21/11/2006

The History of Cinema in Liverpool

By Mark Langshaw

The cinema as a place of popular mass entertainment towered over Liverpool in the first half of the last century. This has left us a rich legacy, not only of picture house buildings (rarely found in their original splendor, often altered and sometimes in a dismal state of neglect), but also of the glorious pictures made for an insatiable and loyal audience. Old black and white photographs, posters, handbills, programmes and lobby cards all bear witness to the fundamental role that cinema played in the lives of the working people of Liverpool.

The city was home to some of the North West’s most luxurious picture houses – havens of escapism adorning every district. Lime Street’s Palais De Luxe, The Forum and The Scala were among the finest cinemas in a region well known for its affinity for moving pictures. A night at the flick was originally a ‘complete night out’. The programme would include a number of long adverts, a news reel, a short film and finally the main feature, often accompanied by a live organ recital.

The end of the golden age of cinema came after the Second World War. The rise of television did to independent cinemas what video did to the radio star. But several of Liverpool’s picture houses battled on against the odds. The Futurist was taken over by 20th Century Fox in 1954. It made a name for itself with screening such as Oklahoma in the new TODD_AO format and later Earthquake, complete with sensurround, the only cinema in Liverpool to utilize the technology. The Bedford Cinema chain - which included the Abbey Cinerama in Wavertree and many others like King's Hall at Anfield, Mayfair on Aigburth Road and the Plaza in Allerton - also fought on.

It was the emergence of the modern multiplex that dealt the fatal blow to independent cinema in the latter part of the last century. Odeon and National Amusements had a Walmart-like effect on local cinemas across the nation, putting many of the remaining picture houses out of business.

The multiplex invasion hit Liverpool in the early 1970s when London Road’s great Paramount Theatre - once the largest in the Merseyside area - was converted into a five screen Odeon Cinema. Odeon still operate the cinema today but it is a far cry from the art nouveau building of the 1930s.

In Liverpool, several relics of this age still remain in varying states of decay. The Woolton Picturehouse remained in full operation until 3rd September 2006, following the death of its owner David Wood, whose untimely passing marked the end of an era. Since opening in 1927, the Woolton provided cinema enthusiasts with a glimpse of the golden era, offering a ‘complete’ experience reminiscent of the days before television. A new Save the Woolton Campaign aims to reinstate the cinema back into the community and operate it as a charitable trust. All profits will be driven back into the cinema and ultimately the community through the building’s use as a centre for performing arts and film related activities.

The Gaumont Palace cinema was based in Anfield, a large art deco building just 100 meters from the football ground. Its heyday was the 1940s but the building still plays an important role within the local community. Now known as the Liverpool Lighthouse, it operates as an Urban Gospel Arts Centre in the heart of Anfield. It is home to a range of exciting educational and arts entertainment programmes for the community. Harmonize is an alternative education programme designed to engage and motivate young people aged 14-19. This unique Urban Arts programme deals with the challenges facing young people, aiming to encourage them creatively.

The Rialto Cinema in Toxteth was a famous landmark throughout the 1950s. This historic building was burned to the ground in the Toxeth riots of 1981 but has since been rebuilt. It now houses offices, flats and shops.

Liverpool has an illustrious cinema history but what does the future hold for the 08 Capital of Culture? Several relics of the golden age still remain in the Woolton and the Plaza in Crosby, but their future is clouded and both face an uphill struggle to survive. The Picturehouse at FACT, however, has proven a worthy flagship for 2008, and remains the only cinema in the city to screen world cinema. In addition to this, the Philharmonic Hall often holds screenings of old classics complete with an organ recital reminiscent of better times for independent cinema.

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Comments:

Comment left by Dave Parr on 4th March, 2007 at 16:26
woolton picture house to reopen early 2007

Comment left by John Howell on 12th April, 2007 at 16:21
Hi, could you provide me with the complete address of the Futurist Cinema on Lime Street in Liverpool. This may, perhaps, include a building name. Many thanks.

Comment left by Ray Condell on 19th October, 2007 at 10:17
Hi, we semm to have a debate here on which is the first purpose built cinema to be licenced in Liverpool ? Now whether or not it's to do with alchol not sure because I thouht all cinemas were licenced under the music hall act ?

Comment left by DAVID A ELLIS on 7th March, 2008 at 11:37
Here is a list of some of the projection equipment in Liverpool cinemas. ODEON,London Road.When it was the PARAMOUNT theatre it had SIMPLEX machines. When it became the ODEON KALEE 21 projectors were used. When 70mm arrived in the late 1950s PHILIPS DP70 machines were installed. Later CINEMECCANICA projectores were installed and are still in use. ABC FORUM, Lime Street. ROSS GC3 machines with PEERLESS carbon arcs and RCA sound. Later PHILIPS FP20 were in use with xenon lamps. FUTURIST, Lime Street. KALEE machines with ASHCRAFT carbon arcs. When 70mm was shown the equipment was changed to PHILIPS DP70s. GAUMONT, Camden street (now a car park) KALEE 21 machines with PRESIDENT carbon arcs and DUOSONIC sound. SCALA, Lime Street. KALEE 21 machines. JACEY FILM THEATRE,Clayton Square. BTH SUPA (Single Unit Projection Assembly). ESSOLDO, London Road. KALEE 21 projectors. MAJESTIC, London Road. WESTAR projectors, PEERLESS carbon arcs and WESTERN ELECTRIC sound. TATLER NEWS THEATRE, Church Street. ROSS GC3 machines with KALEE VULCAN arcs and RCA sound. MAYFAIR, AIGBURTH ROAD. KALEE 11 projectors with KALEE REGAL LAMPHOUSES, later changed to CINEMECCANICA XENON LAMPS. It also had WESTERN ELECTRIC SOUND with the addition of FOUR TRACK MAGNETIC SOUND. Most films had an optical soundtrack. The last stereo film (four track) at the MAYFAIR was WOODSTOCK. DAVID A ELLIS

Comment left by george brian miller on 3rd April, 2008 at 22:00
I have just wrote a page (A4 size) and then got it wrong by not putting the CODE in I am only new at this game , I am 67 years of age and have only just started to use a comPOOTer ,if you get this then I will come back to you,my mother and my aunty worked at the Tatler and others in and around L,Pool about 1947/and onward ,look farward to hearing from you Brian.

Comment left by DAVID A ELLIS on 10th April, 2008 at 17:36
Memories of the Mayfair, Aigburth. In 1969 I went to work at the Mayfair cinema on Aigburth Road, Liverpool as a second projectionist. There was only two projectionists myself and the chief operator Brian Cubbon, who was sixteen years my senior. I was twenty-one when I started projecting in Aigburth's super cinema, which opened in 1937 with the film Educating Evans, starring Max Miller. When I started, the tabs (curtains) had gone and the old screen had been replaced with what was called a floating screen and screen masking was no longer used. The screen appeared to be floating, a gimmick I have not seen elsewhere. The Mayfair was owned by Bedford Cinemas (1928) Ltd run by a Mr JF Wood. They owned several cinemas including The Abbey Cinerama, Wavertree and The Plaza Birkenhead. The Mayfair housed around 1700 people. There was a Compton organ, which was still played occasionally when I worked there. The circuit manager a Mr Ian Hamilton would often pop in to blow the cobwebs off the Compton, keeping us entertained. A schoolteacher would also play occasionally until it stopped working. The Mayfair had always kept up with new ideas. In the 1950s it played 3D films. When Fox introduced Cinemascope with four magnetic tracks the cinema installed four track. The automation system, Projectomatic, invented by Essoldo was also a feature. When I went there Cinemeccanica xenons had replaced the Kalee Regal carbon arcs. Kalee eleven projectors, installed in 1937 were still projecting the images. Attached to the projector was a Western Electric optical sound head and the magnetic head. The eleven had a frames per second meter. When a changeover took place using the projectomatic, the sound would drop out when the xenon switched in. 5000ft spoolboxes were still in use - these replaced the original 2000ft boxes when 3D was installed. Valves were used for sound amplification. There were four amplifiers - all in use when four track films were played. Joins were made with film cement. The last feature was The Last Picture Show, screened in 1973.

Comment left by DAVID A ELLIS on 12th April, 2008 at 16:33
MORE MAYFAIR MEMORIES. The cinema had a large entrance hall. The paybox was central. To the left of the paybox was a sweet kiosk. This was run by a young lady by the name of Gloria Oldroyd. By the sweet kiosk there was a set of doors that led to the downstairs waiting room. There were staircases to the left and right. There was a large upstairs waiting room housing sofas. The manager's office was on this level. Entrance to the projection room was at the back of the balcony on the right hand side. There was a door that led to an iron staircase which took you to a door that led to a corridor. Off the corridor to the right was the projection room. There were two doors to the box, both being very strong fire proof doors.There were other rooms off the corridor. There was a wash room, a battery room for secondary lighting, a staff room, the old rewind room (when I was there rewinding was done in the box) and a stock room, storing lamps etc. Off the corridor to the left was a door that led to the roof. We could look over and see what was ging on in Aigburth Road.At the other end of the corridor was an iron staircase that went to street level. It was at the bottom of this staircase that films were put for return. Also the film transport service (FTS) would leave films there, having their own set of keys. Films were only shown in the evening, apart from a Wednesday and Saturday matinee. Films were screened during the day when school holidays were on. The programme would usually start around five - the main feature shown twice and the support once.In its last year there was only one complete performance starting around seven, though this would vary.My days off were Monday and Tuesday. The chief's days off were Thursday and Friday. We worked together on Wednesdays and Saturdays. During holiday periods we would run on our own. There were times when I ran the show on my own without a day off for two weeks. My working day was from 10am until the end of the show. I would usually work until lunch time, have a break, come back and do some more work and then have a tea break before starting the show. I worked at the cinema from 1969 until its closure in 1973. DAVID A ELLIS

Comment left by DAVID A ELLIS on 17th May, 2008 at 16:38
A while ago I spoke to retired projectionist and manager Geoff Mander, who worked in several Liverpool cinemas. He managed the Palladium,West Derby Road and occasionally did some operating. The cinema,now demolished was run by Don and Ray Ellis. Projection equipment was Kalee 12s. Four track magnetic stereo was another feature. When business started to wane Geoff suggested a variety show. Shows were staged on a Sunday evening and it was called Sunday Night at the Liverpool Palladium.Other Liverpool cinemas he has worked in include The Regent, Old Swan, which was equipped with Ross machines and RCA sound,the Classic Crosby, which ran films using Kalee 21 machines and the Mere Lane cinema,which also had Kalee 21s on Universal bases. The first cinemascope offering at Mere Lane was The Student Prince. Geoff tells me his cinema career started at the Astra Magul.

Comment left by Mike on 27th July, 2008 at 2:15
Does anyone know what cinema equipmet is in use for film showings at the philamonic hall? any idea what sound system they use?

Comment left by Paul John Purnell on 30th July, 2008 at 1:28
Hi,I am trying to locate old cinemas in merseyside that had cinema organs installed.My goal and ultimate aim and acheivement is to find an organ that is still installed inside one of the cinemas that is hopefully still standing and possibly being used as a night club,bingo hall or supermarket at the moment.It might just be that the chambers and console on a lift have simply just been boxed up,plastered over or covered up in one way or another.I need to find out if the building is still standing and to whether it is a definate fact that the organ was definately removed when the cinema closed.I really hope that you can help me on my investigations,thank you Paul.

Comment left by Richard on 1st August, 2008 at 22:15
Re. Mike's question on 27th July. I am one of the technicians at the Phil, and I'm also one of the projectionists. We use a Strong Century projector with a Strong (I think!) lamphouse. We have a microverter speed control fitted to the projector motor to permit speeds from 16 - 25 fps. We use a single sided Westrex tower to carry the film, permitting shows of around 170 minutes without a break. Sound is SR only, at present. Our red light analogue reader (suitable for both silver and cyan dyed soundtracks) is wired to a Dolby CP65 Processor, and this outputs via three crossovers (for L, C and R) to C-Audio 2001 amps driving JBL speakers for L, C, R and LFE, and some smaller boxes which are of an unknown make for surround. We have a Dolby 700 or 701 digital soundhead fixed to the top of the projector, but cannot use this, as we need a new Dolby DA20 Digital decoder. Hope this information is useful! If you have an further questions, please email me: rcurtis@liverpoolphil.com Regards, Richard

Comment left by brian linford on 7th August, 2008 at 12:56
I'am looking for information about the Centuay Picture House, Mount Pleasant

Comment left by Steve Reece on 9th August, 2008 at 13:52
Am I the only one to note that the Odeon (formerly the Paramount) on London Road was converted to a FOUR screen theatre, not a five? The fifth screen came later in what I believe was the bar. What happened to the huge auditorium of the Abbey now that Rileys are running it as a snooker hall and Somerfield have the downstairs as a supermarket? Is it still in a position to be used as a picture house or is that lost forever?

Comment left by George Butler on 21st August, 2008 at 13:44
Please help me.I am desperatly trying to add a page to my Web Site showing two projectors like were used around 1935 t0 1937 The kind using 8 spools each film the two shutters coupled with a string to change from one spool to the other. I need an image and can't find one anywhere.I am 88 yrs of age and when I was 17 yrs old I used this type. If you click on www.bitshack.plus.com/smalwld1.htm you will see what I mean. TIA George

Comment left by Lin on 24th August, 2008 at 22:24
Does anyone remember the Mere Lane Picture House, commonely known as the flee pit, before it became a bingo hall and then a snooker hall.

Comment left by Chris D on 5th September, 2008 at 10:46
Hi all, I'm looking for some information on the Odeon/ABC Allerton Road....If anyone can help please post here :] Cheers.

Comment left by patricia hughes on 8th September, 2008 at 15:50
Hi i am looking for any info on concert by Ray Charles at Odeon Cinema London Road late 50's or early 60's

Comment left by Arnold Levin on 20th September, 2008 at 20:13
I recall that the Abbey Cinema at Picton Clock tower was converted to screen Cinerama in the late 50s. When did it close? I am interested to locate information about early cinemas in Liverpool in the first decades of the 20th century? Were there screens in the Brownlow Hill area and nearby?

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