On my first visit to London in 1975 I saw several films in a Buster Keaton season at the Academy – a really unique experience, as they were the only silent films I’ve ever seen in a cinema, complete with live piano accompaniment. Another interesting fact about the Academy is that the basement was once a dancehall, which became the first location of the Marquee Club from 1958 to 1964.
FOr several years before closing, the Ritz operated as both a cinema and an amusement arcade – the stalls were converted to become the arcade, while the balcony area continued as a cinema.
On my first visit to London in 1975 I saw several films in a Buster Keaton season at the Academy – a really unique experience, as they were the only silent films I’ve ever seen in a cinema, complete with live piano accompaniment. Another interesting fact about the Academy is that the basement was once a dancehall, which became the first location of the Marquee Club from 1958 to 1964.
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Photos of the Ritz before and after vandalisation on these pages:
http://journals.aol.co.uk/edbutler5/oldathlone
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FOr several years before closing, the Ritz operated as both a cinema and an amusement arcade – the stalls were converted to become the arcade, while the balcony area continued as a cinema.