Imperial Picture Theatre

Operated by G B Snape’s, Snape’s Cinema Circuits of Pendlebury. Projection equipment was a pair of SUPAs, converted to argon lamps. The transport take-up was reversed, requiring a half twist on rewind. When I helped out there the bowden cable, cross connecting the projector shutters, had broken. Rather than replace it, the chief operator had rigged an alternative system across the insides of the box ports. This comprised a length of electrical conduit tubing, loosely supported in saddles. From this tubing hung two squares of asbestos. On the change, the tubing was grasped and slid sideways. Thus covering one port and exposing the other. Crude but effective. Instead of tabs, the proscenium had a ruched blind. Under the orange floods it looked extremely sumptious and much more classy than some other houses.