Odeon Streatham

1930 and 1961 grand opening ads posted.

I believe the vertical “cut-out” name sign around the corner to the right of the frontage is the one removed from the Odeon Haymarket. Although the lovely Haymarket cinema was closed by the time of the “Fanatical rebranding exercise”, there was still talk of it reopening so it’s red neon against a blue background sign was replaced by one of the new, silver cut-out type (only correctly readable from one direction although the designers, Wolff Olins, felt the mere shape of the characters was enough for the brand to register).

Basically the screen in Odeon One is still the same size and is indeed the same size frame which was installed in 1991 when the theatre was converted from 3 to 5 screens.What spoils it now is (2) Two Hundred or so seater screens have been installed either side at the rear of the old circle creating a sort of tunnel effect for those sitting in the rear half of Odeon One.For the record the remaining screens are two in the rear stalls two in the front stalls and one built sideways the other side of the stage Safety Curtain on the actual stage itself going from actors left to actors right.The old Orchestra pit is still there and if one looks over the ski ramp in front of screen 4 the steps down into the pit for the conductor are still visible.

I have a photo of the circle foyer which was virtually destroyed in September 1961.The pillars shown in the photo were boxed in (they are actually support girders underneath)the American Oak circle entrance doors were covered over and the gold leaf ceiling painted black. A false ceiling was laid towards the foyer windows and everything below was hacked away.To this day some of the decoration can still be viewed from above if you know how to get up there. The foyer until 1961 was also used as the Astoria Resturant and tea-rooms.
Anyone lucky enough to have a copy of The Rank Organisation’s “Look at Life” No 158 released on 15th March 1962 called “The Cinema Steps Out” can actually see the “refurbisment” of this lovely foyer taking place.Mind you it’s nothing compared to what was done to the auditorium at the same time.In my 35 years there it went from 1 screen to 3 screens to 5 screens and then it’s current 8 screens.

A much earlier photo here : part of a collection I bought from ebay

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevp/1968234403/

As Kevin says above I worked at the Odeon Streatham from 1968 till 2003 in 2001 I was asked to submit a history of Streatham Odeon which can be viewed in full along with some rare photographs of The Astoria at www.mawgrim.co.uk click on Odeon Cavalcade and scroll down to Odeon Streatham.

And an interior picture from 1935 for a Silver Jubilee celebration.

View link

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kev p

Hi Kev,
Welcome and thanks for the complement, although C.T. is not my web site.

Nice to see another UK enthusiast on here and look forward to future postings from you, although at the moment the ‘add a photo’ link has been taken down.

lostmemory;
This is it. Paramount Pictures took over the 4 Astoria Theatre’s soon after they opened and they in turn were taken over by the Odeon Theatre chain in November 1939.

Thanks for the update on the exact address.