of the only remaining bit of the Plaza. The pink wall with stacks of bricks next to it. There's a 5 foot gap between that wall & the Kingsland; used to keep my bike there. Projection room was on this wall & the screen was to the right.
Description: This was the Savoy in Argyle St.
Description: The Gaumont, bottom of Park Rd. East. You can see the main park entrance in the pic.
_________________________
"Preserve your memories,
They're all that's left you"
Paul Simon.
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#183907 - 9th Nov 2007 4:00pm
Re: Cinemas
[Re: BMW Joe]
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MattLFC
Wiki Master
Registered: 14th Aug 2004
Posts: 16177
Loc: Moreton/E.Port
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Some excellent information there Chris!
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#183921 - 9th Nov 2007 4:59pm
Re: Cinemas
[Re: MattLFC]
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WADDI
Forum Master
Registered: 11th Jul 2004
Posts: 2778
Loc: Wallasey
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What about the wallasey based picture houses Chris?
good work. didnt know about the bebington ones.
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#183981 - 9th Nov 2007 10:44pm
Re: Cinemas
[Re: chriskay]
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SoundLad
Are You SoNutz?
Forum Addict
Registered: 22nd Aug 2007
Posts: 1550
Loc: Birkenhead
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My dads friend mally's ex girlfriends dad and mum used to be the projectionist in Argyle street (used to be called ABC Cinema when they where projectionists) i'll have to ask them if they have some photos of the inside of the cinema and out.  Be nice to see how it use to look etc..
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#184013 - 10th Nov 2007 12:16am
Re: Cinemas
[Re: Mark]
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MattLFC
Wiki Master
Registered: 14th Aug 2004
Posts: 16177
Loc: Moreton/E.Port
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Where the bingo hall in Moreton is, that used to be a picture house. Ill see if I can get some photos of it sometime.
My mum used to tell me when I was a kid what it was like in there, so I will see if I can get any info outta her lol.
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#184014 - 10th Nov 2007 12:18am
Re: Cinemas
[Re: MattLFC]
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MattLFC
Wiki Master
Registered: 14th Aug 2004
Posts: 16177
Loc: Moreton/E.Port
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#184587 - 12th Nov 2007 3:45pm
Re: Cinemas
[Re: chriskay]
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WADDI
Forum Master
Registered: 11th Jul 2004
Posts: 2778
Loc: Wallasey
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Ok bit of research done, thanks to http://cinematreasures.org. no pics tho sorry, maybe If I get chance I will go out and get some of the old buildings or sites.
a few Wallasey Cinemas:
Lyceum Electric Palace Cinema/The Gaumont Palace/Unit 4 Cinemas/Apollo 6 Cinemas
Located on King street in egremont (near wallasey town hall)
The Gaumont Palace opened on 13th November 1933. It replaced the earlier Lyceum Electric Palace Cinema (1910-1931) which had been destroyed by fire.
Seating arrangements for the new Gaumont Palace was designed on a stadium plan, with a raised section at the rear instead of an overhanging circle. The auditorium walls were lined with silk tapestry and lighting was via a series of lamps hung from decorative poles attached at an angle to the walls and a series Art Deco style lay-lights in the ceiling.
The theatre was built in a quiet corner of town away from the main centre. It was taken over by Classic Cinemas from 12th December 1967 and re-named Classic Cinema. Bingo was tried briefly in 1969, but films returned and in September 1974 it was taken over by Unit 4 Cinemas who divided the auditorium into four screens in 1975. In 1979 two additional screens were installed by dividing what had been the rear raised section into three screens. Taken over by Apollo Leisure it was re-named Apollo 6 Cinemas and these continued to operate until closure came in 2000. The building was left empty until 2005 when it was demolished and a block of flats built on the site.
It was a forgotten beautiful building even at the end but the developers got hold of it. It still had a lot of its original features on its exterior and apparently some remaining inside when it was converted to 6 screens, as a shell was put into the building. The decorative stone carved panels on the front of the building by artist Frank Barnes were saved intact from the demolishers.
The Phoenix was in wallasey village opposite the junction of Sandy Lane, Wirral Villa's is now built on the old site.
The Capitol was an ABC cinema and was based in Liscard, on the junction of seview road and the liscard centre one way ring. there was a roundabout at this junction before the lights and the one was system.
The Liscard Palace Cinema was a short walk along Seaview Road from the Capitol.
Opened in 1911 as the Liscard Electric Palace in Seaview Road, Wallasey, proved to be one of the area's finest and most popular venues for film entertainment.
The cinema continued to draw crowds right into the 1950s when, as with most UK cinemas, it eventually fell victim to the falling number of cinema-goers.
The Liscard Palace Cinema eventually closed in June of 1959. The building later became a supermarket (Lennons) and then a shoe shop (Shoemarket), which remains to this date.
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#185753 - 21st Nov 2007 12:23am
Re: Cinemas
[Re: BMW Joe]
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WADDI
Forum Master
Registered: 11th Jul 2004
Posts: 2778
Loc: Wallasey
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Some pictures of the above mentioned wallasey cinemas, buildings or sites of where the buildings where.
Attachments
18112007660.jpg (51 views)
Description: The Capitol in liscard
18112007657.jpg (27 views)
Description: Liscard Palace
18112007662.jpg (31 views)
Description: Site of the Lyceum Electric Palace Cinema/The Gaumont Palace/Unit 4 Cinemas/Apollo 6 Cinemas
18112007665.jpg (34 views)
Description: Site of the Phoenix
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#185759 - 21st Nov 2007 12:36am
Re: Cinemas
[Re: BMW Joe]
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WADDI
Forum Master
Registered: 11th Jul 2004
Posts: 2778
Loc: Wallasey
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to make way for apartments,
I have a picture of the apollo boarded up, currently seeking permission to post it tho.
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#185761 - 21st Nov 2007 12:47am
Re: Cinemas
[Re: BMW Joe]
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WADDI
Forum Master
Registered: 11th Jul 2004
Posts: 2778
Loc: Wallasey
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the person who took the picture.
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#185762 - 21st Nov 2007 12:48am
Re: Cinemas
[Re: WADDI]
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WADDI
Forum Master
Registered: 11th Jul 2004
Posts: 2778
Loc: Wallasey
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he is a member of this site and a member of a forum that I "pinched" the pic from, lol
so thought it would be appropriate to ask 1st.
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#185765 - 21st Nov 2007 1:00am
Re: Cinemas
[Re: BMW Joe]
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WADDI
Forum Master
Registered: 11th Jul 2004
Posts: 2778
Loc: Wallasey
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I took them pics in a drive by shooting,
explain:
Dropped wife of a ASDA to do shopping,
2 babies in the back asleep,
thought hmm what should I do, boring sat in the car in Asda carpark.
I know I'll go for a little drive, on the drive I passed the liscard palace and the capitol and a little light bulb appeared above my head, so round the liscard one way system and back towards the 2 above mentioned buildings, took the pictures on my phone hanging out of the car window whilst stopped at the lights etc, never left the car once. photography version of a drive by shotting, lol.
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#185789 - 21st Nov 2007 12:06pm
Re: Cinemas
[Re: Mark]
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SoundLad
Are You SoNutz?
Forum Addict
Registered: 22nd Aug 2007
Posts: 1550
Loc: Birkenhead
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You know where the Avenue pub is right know on Bidston avenue.. There was a cinema there called "The Avenue" it was bombed in the war
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#185807 - 21st Nov 2007 3:42pm
Re: Cinemas
[Re: SoundLad]
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WADDI
Forum Master
Registered: 11th Jul 2004
Posts: 2778
Loc: Wallasey
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the capitol and the liscard palace (shoe market) were both in liscard, very very close to one enougher
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Moderator: BMW Joe, chriskay, jonno40
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