Does anyone remember the saturday morning at sutton odeon?

[posh70]

I remember back in the 70's going to the pictures in maney corner sutton odeon for the matinee (excuse spelling) we used to pay a small amount and watch a film of various descriptions and there was always a couple of cartoons, All in all it took about 3 hrs of the saturday up so mom could go shopping in peace, also i remember people used to clap and cheer before and after a film started, People were more spirited in those days,

[THEVILE8R]

I dont remember ever going to that theatre but reading your post reminded me about a bloke I worked with some years back .
He told me that he used to work in a cinema and on a saturday when they had the childrens matinee , the kids would all cheer when the curtains in front of the screen opened .
So he started playing the kids up , he would start to open the curtains the kids would start to cheer . He then closed the curtains and the kids would all groan or boo .
He would do this three or four times before finally opening them and letting the film roll .

[dazza]

Those were the days!!! I never went to Sutton pics but I used to be took to the capitol in Alum Rock, what a dump it is there now!!!!! In fact I think it's been closed for years!!!

[posh70]

Apparently sutton odeon saturday matine was 50p for the whole show! You can barely afford a mars bar for that price these days, grumble grumble etc etc............

[zoomsplat]

I well remember Saturday matinees at the Sutton Odeon. I was the assistant manager there during the late 70's, so I always got the job of covering the Saturday show. I really enjoyed the great atmosphere the kids generated, it took me back to my own carefree days. Who remembers when I had the late Les Dawson in my office, and he just went out and gave the kids a show?

What a smashing bloke ! He was there on business, but gave a free show out of the goodness of his own heart. Now that's a man who will be hard to replace.

[THEVILE8R]

Those were the days!!! I never went to Sutton pics but I used to be took to the capitol in Alum Rock, what a dump it is there now!!!!! In fact I think it's been closed for years!!!

The Capitol , now thats a place I went to quite a lot in ye olden days .
The thing I remember about that place was the way you could tell when a train went past on the track next to the theatre .
The Capitol has been shut down for years and if my memory serves it was an islamic centre for a while .

[posh70]

Now were getting off the track of sutton Odeon but i don't mind as i too have a few other memories of cinemas that are worth a mention! i always remember that where the McDonalds drive thru in town, across the corner from Bristol street motors on the Bristol rd, there used to be a cinema called the "ABC" its been gone ages now obviusly, then we had the Futurist in John Bright street, the last time i was there it was a night club called "DNA" but as a kid i used to go there with my mom and watch various films such as Herbie goes bananas, and lastly there used to be a cinema called the "TIVOLI" which was (might still be) round the back of the New st train station, they showed all kinds of films from kids films and mainstream to the swedish variety, being a kid i remember watching Petes dragon there with my mom, Being a 14yr old i remember getting in to watch a "Swedish film" dunno what it was called but i do remember that there were about 10-15 men in there all spread out with about 3 rows or so between them, i remember sitting down and watching a film about std's and v.d, it was horrendous and very graphic, as i looked behind me i remember a man pleasuring himself and thought i might be better off leaving, at which point i went to the mens toilets (not for any other reason than a pee) and they were down a flight of stairs, as i was urinating against the urinals i was aware of a man standing to the left of me and a toilet cubicle to the right of me with a low door - the bottom of which was a good 12" off the floor, as i looked at the cubicle i saw a man facing me and the other guy and realised he was giving himself a treat, we made eye contact and he winked (said winked) and whispered "alright?" to which i broke my neck to look the other way and found that mr Left was also giving himself a treat, i have never ran so fast in all my life! What a charming story i thought i would share with all you lucky readers!

[sensible]

Those were the days!!! I never went to Sutton pics but I used to be took to the capitol in Alum Rock, what a dump it is there now!!!!! In fact I think it's been closed for years!!!

We used to go to the Rock, Capitol and Beaufort Cinemas. The Rock and Beaufort are long gone now. Don't know if the Capitol is still there. I wouldn't visit Alum Rock anymore to find out.

[dazza]

Posh70

Where did you grow up then!!! Some of your memories have starting bells ringing in my head ( no, I haven't been drinking!!!)

[posh70]

I was born in the Sorrento, moseley, in 1970. I lived in willows cresent, Balsall heath until i was 4, in 1975 i moved to Monks Kirby rd, Sutton Coldfield, in 1983 i moved to Sycamore rd, Erdington until 1988 when i left home and have lived in various areas of the midlands.
My schools were as follows;- tindall st nursery- tindall street primary(moseley)till 1975
Reddicap Heath primary, then Falcon Lodge Juniors, Sutton Coldfield, till 1982.
John Wilmott secondary school, Sutton Coldfield, till 1987.
my name used to end in Gormley but i changed it in 1993 to disassociate myself from my Biological dad, Hope this helps stop the bells ringing- if u think u know me u can mail me at posh70@hotmail.com and keep this page for its own purpose.

[madeinbirmingham]

The Odeon Sutton has recently had its name changed to EMPIRE, what an insult!

i am in touch with Oscar Deutch's son (Ronnie) who founded the Odeons if anyone wants information.

[SilverClive]

Those were the days, I can remember Perry Barr ODEON fondly.
We used to pay a 'Tanner' (six old pence) for the whole 3 hour show.

When it was your birthday they used to send you a card that permitted you and a friend free entry.(As I'm a twin, my brother and I used to take each other so had two weeks free entry).

The manager there was a large bald headed man who didn't stand for us kids playing up. He used to put the fear of God into us.

[SilverClive]

Just a quickie,

Does Odeon realy stand for Oscar Deutch Entertains Our Nation?

[bigwheels]

As I was born in Acocks Green, The Robin Hood, and The Rialto were two of our local cinemas but the Saturday Matinee was at The Olton Cinema on Warwick Road. Oh for a quid for each time I walked there.

[camarata]

SilverClive: Perry Barr Odeon. The big bald headed manager was Louis Freedman. I worked with him there from 1963 to 1967. Incidentally, it was the very first ODEON to be built in this country c.1936. The word ODEON is an acronym for Oscar Deutch Entertains Our Nation. In reply to POSH70, the ABC where McDonalds now stands used to be called The Bristol Cinema. It was the first Birmingham cinema to have Cinerama installed in 1963, the second being the Gaumont in Steelhouse Lane which incidentally had the largest screen in Europe being 80ft wide by 35ft high and an arc of 146 degrees. The Futurist cinema in John Bright Street was the first to have the talkies way back in 1928 with the film 'The Jazz Singer' starring Al Jolson.