Comments from terry

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terry
terry commented about ABC Westover Bournemouth on Jan 7, 2017 at 9:41 am

World Premiere of ‘Happy Go Lovely'in 1951 :–

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/film-chiefs-in-conference/query/westover+cinema+bournemouth

terry
terry commented about Globe Cinema on Dec 28, 2016 at 1:22 pm

Image uploaded.

terry
terry commented about ABC Derby on Dec 4, 2016 at 5:44 am

Their conversions might have been cheap but I never considered them cheerful……

terry
terry commented about ABC Kilmarnock on Nov 23, 2016 at 12:35 pm

Photos uploaded.

terry
terry commented about Odeon Newcastle upon Tyne on Nov 3, 2016 at 3:19 pm

Photo uploaded. I made a rare excursion into Newcastle today and fully expected to see the scaffolding already up. So far, however, nothing seems to have taken place – at least on the outside. I guess that inside the usual asbestos stripping etc must be in progress.

What a pity that the Paramount/Odeon was not considered worthy of restoration as it would have made a fine multi purpose auditorium (there is sufficient space at the rear to deepen the stage). It would have been far superior to the barren looking City Hall and the ‘slugs on the riverbank’ known as The Sage…..

terry
terry commented about Odeon Stockton-on-Tees on Oct 6, 2016 at 5:53 am

There were indeed live shows at the Odeon and two names which come to mind are Adam faith and Dusty Springfield. The Hippodrome, Dovecote Street also had ‘one night stands’ but the main venue in the town was the ABC Globe and the likes of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones used to play there.

terry
terry commented about ABC Huddersfield on Oct 4, 2016 at 2:22 pm

Joseph Seal, the famous Resident Organist of the Regal Kingston upon Thames became ABC’s Controller of Live Entertainment and his signature can be seen at the foot of a memo, a scanned image of which I have uploaded to the photos section, from early 1969 relating to a forthcoming live show week at the ABC (Ritz) Huddersfield.

terry
terry commented about ABC Eccles on Sep 28, 2016 at 6:36 am

Re Vic Mancini: We ‘lent’ ABC Derby a projectionist (from base ABC Huddersfield) when it tripled. Obviously, he was going to be working overtime, and I asked this particular operator to ring me weekly for details of his shifts at Derby. Prior to his secondment I said that I would , to be going on with, include an extra two shifts in week 1 until we got up to speed (at this time the payroll system was geared to the convenience of London and not those out in the field).

Mr Mancini rang me, and in his usual obnoxious, gruff, belligerent manner, asked “What are you doing about *******’s overtime, mate?” and, before I could explain that what I had arranged for week 1 was just an interim measure, he retorted" Two shifts – what the hell bloody use is two ruddy shifts, mate? Get stuffed!“ to which I replied "Mr Mancini, you may be the Zone Engineer, but do NOT speak to me like that!” and the old so and so climbed down…….

As I said this the Huddersfield Chief knocked at the office door and could not help but overhear my irate tone and said “You just did right speaking to Mancini as you did as he’ll walk all over you if you let him!”

terry
terry commented about ABC Blackpool on Sep 25, 2016 at 2:08 pm

Although, as I recall, the Dick Emery Show in 1976 was presented at ABC Great Yarmouth the previous year ie 1975.

terry
terry commented about Regal Cinema on Sep 25, 2016 at 2:03 pm

Did you , as a young man, once take a number of interior shots of the Haymarket, Newcastle whilst I was there? If so, it would have been on a Sunday afternoon.

If I am correct, then they will be the only ones of a professional standard taken in full houselights and with the tabs closed. Would it be possible to obtain copies, please?

Better still, perhaps you could upload them to the Haymarket’s photo section as the existing shots do not give people a true indication of how nice an auditorium (albeit rather old fashioned) it really was.

My apologies if I have mistaken you for someone else.

terry
terry commented about Cannon Newcastle upon Tyne on Sep 23, 2016 at 10:33 am

3 more images uploaded.

terry
terry commented about ABC Blackpool on Sep 23, 2016 at 10:30 am

3 images uploaded.

terry
terry commented about ABC Blackpool on Sep 17, 2016 at 11:47 am

Image uploaded to photos section.

terry
terry commented about Cannon Newcastle upon Tyne on Sep 17, 2016 at 11:46 am

Uploaded to the photos section are the following:–

3 Roadshow shots. ABC 1 (former Stalls) with tabs open. Entrance foyer. ABC 2 (former Rear Circle: 3 shots).

terry
terry commented about ABC Haymarket Newcastle upon Tyne on Sep 17, 2016 at 11:26 am

Four photos uploaded of the auditorium in the houselights taken a few days before closure.

Unfortunately, the cable for the tabs had just ‘given up the ghost’. Steve Veasey, ABC Furnishing Manager, had ordered new curtains and a pelmet for the Haymarket in 1980 but the latter failed to materialise for some unknown reason.

The fountains were only partially illuminated latterly and many of the elaborate light fittings had been removed during a 1976 re-dec. Furthermore, most of the trough lighting had also been disconnected.

By and large, though, the photos give a hint of what the place had looked like in its heyday.

terry
terry commented about Splay wall fountain on Sep 17, 2016 at 11:13 am

Also at each side of the painted over wall decoration below the fountains there were, prior to a 1976 re-dec, two copper poles at the top of which were Egyptian style torches ( the ‘flames’) which someone in officialdom deemed should be removed…….

terry
terry commented about Savoy Cinema on Sep 17, 2016 at 10:50 am

Photo uploaded showing the queue for ‘Jaws’ December 1975.

terry
terry commented about Court Kinema on Sep 17, 2016 at 7:07 am

Article re the Court’s destruction by fire:–

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/history/memories/14694067.The_day_Darlington_s_first_purpose_built_cinema_came_to_a_fiery_end/

terry
terry commented about Scala Cinema on Sep 17, 2016 at 6:40 am

Photo uploaded of the building whilst still the Scala Cinema

terry
terry commented about Palladium Cinema on Aug 30, 2016 at 6:26 am

Two photos uploaded of the place in its pre – modernisation form. The one taken from the circle in 1954 shows the screen set well back from the proscenium. The house tabs, sadly, are drawn back and not visible here but they were the heavy theatrical style with appliqued stripes and looked rather splendid illuminated by the footlights.

I understood that the facade was to be incorporated within the new development (Student Accommodation) and it is a shame that this will not now materialise as the arched stained glass window used to look rather spectacular when illuminated and flanked by the two ‘Palladium’ fin signs at night time.

terry
terry commented about Cannon Newcastle upon Tyne on Aug 9, 2016 at 6:16 am

Image of Special Presentation ticket uploaded to the photos section: ‘Half a Sixpence’ 17th April 1968, seat number P 25 which was on the fourth row of the Centre Circle.

terry
terry commented about ABC Haymarket Newcastle upon Tyne on Aug 1, 2016 at 2:00 pm

I have not found the actual photo (it was in a desk drawer at the Haymarket long after the death of Doug Parkin) but I have found a link to – presumably – the same image :–

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rustythespian/5867145226/in/photolist-7dBJW6-7dm5Bk-7dBKie-7dFCWh-6ERBtp-7dC9XT-5uSWKH-7eotMk-9WsDSj

terry
terry commented about Essoldo Shildon on Jul 30, 2016 at 12:25 pm

Photo uploaded which must have been taken soon after closure in 1969 as the sign is intact on the front of house.

terry
terry commented about Regent Cinema on Jul 6, 2016 at 6:06 am

Thompsons' owned and operated two of my local cinemas (Darlington was within my catchment but the Regent closed when I was a small boy), namely Shildon Hippodrome (once a GB house) and the very ‘posh’ Durham Palladium. They owned their own ice cream company, ‘Erimus’ (the factory was close to the new Thompsons' cinema, Middlesbrough Majestic on Longlands Road) and I preferred it to the ‘Eldorado’ brand sold at the Essoldos in Shildon and Bishop Auckland……….

terry
terry commented about Cannon Newcastle upon Tyne on Jun 25, 2016 at 6:58 am

The ‘block’ design signage which once comprised the name ‘Essoldo’ (and briefly ‘Classic’) was taken down by ABC when they acquired the building at an exorbitant cost in 1974 – it was said that this was financed by their sale of the huge ABC Stockton.

The standard ABC ‘lozenges’ replaced the old sign whilst the blocks were stored in the intake room (of all places) for a long time until , one day, some ABC ‘bright spark’ said “You know what? These blocks , seven of them, could be adapted to read A B C 1 & 2 – with EMI occupying the lowest block!”

Brilliant! More money wasted by that company who could have worked that one out in the first place……

The bargain basement ‘Cannon’ outfit , however, were much, much, more inept. They saw fit to remove the three blocks which said ‘ABC’ and erected their horrible standard ‘Cannon’ sign leaving ‘1 & 2’ below and detaching the lowest block. They obviously did not have the intelligence to simply adapt the 7 blocks to read ‘Cannon'plus their corporate logo (such as it was) within the lowest block………