howard 65

Where can I get a copy of that REMEMBER WHEN?

Stephen Pickard

Hi Tony, that was the Westcliff Essoldo, the Southend Essoldo closed in 1960 well before the Cannon Group came on the scene.

Stephen Pickard

Tom Bancroft

Remember When is published by the Newcastle Evening Chronicle, Groat Market, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 1ED. Editor is Roy Marshall - Telephone 0191 201 6239 (e-mail: ray.marshall@ncjmedia.co.uk. The cover price is 50p and the issues you want are Nos. 59 and 60 published in April and June, 2008.

"I want to be a sailor - sailing out to sea"

hankoler

m472paulmartin_01/essoldo.jpg/img

hankoler

deleted

kelp

Funny, I was always told that the very first Odeon was The ODEON PERRY BARR, BIRMINGHAM. Now, I could be wrong but, this is in some detail somewhere reference Odeons. Can someone confirm please? I wonder who is right?
(Exciting isn't it)

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR...YOU MAY GET IT!

BobL

Kelp ..I reread the Wikipedia article and it says Oscar Deutsch opened his first cinema in Brierley Hill but the first to be called Odeon was as you say Perry Barr

This means I have to ask "What was the name of The Oscaar Deutsch cinema in Brierley Hill."

In the 1950's there were 3 cinemas in the town centre and I am pretty sure one was the Danilo

beeladybird

Hello there, Thank goodness for search engines ! In yesterdays Chronicle extra there was a photo of the Plaza stating that in 1926 Soloman Sheckman brought in heating and the latest amusements and it opened as the Plaza.Prior to that it was the Palace Theatre.

We had an Essoldo cinema in the town and I remember as a kid that the names were made up from their christian names though I always thought the "Do" was Doris, You live and learn.

I have just searched and come up with this site and all the information you have written.
I can sleep at nights now !!!
Pat

terrycha123

It is true to say that Essoldo had a lot of acquired 'dumps' around the country, but they also had the odd purpose built 'supers' (Newcastle and Blyth in the North East).

I was Manager at the Newcastle venue for a few years after its acquisition by the larger ABC Circuit.

Essoldo in many locations played 'first run', particularly in towns where there was an Odeon but no ABC and the Essoldo would play the latter's product; conversely, first run Rank product would play at the Essoldo in towns with an ABC but no Odeon.

In Newcastle upon Tyne, the big Essoldo played 'road show' for much of its life with extended runs of 'The King and I', 'Ben-Hur' (this played concurrently with the Empire Leicester Square, where 'Ben-Hur' was the last presentation prior to its subdivison into a smaller cinema and a ballroom), 'My Fair Lady', 'Doctor Zhivago', 'Battle of the Bulge', 'Far From The Madding Crowd', 'The Bible', 'Paint Your wagon' and many others.

When the 'blockbusters' were drying up and the writing was on the wall for 'road shows', Essoldo asked ABC if they wanted to buy the Newcastle Essoldo (ABC's Haymarket Theatre - very large and very busy - had been compulsorily purchased by Newcastle University and was operated on short term leases by ABC) but the offer was refused.

Essoldo told ABC that the Essoldo would be converted to luxury twin cinemas and that application would be made to the Board of Trade for an allocation of product. The twinning duly went ahead and an allocation of 20% was granted; this entailed that every 5th West End release would play at Newcastle Essoldo.

Essoldo were very fortunate with the allocation and it 'stole' films like 'Love story' from ABC and 'Diamonds Are Forever' from Rank after the trailers had been screened for several weeks in those organisations' Newcastle venues!

ABC did eventually buy the twinned Essoldo (at a premium price!) and the allocation remained for quite some time before being revoked. This enabled ABC to play their own releases at the Haymarket while certain Rank product would play at the ABC Westgate Road (as they renamed the Essoldo) - much to the fury of the Rank Organisation.

The week ABC aquired the Essoldo the presentations were 'Papillon' in ABC1 (which would have played at Newcastle Odeon) and 'The Exorcist' in ABC2 (which would have played at ABC's Haymarket).

As a young boy the Essoldos I remember well in South Durham where I lived and went to school were :-

Essoldo (Hippodrome), Bishop Auckland (the only remaining theatre building in Auckland)
Kings, Bishop Auckland (this played the 3D films in the 1950's such as 'House of Wax')
Eden Theatre, Bishop Auckland (this had been owned and run by Stan Laurel's father)
Essoldo, Shildon (built as a Mechanics Institute by the Stockton and Darlington Railway)

The Bishop Auckland cinemas shared first run ABC release (there was a modern Odeon in the town) and National release (what Rank did not want!)

Shildon played mainly second run Rank (usually a week or so after Bishop Auckland Odeon) as there was a large Hippodrome in the town which played mainly ABC release.

howard 65

Thanks Tom.

julian_craster

In the early 1960s (1961-65) I recall our local Essoldo (a large, grand ex-theatre which had fallen in hard times and in a state is disrepair) as being the home of those Italian [badly dubbed and in muddy colour] 'peplum' movies (Hercules, Ursus, Masisite etc etc) as well as those salacious Compton 'documentaries' such as 'Naked as Nature Intended' and 'London in the Raw' which Rank and ABC refused to touch......

hankoler

[IMG][/IMG]

This was the essoldo Sheffield, it was formerly named the Forum but later changed to the essoldo. I've been in there a few times when I lived in sheffield.

Steve Crook

That looks remarkably similar to the architectural style used for many Odeon cinemas

Steve

hankoler

Quite right Steve there were one or two others in Sheffield similar in style to this one. I think the cinema in the picture, sadly, no longer exists.

beeladybird

Thats very interesting. What was the Essoldo in my town of W.B. was later known as the Playhouse. At the moment it is being re vamped as a long awaited regeneration scheme. Years before I was born I was told that my Grandmother used to take Theatricals in when it was known as the KURZEL(?) Apparently one Donald Peers stayed with her and cleared off owing her the princely sum of something like a shilling !!! I have recently returned from a visit to Richmond,Yorks and went on a guided walk.It was mentioned that Donald Peers lived there for years.