Some Library research is needed on the subject, starting in the one which has the local paper archive.It was very common in the 1930’s for extensive illustrated features to appear when new cinemas opened, and these have been the source of a number of my submissions.
Possibly no partnership but maybe the cinema was acquired by Withers from Corne.
The question was raised by finding another cinema re-named Maxime when acquired by Corne, who had a company called “Cornell Cinemas” amongst others.
Another cinema of this name ,in Wiltshire, described on another site, took the name Maxime when taken over by Max Corne. Both Corne and Withers had interests in cinema companies mostly in South Wales and the West of England.
There’s no sign of any film-related activity in this area these days.A warehouse in Canton was used for film storage for a time according to a family member who worked in an adjoining building.
Cardboard boxes containing unspooled film seem to travel by van these days, the metal cans seem to be a thing of the past.
Dominions Arcade’s film distribution offices are now used by hairdressers, coffee/sandwich bars,a bank etc. The vaults, if they were accessed from the rear of the building, could well be a parking area, unlike the nearby cellars under the Principality Building, now a busy counter-service cafeteria.
Visitors to the new shopping centre in Cardiff in October 2009 may enter at a point very close to where the converted shop that served as the entrance of the Central was located, with the converted skating rink to the left.
The only remaining traces of single-screen cinema in the City Centre are the former theatre buildings that housed the “Pavilion” (currently a closed bar),The Prince of Wales and the much-altered Hippodrome,(both now Wetherspoons).
Six of the suburban cinema buildings survive, at least in part,adapted for other uses.
Was the name of this cinema the Maxine or the Maxime, as both appear in this posting, how was it listed in the Kinematograph Year Book? A pre-war edition may also reveal the ownership at that time.
Sunday cinema in Wales was controversial subject, like Sunday opening of pubs. When it was finally allowed some Councils wouldn’t allow “X” films on Sundays so the “Sunday Only” trailers were for old re-runs.
A recent publication by Brian Lee contains a section on Cardiff Cinemas ,including one picture of an unidentified projection room with 2 black Kalees which Editha will probably be able to identify and give an opinion on whether 1960 is an appropriate date for the photo!
I’ve just seen a new TV version of How the West was Won, not the usual TCM version. In this one the joins are very hard to spot and the weird “Bendy” effect when objects move across the join has been largely eliminated, as has the difference in colours between the panels.
Not Cinerama of course but no longer do the technical failures detract from what is now a rather dated film.
Street Directories in the 1920’s and early 1930’s give the name of this cinema as “White Palace” the Rialto name seems to have been adopted with the fitting of RCA sound.
When first acquired by Circle Cinemas there were a few advertised showings of films with magnetic sound.(Some time in the library will be required to confirm the details !)
The lighting panel made by Furse is now in the collection of a local group hoping to establish a cinema museum.
It is very good to see how much care has been taken in the restoration of the former Odeon, which I visited in the late 60’s when studying in York. I recall seeing “The Graduate” and “A Man for All Seasons” there but, as I recall, Rank’s programming policy often meant films arrived in York at least a week or two later than other cities.
Let’s hope the people of York support Reel.
Will the refurb include updates to projection/sound system or will it still lack the latest developments?
Good luck to all concerned in reviving one of the declining number of City Centre cinemas that you can get to without a car, and have a pint after the show!
A search of the largest local newspaper revealed the first advert for the “Court” in early 1932, and the name change to Plaza just after the rebuilt Theatre Royal opened.(The “Savoy” which still stands opposite the Theatre Royal closed as a cinema at the same time.)
All three of Bargoed’s cinemas were originally built pre World War 1. The Hanbury was substantially rebuilt and still stands, closed for some time, and is the subject of a planning application for redevelopment.
One of the cinemas traded as the “Cameo” in its last days, possibly the Palace though this needs confirmation before separate pages are created.
Local publications provide the following details;-
New Hall Playhouse built 1907 later became a cinema (date not given) destroyed by fire in 1958.The site was redeveloped as a Woolworth’s store, now closed.
A photograph showing the original interior is included and the outside of the building has “Bargoed Hall” in the stonework.
Directly opposite is the Palace Cinema which together with the Hanbury Cinema(originally an Electric Theatre) have A. Jackson Withers listed as manager in the 1920 directory.
The Cardiff Library on-line catalogue will provide evidence from the directories of 1889-90, including a drawing which shows that the Wood Street frontage today contains much that dates from that period, either original or restored.
The interior was reconstructed a couple of times, Wetherspoon’s have pictures showing the interior at different times in the ground floor bar.
The report of demolition contains a factual error confusing the Palace, Cadoxton, with the “Palace Theatre” in Thompson St, Barry. This other Palace had been a live theatre/music hall under various owners and proudly advertised Barry’s first talkies in June 1929 having spent £1400 on “British Talking Picture” equipment.
The Scope plans by D E Nye for all the group involved relatively minor alterations to the proscenium opening from (in most cases) William Wort’s 1930’s designs, removing decorative plasterwork to accommodate extra screen width.
The Canton by 1958 had no operating curtains and very little in the way of footlights, compared with the Regent’s full curtains and the Festoon curtain and lighting at the Plaza, (almost identical to the Odeon)
When four of the cinemas in the group, in this case “Gaiety, Tivoli, Canton, County” in 1958 showed the same programme the showing times advertised were identical.
Generally the main feature was shown at about 5.15 (depending on running time) with the “Last Complete Programme” at around 7 p.m. containing , at that time, Pathe News,an occasional cartoon and what was shown on the board as “Interest”(supplied by Pearl & Dean).
The history of the building, particularly the extension , is well documented.The alteration for ‘scope, designed by the office of David Evelyn Nye,left a number of the front seats, sold as “Pit” with a poor
view
Presumably when the CinemaScope screen was fitted the curtains were lost as they were not used during my regular visits from 1958 onwards, the blank screen was always visible.
The side of the building has recently been re-painted Visitors to the new and refurbished cinemas at Chapter nearby can reflect that the Canton has now been in retail use for as many years as it was a cinema.
Press reports at the time of closure indicate that the County closed a day earlier than announced as the owner feared a “sit-in” by a group campaigning to keep it open.
Films were shown 7 days a week, the Council had reportedly rejected an application for a Bingo licence.
Some Library research is needed on the subject, starting in the one which has the local paper archive.It was very common in the 1930’s for extensive illustrated features to appear when new cinemas opened, and these have been the source of a number of my submissions.
Possibly no partnership but maybe the cinema was acquired by Withers from Corne.
The question was raised by finding another cinema re-named Maxime when acquired by Corne, who had a company called “Cornell Cinemas” amongst others.
Another cinema of this name ,in Wiltshire, described on another site, took the name Maxime when taken over by Max Corne. Both Corne and Withers had interests in cinema companies mostly in South Wales and the West of England.
There’s no sign of any film-related activity in this area these days.A warehouse in Canton was used for film storage for a time according to a family member who worked in an adjoining building.
Cardboard boxes containing unspooled film seem to travel by van these days, the metal cans seem to be a thing of the past.
Dominions Arcade’s film distribution offices are now used by hairdressers, coffee/sandwich bars,a bank etc. The vaults, if they were accessed from the rear of the building, could well be a parking area, unlike the nearby cellars under the Principality Building, now a busy counter-service cafeteria.
Visitors to the new shopping centre in Cardiff in October 2009 may enter at a point very close to where the converted shop that served as the entrance of the Central was located, with the converted skating rink to the left.
The only remaining traces of single-screen cinema in the City Centre are the former theatre buildings that housed the “Pavilion” (currently a closed bar),The Prince of Wales and the much-altered Hippodrome,(both now Wetherspoons).
Six of the suburban cinema buildings survive, at least in part,adapted for other uses.
Was the name of this cinema the Maxine or the Maxime, as both appear in this posting, how was it listed in the Kinematograph Year Book? A pre-war edition may also reveal the ownership at that time.
Sunday cinema in Wales was controversial subject, like Sunday opening of pubs. When it was finally allowed some Councils wouldn’t allow “X” films on Sundays so the “Sunday Only” trailers were for old re-runs.
Rarely mentioned is cinema owner Max Corne. Does this cinema’s name come his involvement in earlier years?
A recent publication by Brian Lee contains a section on Cardiff Cinemas ,including one picture of an unidentified projection room with 2 black Kalees which Editha will probably be able to identify and give an opinion on whether 1960 is an appropriate date for the photo!
I’ve just seen a new TV version of How the West was Won, not the usual TCM version. In this one the joins are very hard to spot and the weird “Bendy” effect when objects move across the join has been largely eliminated, as has the difference in colours between the panels.
Not Cinerama of course but no longer do the technical failures detract from what is now a rather dated film.
Street Directories in the 1920’s and early 1930’s give the name of this cinema as “White Palace” the Rialto name seems to have been adopted with the fitting of RCA sound.
When first acquired by Circle Cinemas there were a few advertised showings of films with magnetic sound.(Some time in the library will be required to confirm the details !)
The lighting panel made by Furse is now in the collection of a local group hoping to establish a cinema museum.
Now a theatre only and soon to be substantially rebuilt and refurbished( in early 2010) as a result of a large Lottery grant.
Further alterations to what remains of the Clifton are to be undertaken for the new tenants, Tesco. The freehold property has been offered for sale.
It is very good to see how much care has been taken in the restoration of the former Odeon, which I visited in the late 60’s when studying in York. I recall seeing “The Graduate” and “A Man for All Seasons” there but, as I recall, Rank’s programming policy often meant films arrived in York at least a week or two later than other cities.
Let’s hope the people of York support Reel.
June 2009, Bingo has now ceased and the doors are boarded up.
Will the refurb include updates to projection/sound system or will it still lack the latest developments?
Good luck to all concerned in reviving one of the declining number of City Centre cinemas that you can get to without a car, and have a pint after the show!
A redevelopment proposal has been submitted.
A search of the largest local newspaper revealed the first advert for the “Court” in early 1932, and the name change to Plaza just after the rebuilt Theatre Royal opened.(The “Savoy” which still stands opposite the Theatre Royal closed as a cinema at the same time.)
All three of Bargoed’s cinemas were originally built pre World War 1. The Hanbury was substantially rebuilt and still stands, closed for some time, and is the subject of a planning application for redevelopment.
One of the cinemas traded as the “Cameo” in its last days, possibly the Palace though this needs confirmation before separate pages are created.
Local publications provide the following details;-
New Hall Playhouse built 1907 later became a cinema (date not given) destroyed by fire in 1958.The site was redeveloped as a Woolworth’s store, now closed.
A photograph showing the original interior is included and the outside of the building has “Bargoed Hall” in the stonework.
Directly opposite is the Palace Cinema which together with the Hanbury Cinema(originally an Electric Theatre) have A. Jackson Withers listed as manager in the 1920 directory.
The Cardiff Library on-line catalogue will provide evidence from the directories of 1889-90, including a drawing which shows that the Wood Street frontage today contains much that dates from that period, either original or restored.
The interior was reconstructed a couple of times, Wetherspoon’s have pictures showing the interior at different times in the ground floor bar.
The report of demolition contains a factual error confusing the Palace, Cadoxton, with the “Palace Theatre” in Thompson St, Barry. This other Palace had been a live theatre/music hall under various owners and proudly advertised Barry’s first talkies in June 1929 having spent £1400 on “British Talking Picture” equipment.
The Scope plans by D E Nye for all the group involved relatively minor alterations to the proscenium opening from (in most cases) William Wort’s 1930’s designs, removing decorative plasterwork to accommodate extra screen width.
The Canton by 1958 had no operating curtains and very little in the way of footlights, compared with the Regent’s full curtains and the Festoon curtain and lighting at the Plaza, (almost identical to the Odeon)
When four of the cinemas in the group, in this case “Gaiety, Tivoli, Canton, County” in 1958 showed the same programme the showing times advertised were identical.
Generally the main feature was shown at about 5.15 (depending on running time) with the “Last Complete Programme” at around 7 p.m. containing , at that time, Pathe News,an occasional cartoon and what was shown on the board as “Interest”(supplied by Pearl & Dean).
The history of the building, particularly the extension , is well documented.The alteration for ‘scope, designed by the office of David Evelyn Nye,left a number of the front seats, sold as “Pit” with a poor
view
Presumably when the CinemaScope screen was fitted the curtains were lost as they were not used during my regular visits from 1958 onwards, the blank screen was always visible.
The side of the building has recently been re-painted Visitors to the new and refurbished cinemas at Chapter nearby can reflect that the Canton has now been in retail use for as many years as it was a cinema.
Press reports at the time of closure indicate that the County closed a day earlier than announced as the owner feared a “sit-in” by a group campaigning to keep it open.
Films were shown 7 days a week, the Council had reportedly rejected an application for a Bingo licence.