Classic Baker Street

I worked for Classic Cinemas between about 1972 and 1974. At that time Classic had moved it’s head office to Victoria above the Classic/Cameo in Victoria St. I was first employed by Classic to sell records in the small shop on the left of the Classic Baker St entrance which was called “The Record Rendezvous”. Classic had bought a warehouse full of deleted LPs and set up the shop here to sell their stock. All records were 1 pound.There were boxes and boxes of records stored in the now vacated, former Classic Head Office. Eric Rhodes was semi retired by then and a man called Yeomans was the boss. I got the job because I knew the projectionist Denis Laws. Denis went on to become the Technical manager of the London IMAX on the South Bank. The manager at Baker St was a man called Firth and the assistant manager a Miss Crosley. When the cinema closed in 1973, I was transferred to the classic Piccadilly Circus where I worked as cashier and trainee manager, eventually becoming a relief manager, working at the Classic Moulin, Classic Windmill, Classic Praed Street, Eros Cinema and then became the assistant manager at the Victoria Cartoon Cinema. It was sad that the Classic Baker St closed as it was a beautiful old cinema.

This Classic really was.I have very fond memories of this cinema having been Manager from 1970. At this time I was the youngest cinema manager in London and probably in the UK. We took great pride in the presentation of our movies and on the auditorium- the brass ash trays were polished on a daily basis! Music was specially selected to time exactly with the tabs opening (no fading of the discs) and the kiosk presentation involved a considerable fine detail. Not least because the company offices were upstairs and the MD, Eric Rhodes, always entered and left the building through the foyer. If a bar of chocolate was upside-down it was duly noted- he also used to run his hand over the picture frames to check for dust. The Commisionaire was briefed to open the door for every patron. I considered it an honour to run the cinema and was very sad when it was redeveloped by which time I was at the Curzon Mayfair.