Saturday Morning Pictures

[samkydd]

(Fellwanderer @ Dec 8 2005, 06:26 PM) That was the one. I certainly remembered it as being on the north side of the road. Not guilty on the fireworks - lived at the far end by then. I'd forgotten all about the one on the south side but I'm getting hazy recollections now. It's 41 or 42 years tomorrow since The Odeon hosted the biggest event in it and Southend's history with the appearance of The Beatles. FELL

I thought the biggest event in Southend was the launch of the Ford Capri!

[Marky B]

The Beatles were at the Globe Theatre in Stockton (later the ABC cinema,now a wreck),but their performance was interrupted by a news announcement:President Kennedy had been assassinated.
Ta Ta
Marky B

[John Delaney]

Right.....The Clifton, Fallings Park, Wolverhampton.....late fourties.

2d downstaairs, 3d upstairs.

Nearly always a western with Johnny Mac Brown, Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers or Gene Autry. The volume of audience noise always went up when a song was sung and was even higher when there was kissing - ugh! - on the screen. There was always a chase which we continued along the road on the way home.

One or two cartoons - very favourablly received.

The serial, bags of excitement! The Clutching Hand, Deadwood Dick and one about the American navy called, I think, Anchors Away.

A number of these serials are available on video or DVD. Do a Google.

The Clifton became a Fine Fair supermarket and that has now, I believe, gone the same way.

If you are interested in the history of Wolverhampton's many cinemas go to:
http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/art...ks/Contents.htm

dizthewiz

[Ambrosia]

Torchy the Battery Boy was Telly along with the Wooden Tops and Muffin the Mule.

The Old Astoria had double seats for the couples in the back row, now you have to fumble over your popcorn and armrests just to get your partners Coke, see my post on Nudity in the Cinema

[GSMCTM]

The best times of my live - the Carlton ABC in Green Street, East Ham. 6d to get in and the first thing we did before the Big Show was sing the song (it was to the Lambeth Walk) and we then used to shout "On With the Show" . First, the cartoons, then the serial, a short (maybe 3 Stooges), and the Big Film. A big reason why I love the movies so much and the REAL movies stars.

[ican]

Once a year the regular Saturday morning session at my local cinema was changed to make way for the Brooke Bond Film Show. This would be late 60s to early 70s, I can't remember what films they ran but entry was free as long as you came with an empty packet of tea. They gave away prizes such as complete Brooke Bond card and album sets, jigsaws and chimp mascots. Does anyone else have a memory of this?

[smiffy]

Originally Posted by ican Once a year the regular Saturday morning session at my local cinema was changed to make way for the Brooke Bond Film Show. This would be late 60s to early 70s, I can't remember what films they ran but entry was free as long as you came with an empty packet of tea. They gave away prizes such as complete Brooke Bond card and album sets, jigsaws and chimp mascots. Does anyone else have a memory of this?

I sure do,luckily we drank brooke bond at our house,that free entry was like winning the pools in those days.The saturday morning flicks were chaotic,we didn't have an organist to throw things at,but when the western came on all the lads would charge around on imaginary horses (and if you slapped your thigh you went faster) firing imaginary six shooters shouting yee haah!

saturday at the flicks was where I got my first sight of africa,there always seemed to be either a short or a serial about the serengeti (don't know If I spelled that right)
Does anybody else remember the african plains being shown?

Happy days aaah!!

[MrT]

I remember the Saturday morning film shows at the Odeon in Epsom - my first introduction to Old Mother Riley. I remember the groans and boos from most of the kids as the British National logo flashed up on the screen and they knew what was coming. Behaviour at these shows was dreadful, nobody seemed to go to watch the films and judging by their behaviour most had probably been packed off to the cinema by their parents just to get them out of the house. Still, this was all part of my introduction to British films and I remember clearly seeing "Old Mother Riley in Business" at the Odeon, one of the OMR films that is not currently in circulation.

Mike (MrT)

[faceoff]

My main memory of Saturday morning pictures were those awful series, like the Perils of Pauline, Batman and Charlie Chan. They were exciting enough but even aged 9 or 10 I was yelling "cheat" at the screen.

I always wanted to run last weeks episode side by side with that weeks episodes and show the film makers where they had under estimated us youthful viewers.

Last week there was NO WAY the hero or heroine could escape the oncoming danger, be it a speeding car or train. Then when you see the following weeks episode there is an extra scene slipped in that shows you how our hero had already untied the ropes or saw an escape route to just jump out the way of assumed fate of being addressed in future as "The late Batman/Pearl White(Pauline) or Charlie Chan.

Damn I thought - surely we will get them THIS week? But we never did. I was with the Goldfinger crowd - "I expect you to die, Mr Bond!"

Blood thirsty little tyke wasn't I?

[billy bentley]

I was explaining Saturday Morning Pictures to my youngest, something my old man RIP used to refer to as the "Tupenny Rush". Anyway, I was wondering when this was fazed out/ dropped whatever ? I was never "a minor of the ABC" (although I can remember the song) as I bounced around according to my domestic situation, but it was a lot of fun.

[Queenie]

I was a minor of the ABC and every Saturday we'd line up the see the films we like and laugh along with glee!! Their words not mine!! Saturday morning flicks were certainly still around in the mid-seventies. Can't say I remember much of the films........can remember the petty shoplifting in Woolies afterwards though!! My first reply and have let myself down already!!

[essaljay]

It was the Finsbury Park Astoria for my Saturday morning adventures. 6d at the front and 9d for the rear stalls. (no-one was allowed in the balcony). A cartoon to start, then a short travelogue leading into the serial. (does anyone remember Captain Video? a 50's serial set in the "future" where the hero and his sidekick wore cowboy holsters for thier ray-guns) I agree with faceoff about the storylines. In one ending, after falling out of a plane you actually see him hit the ground. But the following week he magically appears out of a tree that conveniently broke his fall. All this finished with the main feature, (usually a western) Great days.