Odeon Birmingham

The Odeon Cinema opened as the Paramount Theater on 4th September 1937. The architects were Frank Verity & Samuel Beverley (Cinerama is not a style of architecture) the Paramount was Art Deco. It was one of several Paramount Theaters built by Paramount Pictures in major cities in the United Kingdom. The Birmingam Paramount had a seating capacity of 2,441. The organ was a Compton 4 manual/10 rank which was still in use occasionally into the mid-1980's.

It was taken over by Odeon Theatres and re-named Odeon in August 1942. It was never part of the ABC Theatres chain. In 1965 it was closed for a few months for a major modernisation which stripped the building of many of its original decorative features. Until it was split up into four screens the huge original seating capacity served well as a venue for pop concerts as well as films.

A close-up view of the main entrance, photographed in 1971 here:
http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/cavalcade/birminghamo.jpg

Interior - pre-subdivision - shot including the organ here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/74758785/in/pool-cinemasignage/

A current view of the main entrance 'facade':
http://community.webshots.com/photo/275459949/275459949VCEZsg

Another couple of 2006 photos of the exterior here:-

Front:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/97877413/

Back:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/97877414/

In 1964, the Odeon broke it's box office record with the Beatles' film "A Hard Days Night" which ran for many weeks. However, it was short lived as the next presentation, Walt Disney's 1937 Classic "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" surpassed it creating a new record.

Terry Widlake

I was also priveliged to appear on stage at the Odeon in the early 70's. as bass player and personal representative to ROY ORBISON for 10 years. The Odeon audience (a sold out performance)remains fixed in memory because in the 10 years of performing with Roy, it was the only show that did NOT get us a standing ovation. Everyone remained seated and applauded wildly for the longest time! Why Brum?!
Our many performances in Birmingham (my home town) were always precious to me. Roy loved the Birmigham people They rated highly amongst his favorite audiences worldwide. Roy's movie, "The Fastest Guitar Alive" was screened at the Gaumont, Snow Hill on it's
release in the late 60's. Shortly after that the Gaumont was transformed into a Cinerama theater which had the largest screen in the world with the exception of the 'travelling' Cinerama theater in the US - held under a big-top, circus style.

Terry, I think you've got a few dates mixed up there. It would be the ABC New St. which played "Fastest Guitar Alive" which came out in 1966. The Gaumont (Colmore Circus, it is) only played one MGM release in those years, being Seven Brides for 7 Brothers since that was in 70mm. The Gaumont was converted to Cinerama on October 14, 1963: its first showcase being "Cinerama Holiday" followed by "It's a Mad,Mad,Mad World" which played for six months from December 26th that year. The Cinerama "Big Top" thingy was called Itinerama which was based in Walsall(of all places) from 1964 until its demise in April 1967. There were other Itinerama Big Tops in Britain such as in Plymouth and Brighton.

p.s. The Gaumont Snow Hill was booked up continually from April 20, 1965 to July 7, 1968 with Julie Andrews in "Sound of Music". Then came "Dr.Dolittle" (the original Rex Harrison musical) followed by "Oliver" which went on for a further year.

OOps. Minor typo in my earlier message. "Fastest Guitar Alive" was released in 1968(UK) February 25 to be exact. No West End release(will finitely ascertain later this week)unless you count the ABC's Edgware Road and Fulham Road that is. Have got an advert if anyone wants one e-mailing. Maybe the ABC Coleshill St Birmingham did get a showing since that was equipped by then for 70mm. But then the movie wasn't in anything but ordinary scope.

Appreciate the corrections. I felt sure that I saw a photograph of the Gaumont marquee on Colmore Row (as it was then)displaying The Fastest Guitar Alive - buat again, I concede that many of the chain'e cinemas looked alike. My memory is not as good as it was... I don't remember the ABC (Forum) New St showing it. Mad World I went to see on Boxing day with my family....however, according to you this was the first day(?). I had already been to see it sometime before I treated family to the performance on Boxing Day. The Big Top thing was an American Thing. I called Cinerama here to ask them about it as I was thinking of putting on a charit benefit show. Most Americans never saw tru8e Cinerama. I was told that it was no longer travelling. I didn't know that there ws a UK version. I met a Cinerama 'salesman' in the early 70's. His company was interested in introducing 'drive-in theaters' in Britain. I told him that I didn't think it would work. When he asked why not, (he was American)I explained the continuous problem with weather....plus.... most small cars were not comfortable enough to sit in for watching a movie. Very different from the cars in ths US at the time. The target area for the first one was LUTON. It never happened as far as I know. Maybe I deprived Britain of something....?! Maybe not.

Much of my information about Itinerama comes from www.cinerama.topcities.com Check out the "Cinerama Theatres" page and then "UK+Richmond" (Think that's the Richmond in Yorkshire?) Am collecting local bits of news about it as we speak, but need to get time off early next month to spend more time on that as well as more of a "direct hit" on the "Fastest Guitar Alive" info regarding the exact Birmingham showing places.

day time exterior 2004
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/61021016/

Smoothie, I think that you will find that the "UK-Richomond" was Richmond (on-Thames), south west London. I first saw Cinerama in the "tent" there!

You will find my photos of the Itinerama tent when it was at Paignton, Devon, on Roland's Cinerama website. http://cinerama.topcities.com/ I also remember seing the tent at Macclesfield, Cheshire.

Alcazar: "RichOmond" eh? LOL During the next few weeks i'll try and dig up some stuff on my local Itinerama (when it was in 1967) here in Walsall in the West Midlands. Watch this space.

David Slack: Roland's site is a belter innit? He has my own copies of newspaper adverts from the London Casino on there. More to follow when we can get copyright clearance from the Birmingham Post for their vault photos of the 1960's ABC Cinerama Bristol Road and Gaumont Cinerama Colmore Circus. In the meantime check out http://www.photobydjnorton.com for pre-Cinerama days pics of both cinemas. They are on the "Inner Ring Road" and "Bristol Road" pages.

Yes, Roland's is a site of true devotion! I have just looked through your website and I'm very impressed. I love the 'then and now' photos. Well done! I look forward to more from you on Cinerama. I donated all of my Cinerama and CineMiracle memorabilia, including my orginal photos of the Itinerama tent, to the National Media Museum in Bradford some years ago. It gave me quite a thrill to see some of it used in the Cinerama feature display recently. I recall going to the Gaumont and the ABC Bristol Road when they were Cinerama theatres. I saw 'Paint Your Wagon' as a Cinerama presentation at the ABC. It had been intended to make that film in 3-strip Cinerama, but it was switched to 70mm at the last minute!

Anyone here know what cinema /bingo hall the movie "Once Upon A Time In The Midlands' with Kathy Burk was filmed???

Location shooting was in Nottingham, if that helps

cant remember the name but its in the subrubs of nottingham, either radford or beeston and is now a church

The filming location could have been the Capitol Cinema, Radford, Nottingham http://cinematreasures.org/theater/22609/

Woody. Where are the "subrubs" of Nottingham eh? LOL Remember this a respectable information site LOLOL

David Slack/anyone: The Alan Eyles 1996 book "Gaumont British Cinemas has extensive photos of the Gaumont Colmore Circus in.

Myself am collecting all the ads from the Birmingham Post from those years with the Cinerama logo on for Roland to put on his site in due course. Its when one gets to actual photos the copyright law gets a bit scary however. The "West End" cinema was the third widescreen cinema in those days-equipped for 70mm I think as well as the ABC Coleshill Street-the latter now demolished for the super-duper extension in 1969 to Aston University.

The West End took all the overload from the Gaumont Cinerama and ABC Bristol Road in those days when Julie Andrews was humping herself(did i say that?LOL)all over the Austrian alps in the 3-year Sound of Music marathon at the Gaumont, and Julie(again) in Star in Todd-Ao at the ABC Bristol Road for a six-month period.The West End featured on the "Suffolk Street" page of DJNorton's website-maybe we should e-mail the guy and tell him what a dream his pictures are to us?

Thanks guys. 'Once Upon A Time In The Midlands' was filmed at the Capitol Cinema in Radford, Nottingham.

The organ was a 4/10 Compton.

'Once upon a Time in the Midlands' is being shown on TV this coming weekend,Sunday 9th March. Film4 at 9.00 pm to be exact. But I suppose all you posh lot out there have got the film on DVD by now anyway.......

lol yes, well it was only £2.99

various ads for derby cinemas and at the bottom an ad for Odeon Birmingham live show with Elkie Brooks
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2313607874/

Wow! i used to love all those old film ad layouts.

Ian-i've got 'em all on paper. Past 45 (yes,45!) years even. Every movie since Elizabeth Taylor got bitten by her ass (or was it asp?) in Cleopatra. Soundtracks, posters, brochures too. Come over to Wolverhampton and taste the beer while yer at it!

'Once Upon A Time In The Midlands' is showing on Film 4 at 9pm on Sunday 9 March.

I joined Cinerama when it was in Sheffield, in the early '60s, I think I was 18. The name WAS Cinerama not Itinerama and the venue was a 'Big Top'(the centre lock hub weighed 5 tons)and the film that was shown was South Seas Adventure - but NOT as described on the web sites I have visited?? The 'Windjammer' plot, plus film of Australia's outback was what I watched 13 times per week(and loved it, and my favourite music was all ready Grieg's Piano Concerto)so somewhere the info lines have got crossed.

The screen was I believe 108 feet wide but I forget the height -huge covers it! The tent we were told,cost 1 $million due to the cost of
the fireproof? material. Seating number was enormous and at (laugh)12/6d per seat with 2 shows per day the take was at least 1000 quid I believe.
We wore black guards type daks with double stitched seams, maroon cummerbund and dickiebow, white shirt and white waistcoat with gold or silver? navy type buttons.
I went with the company to Southsea but parted company after a time as I had a bad relationship with a particular manager, went on to
Paignton, Devon, and worked in a large hotel(Markham Court) for two
seasons, then migrated to Oz.

The Southsea site was on Southsea Common but I cannot remember the
Sheffield site's location. Anyone help??
One manager was 'Johnny' Heinz, another was David Monk?? I have
attempted to locate and contact a good Swiss friend from that time but although I located his name and a contact number - the person I
contacted apparently spoke no English- had to get his daughter to speak to me- and had never been anywhere near Cinerama!!
A mystery, as there is only one person listed in Switzerland with his name!!

Oh, the music played outside of film time was a Glen Miller selection.
Hope this stuff is of interest.

2007 photo of the Odeon.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/frmark/1424156462/sizes/l/in/pool-53328547@N00/

Scanned images of the Odeon in 1988 here:-

Foyer:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stagedoor/4941088936/

Auditorium (with Organ):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stagedoor/4941089140/