Granada Tooting

Located in the south London district of Tooting. The Granada Theatre opened on Monday 7th September 1931 for Sydney Bernstein’s Granada Theatres and became the flagship of the circuit. The opening feature film was Jack Buchanan and Jeanette MacDonald in “Monte Carlo”, supported by “Two Crowded Hours” a 43-minute short drama film starring John Longdon and directed by Michael Powell. Completing the film presentations were “Oh! Oh! Cleopatra” a short from Masquer Club productions and a surprise showing of the 1907 version of “Ben Hur” with William S. Hart which had 15 minutes running time and was shown to let the audience see how motion pictures had improved. A special edition of the Paramount Granada Newsreel was also screened. The opening was attended by actors/film stars Raymond Massey & Godfrey Teale who were appearing in a play at the Phoenix Theatre, Charing Cross Road (which was owned by Sydney Bernstein). Actor/film star Jack Buchanan was unable to attend the opening, but he sent a special screened message. Over 2,000 people were turned away on the first night!

The remainder of September 1931 film programmes were: 14th September, Charles Farrell in “Body and Soul” & George Bancroft in “Derelict”. 21st September, Constance Bennett in “The Easiest Way” & Will Rogers in “Yankee at King Arthur’s Court”. 28th September, Ann Harding in “East Lynn”. Admission prices were 12 Noon to 1pm, 6d in the stalls. 1pm to 3pm, 8d in the stalls & 1/- in the circle. After 3pm, stalls 8d & 1/3 & circle 1/6 and reserved loges 2/4.

The architect of the building was Cecil Masey who designed a Moderne Italianate styled towering entrance with four tall pillars topped by Corinthian capitals. The entire interior decoration of the theatre was designed in a Gothic style by famed Russian stage set designer Theodore Komisarjevsky. On the side walls at balcony level are a series of panels with painted murals of medieval figures painted by Alex Johnstone from small originals by Lucien Le Blanc.

The stage is 58ft wide and 30ft deep and has a fully equipped fly-tower. It has a Wurlitzer theatre organ with a piano attachment on the stage. Originally a 4 Manual/12 Ranks instrument which was opened by organist Alex Taylor. The instrument was originally installed in 1926 in the Majestic (later Mission) Theatre, Sacramento, California, USA as a 3 Manual/10 Rank instrument. In 1932-33, the instrument was enlarged to be a 4Manual/14Ranks specification, which remains today. The organ chambers containing the pipes are located under the stage. The projection room had 3 Ross projectors, a Master Brenograph and two Brenkert spots. The cinema was equipped with a Western Electric(WE) sound system. There was also a small café located over the entrance, which gave splendid views of the magnificent foyer. It had an ‘all electric’ kitchen. The café was closed by 1954, and the space has been unused since then. The Granada Theatre has a large car park which could accommodate 250 cars and also originally had a pram park for mothers with children!

The Granada Theatre played mostly films on the Gaumont circuit release, but occasionally obtained Odeon circuit release films. In 1948, the stage was brought fully into use when productions of “Goodnight Vienna” starring Bruce Trent, and “The Dancing Years” starring Barry Sinclair both played for one week runs. From January 1934 and at this time of year for the following four years, a circus (with real elephants) took to the stage supporting the film programme. From 1936, pantomimes were also staged, usually for two week runs around Christmas, and these continued into the early-1950’s.

Many stars played one day concerts at the Granada Theatre including Danny Kaye, Lena Horne, Frank Sinatra (2 shows on 14th June 1953-his first UK performances), Guy Mitchell, Eddie Fisher, The Andrews Sisters, Betty Hutton and Carmen Miranda from America and David Whitfield, Max Bygraves, and Dickie Valentine from the UK. On November 13, 1960 Jess Conrad, Ricky Valance, Terry Dene, Gary Mills & the Ted Heath & his Music appeared on the same programme. In the early-1960’s pop singers such as Johnny Ray, Frankie Laine, Pat Boone and Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and on 1st June 1963, Dusty Springfield. Marty Wilde and The Rolling Stones appeared here and The Beatles were supported by Roy Orbison playing to two packed houses. Brian Hyland, Little Eva, Eden Kane, The Crickets, Bobby Vee, Ronnie Carroll. Another show featured The Walker Brothers, Cat Stevens, Jimi Hendrix and Englebert Humperdinck. The last live show on stage was The Bee Gees on 28th April 1968. The Granada Theatre was equipped to screen closed circuit television and in August 1966, a live relay of the Mohammed Ali v Brian London boxing match from Earls Court, west London was screened. Occasionally live wrestling was staged.

With only an average audience of 600 patrons a week attending by 1971, the writing was on the wall and applications were made to demolish the theatre to build an office block. The local Council stepped in and served a local preservation notice on the building. This eventually led in June 1972 to a Grade II* listing being placed on it by English Heritage. However, this didn’t help the fate of the theatre as in July 1973 a heavy storm flooded the front stalls seating area and damaged the Wurlitzer organ chambers under the stage. The Granada Theatre closed suddenly as a cinema on 10th November 1973 screening Richard Crenna and Stephen Boyd in “A Man Called Noon”(aka Un hombre llamado Noon) and Ursula Andress and Stanley Baker in “Perfect Friday”. The following weeks' advertised film was Clint Eastwood in “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”, but patrons turned up that week to find notices in the display frames stating: “Due to a lack of public support this cinema is now CLOSED”.

It remained closed and unused for almost three years until it re-opened as a Granada Bingo Club on 14th October 1976. Taken over in May 1991 by Gala Bingo it remains a bingo club today.

On 28th September 2000, the listed status of the Granada Theatre was upgraded to Grade I by English Heritage. This is the highest Grade Listing that any building in the UK can receive and it puts the Granada Theatre on the same scale as the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Stonehenge etc. It is the first (and only) 1930’s cinema building to be given this honour.

The Grade I Listed building status gave the owners (Gala Bingo) more clout to apply for public funding to maintain the building and work was completed to partially ‘open-up’ the orchestra pit again (long covered over by the bingo callers podium) which blocked the sound of the organ which has its chambers under the stage.

Restoration work on the Wurlitzer organ was completed in Spring 2007 and the first public concert since the early-1970’s was held on 22nd April 2007. Sadly, the under-stage organ chambers were flooded on 20th July 2007, when heavy storms hit London. Again, repairs were begun on the instrument but were halted in 2023 when asbestos was discovered in the organ chambers.

In Autumn of 2018, the Gala Bingo chain was rebranded Buzz Bingo.

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