Paris Pullman Cinema
65 Drayton Gardens,
London,
SW10 9QZ
65 Drayton Gardens,
London,
SW10 9QZ
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Additional Info
Previous Names: Bolton's Picture Playhouse, Rendezvous Cinema
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Located in the west London inner city district of Chelsea. Dating from 24th January 1911 when it opened as Bolton’s Picture Playhouse. All seating was on a single floor. Cinema use continued until after World War II when it became a live theatre, known as Bolton’s Theatre Club.
The façade was reconstructed in 1955 to a ‘modern’ design, and it re-opened on 3rd November 1955 as the Paris Pullman Cinema with “Wild Fruit” (Les Fruits Sauvages). It was a first-class art house, just around the corner from the Forum Cinema/ABC/Cineworld, now Fulham Road Picturhouse (which has its own page on Cinema Treasures). The Paris Pullman Cinema was closed on 8th May 1983 with Rosel Zech in “Veronika Voss”, directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The cinema, together with an adjacent petrol station was demolished.
A block of flats named Pullman Court was built on the site.
Contributed by
Gerald A. DeLuca, Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 10 comments)
My notes indicate I had the pleasure of visiting this cinema only twice: for Bo Widerberg’s “Adalen ‘31” in 1970 and a revival of Kinugasa’s 1926 silent “A Page of Madness” in 1973.
This opened as Bolton’s Picture Playhouse on 24th January 1911. It had 249 seats. In 1914 it was re-named Rendezvous and became the Bolton’s in around 1932. After World War II it bacame a live theatre which opened on 15th January 1947. Known as the Bolton’s Theatre Club, it staged plays which were not passed by the censor of the day and being a theatre club it was not subject to licencing laws. It was reconstructed as the Paris Pullman Cinema, opening on 3rd November 1955. It closed on 8th May 1983 and was demolished.
As Manager during the 1970s I can tell you that it was operated under Contemporary Cinemas Ltd, Charles Cooper of Contemporary films and his wife Kitty provided the programming. Other Directors were James Quinn of the BFI, who as “Magic Casement” ran the late shows, programmed by myself,my various assistants but particularly by Brian O'Sullivan and his late wife, Margaret. Ralph Stephenson, writer and afficinado of the short film was the third director. Runs included “Blanche” (Boroczyk) most of the Werner Herzog Movies and almost anything by Chabrol. The late nights were legendary and were originally the brain child of Adolpho Oleaches, a peruvian, last heard of in the USA.
Jeff Curtis
I saw late night films at the Paris Pullman while a student at the LSE. I loved it and was gutted when it was demolished to make way for a car dealer. Sacrilege! I remember it being so old fashioned there was a little hatch by the side of the screen where they sold ice creams etc during the intermission. Very sweet. Of course it was in a residential area so was slightly oddly placed for a cinema but nevertheless used to get good audiences. A wonderful cinema with a wonderful name.
press ads for the Paris Pullman from dec 1979, one for Those Wonderful Movie Cranks
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/4701659060/
and one for rep booking late shows which ran every night
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/4701034613/
I lived a few doors from the Paris Pullman fro 1972 – 80. I can say I grew up in the Paris Pullman.
The Paris Pullman cinema was just up Drayton Gardens toward Fulham Road. It was a reporatory art cinema. They showed all the new avant garde film releases. On the weekends they played late night double features screenings of a wide range of films. They started around 11pam and finished after 2am. I spent hundreds of hours there over the years. Some of the first films I remember seeing there were Woodstock and Moneterey Pop. I also saw Mad Dogs and Englishmen about the Joe Cocker tour of the USA, Janice about Janice Joplin. T
The late nights became very popular over the years and you had to queue up around the block. It was OK for me as I lived just a few doors away. I saw many of the great director’s films from Kurosawa to Herzog. The Paris Pullman is also where I saw the greatest film of all, Performance.
I used to visit this cinema when I was a university student in the 1970s. I was going through an exceptionally difficult time at the time and the atmosphere and general ambience of the place was like a little star for me.
I saw Eraserhead, Dark Star and Aguirre Wrath of God here.
I remember the Paris Pullman well, some early memories from the 60s with my parents and then in the mid 70s mostly haunting the late night cimema club. Fondly remember the Marx Bros. season as well as a fair amount of Fellini and Pasolini. The atmosphere inside the cinema was great, not to mention the quality of the films that were screened.
Grand opening ad posted.
Postcode is SW10 9QZ.