A friend of mine was among an invited group to be shown a demonstration film in the Impact cinema and found that when someone stood up in the back row, their upper silhouette appeared at the bottom of the screen. Alas, during quieter moments in the film, he could detect sound penetration from the back-to-back IMAX cinema. Whilst Empire One used to suffer sound penetration from the erstwhile Mecca Ballroom below, this was, I believe, only really noticeable from the front section of the stadium. On account of George Cole’s lovely Empire being itself built on the first floor of the complex, optimum sound-proofing between the two new cinemas would probably involve the kind of weight the Empire’s ‘60s floor was never designed to support.
Should Odeon decide to incorporate an isense auditorium within their flagship, I expect it would be less of a problem to deal more successfully with the consequent acoustics as they would have the original, intact theatre to work with rather than a conversion.
Afraid not! I’m not aware it’s happened before; I suspect if you were to input my email address manually (without any link to this site) your message and pictures would reach me. I receive many emails with no problem and wonder if C.T.’s direct link is failing.
Sorry your kind gesture is proving so troublesome.
I’m at a loss! The email address you used is the right one although I’m slightly puzzled why, when it appeared in your last message, the “uk” was black while the other characters were blue. Nevertheless, I’m sorry you’ve been troubled – it was kind of you to think of sending me the pictures.
Terry, That’s fascinating for me to read as so many names are familiar from so long ago. Brett Childes is so familiar yet I cannot remember why it should be so. I’m sure George Skelton would have been the manager of Stockton Globe when I had the Odeon (I was Assistant Manager in charge as the “real” manager, Bernard Goldthorpe was off for a long time following a pulmonory thrombosis). One of my part-time usherettes used to always be on leave over Christmas/New Year in order to appear in the Globe’s pantomime as one of the dancers.
I’m sure it would have been Mr Skelton who very kindly gave me and a colleague front row circle seats for the opening night of a touring opera company performing “Madam Butterfly” at the Globe and, if I’m not mistaken, told us about the Shadows composing “Stars Fell on Stockton” while appearing at his theatre in panto. Jim Stewart is yet another familiar name. When the North East Area had its area meetings at York’s Royal Station Hotel, quite a few of the attending managers would call in at the Odeon to have a chat with George Shepheard on the eve of the meeting and, no doubt, this is where I would have come across them and why their names remain familiar.
If you’re ever within striking distance of York, you’d be very welcome to come over for some refreshment and a bit of reminiscing! I have a home cinema with 4K digital projector, motorised tabs, three-colour circuit pageants and LED concealed lighting. Other former cinema people have said things like “By Jove, that takes me back”!
Very interesting, Terry. When I began my management training at York Odeon, the manager was George Shepheard who had previously managed the Halifax Odeon. As my training period started, Ken Close had just completed his at York and was about to move to another Rank cinema as assistant manager. When I was managing Stockton-on-Tees Odeon, Peter Talbot was my opposite number at the nearby Darlington Odeon. George Shepheard, a master showman, great character and generous man, loved York and its Odeon and always said he never wanted to work anywhere else whatever might be offered. He never did leave York and retired from his beloved Odeon. George’s wife, Beryl, died some eighteen months ago and he followed her, a few weeks later.
The incendiary bomb fell through the roof and started a fire towards the rear of the auditorium which largely destroyed the balcony. After repairs were completed, only a very few, short rows were left at the rear of the former balcony and these were above the main foyer – no part of the “overhanging” balcony was ever reinstated and the auditorium thereafter felt like a very high stadium style layout with a large “private box” set into the rear wall.
The Tower was a handsome cinema internally and is still fondly remembered by older citizens for being the first cinema in York to install both CinemaScope and stereophonic sound for the City’s first run of “South Pacific” – an initial run of seven weeks in 1958 and several return runs during the ensuing years. It became the longest run of any entertainment, stage or screen, in York in a large, unsubdivided hall and it’s a run that has never been exceeded.
The Tower’s owners had been quick to invest in the new screen and sound system once Rank (who owned the Odeon and Gaumont circuits and would normally have had first call on “Fox” product) refused to install stereophonic sound in all of their cinemas for “South Pacific”. This led to York’s larger and more modern Odeon being denied the initial run of what was to become one of the most successful films ever made. Rank’s large, big city “road show” cinemas like London’s Dominion and Leeds Majestic showed the film in 70mm. Todd-AO and it ran at the former for over four years – another record.
York Tower’s wide screen was set within a chamfered rectangular proscenium arch comprising three concealed lighting troughs containing amber lamps. The curtains were brown with a bold, appliqued black satin horizontal stripe near the bottom, descending step-like towards the centre and lit by red-filtered footlights.
An outstanding cinema – much missed in York almost half a century after closure.
True. Whilst the Paramount & Plaza, as the twins were first called, understandably bore no architectural relationship with the former Plaza, they were reasonably spacious and comfortable – it was a bold subdivision which yielded two acceptable cinemas, to my mind. The Warner West End and Rendezvous always had a cold feel internally – more modern, yes, but a bare screen lit white in one and rattly steel shapes shuddering in front of the screen instead of curtains in the other? Warmth and atmosphere had been banished but, as the number of screens increased over the years at least curtains were re-introduced which was a step in the right direction.
I fondly remember the unconverted Carlton Theatre which, under Fox, had a huge CinemaScope screen and the Gaumont, Haymarket which was quite splendid internally if a little narrow.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing and Rank (and others) just wanted to maintain their cinemas' appeal to youngsters who would be attracted by bright, modern interiors and not be as aware as we are now of the heritage cost involved.
In the West End, the rush to subdivide and ruin fabulous cinemas is hard to justify in the broader view when they all share much the same handful of films; why not present each film in one or two big, impressive cinemas as used to be the case. With suburban and provincial halls the case for conversion is, of course, much stronger. What a great shame we couldn’t simply have looked after what we had and cherished the “dream palaces” in the way that most theatres are. Industry politics have a bearing of course.
I’m hopeful the twinning of Empire One will result in two cinemas that will work better than either the Plaza or Warner twinnings of their day. The twinning of Odeon West End worked well at first but replacing their curtains and spotlights with blue LEDs framing the screens renders them lacklustre and suburban in feel.
That’s cheering to hear and, yes, the computer images of the conceptual twins do appear to show coves with concealed lighting similar to those in Coles' “original” ‘60s auditorium which produced such memorable spectacles for so many of us.
Maybe all isn’t lost – fingers crossed!
I was a Rank Theatres Ltd. manager in 1967 and was able to witness the changes as they took place at Leicester Square prior to the “unveiling” of the new look at the premiere of “Smashing Time”. I think most of us would concur that many cinemas lost a great deal in the then fashionable “zing” treatment where much of buildings'
character was sacrificed for plain surfaces and blandness. With Leicester Square, the etched glass front doors, foyer and circle lounge wall panelling and recessed ceilings were, to my mind, very sad losses, nevertheless, it remained, and remains for me, a handsome and striking cinema worthy of listing.
Does anyone know where the kitchens were situated for the restaurant?
Empire One, as we latterly knew it, having been lost, what remains of George Coles' fabulous swan song in the tawdry hotch-potch of largely unsuitable viewing rooms in the pretend multiplex that the Empire has become?
And by the way…
Where was the Odeon’s restaurant? Afternoon teas were served for many years in the circle lounge (as far as I’m aware, stalls patrons could also ascend to enjoy the same refreshment just as nowadays stalls guests may go up to enjoy a drink in the first floor bar) but “full service restaurant”?
All patrons have always been admitted through the same set of entrance doors irrespective of the tickets they were buying; the only separation of entering patrons was a physical necessity for stalls patrons to continue forward on the same level and circle patrons to mount the staircase to attain first floor level.
Compared to sub-division, the alterations made to the Odeon, Leicester Square over the years, whilst many, have been relatively superficial. There has been much said, since 1968, about how all the ceiling/wall coves were destroyed and the “golden ladies” on the splay walls were buried under plaster in that year’s modernisation. Neither is true. Only the coves between the circle and the proscenium arch were removed and the “ladies” were actually removed to create a plainer, more modern interior. Personally, I liked the plainer appearance and, having the “ladies” recreated in 1998 gives me the best of both worlds. The remaining coves regained a degree of concealed lighting from 1987, one pink lamp produced a warm glow at the base of each cove and, since 1998, optic-fibres have produced a more fully reinstated concealed lighting scheme – albeit not as effectively as the designers conceived and most striking when viewed from the very front stalls or the stage! Externally, the 1998 re-branding/reconstruction resulted in the most drastic changes of all when a double height foyer area was created with much additional glazing. To put everything in perspective, the Odeon retains one huge screen with stalls and circle intact and as built, a working stage with safety curtain and dressing rooms, as built and the original orchestra pit with working Compton organ on its rising/lowering lift, as built.
Externally, the tower and overall façade and entrance remain albeit with newer signage as befits the flagship. of a thriving, state-of-the-art circuit. I think therefore that the Odeon justifies listing as, structurally, and beyond the cosmetic, there is much of the 1937 super cinema still to cherish.
My only quibbles about the landmark Odeon are that the separate 3D screen which is lowered from the fly tower as the conventional screen and frame are moved to the back of the stage, precludes the use of tabs when in use for 3D and when out of use still prevents the house tabs being operated. Much of the lighting incorporated into the reconfigured foyer, glass staircase and circle lounge is no longer working and this leaves unattractive, dark areas and unlit glazed friezes unexplained. These are somewhat esoteric regrets on my part but I bet I’m not the only one to wish the flagship could glitter and sparkle again as it did in 1998. The restored neon outlining (albeit it “fanatical” blue instead of Oscar’s red) and brilliant new, remote-controlled and dazzling film announcement panels do make the theatre stand out after dark as it was meant to do.
By contrast, the Empire has looked like a scrap heap of styles externally for many years – even copying the Odeon’s glass balcony now but on an entirely unsuitable façade. As for the interior, shoe-horning extra screens into former stockrooms and lavatories and now sub-dividing the once glorious and spacious screen one, well it’s now an even messier mess than ever!
Drat! Having spent a family holiday in Sandown during 1965, I hadn’t realized just how narrowly I missed the chance to see a film at the Rivoli. I do remember it looking very smart externally – no doubt following a spruce-up for the launch of bingo. That summer, the Queen’s, Sandown was enjoying long queues for “Mary Poppins” and the Regal, Shanklin also seemed to be pretty busy.
SethLewis
Having been entirely re-seated as part of 1998’s £3.5 million refurbishment, the new stalls seating was neither as comfortable nor as stable as the seating it replaced in my opinion. However, just a few years later, the “new” seats were themselves replaced by far nicer ones. Not only was seating also replaced in both the Royal and Rear Circle but the echelons were also reconfigured from front to back – this gave much greater legroom and cost the theatre between two and three hundred seats which certainly “trimmed” the capacity upstairs! It remains my favourite cinema even though, having left London, a visit entails travelling 400 miles – journeys I’m happy to make to enjoy the “Big cinema experience”. Like you, I love the theatre’s atmosphere and have seen many of the films there since 1971. Royal Film Performances work better there than anywhere else. I saw the 70mm. blow-up of “Titanic” there five times with both friends and colleagues, some of whom asked such questions beforehand as “We could see it in Wimbledon couldn’t we and it’s cheaper?”
From entering the Royal Circle and finding Donald Mackenzie playing the Compton organ, to watching both sets of curtains sweep majestically to a close at the very end of the credits, all their queries as to why we had to see it there just disappeared and they talked all the way home about what an amazing experience it had all been. Some of them had never seen or heard anything like it.
Certainly the height of the Odeon’s screen is restricted by the balcony overhang from the rear stalls. It is hard to see how the theatre could be re-configured to accommodate a true IMAX screen and I, for one, certainly wouldn’t want it. When non-IMAX films are released and can be shown on IMAX screens – “Skyfall” for example – it’s interesting that, commercially, the Odeon holds its own very well due, of course, to the 1,700 + capacity. Even when such a popular film is playing at Odeon BFI IMAX at Waterloo and numerous suburban complexes that include an IMAX auditorium, THE Odeon can trump them all in the takings stakes with its appetite for cinemagoers. Wall-to-wall/ceiling to floor screens are not the “be-all-and-end-all” and the Odeon remains a venue of choice for many who want a huge screen and terrific sound in very comfortable surroundings without necessarily being dazzled and “blown away”!
Happily, distributors are still booking slots literally years in advance to secure their opening at the O.L.S. My only concern is that it’s a very expensive theatre to operate in between the big launches and when the film is not the blockbuster the makers, and exhibitors, hoped for.
A shame the Empire’s restored façade has never been allowed to breathe. Scaffolding, banners, conspicuous and protruding floodlights and effects projectors, a glass balcony surround blatantly copying the more appropriate one above the Odeon’s entrance and a canopy totally at odds with the rest of the frontage all combine to make this property look very tacky. To call it a hotch-potch doesn’t do the mess justice. The previous canopy was ghastly but, before that, the simpler 1962 canopy and “all-over” light box was, at least, uniform. Ironic that some superb viewing areas should lie beyond such an ugly frontage.
The 70mm. film presentations I have seen at both the Empire and Odeon cinemas in Leicester Square during the last half-century have always been superb. The finest 70mm. experience I have ever enjoyed was “Ryan’s Daughter” during its premiere run at the Empire in 1971.
Of course, David Lean’s craft, cinematographer and top-notch crew were no less responsible than the Empire’s vast screen, great sound kit and gently reclining armchairs but the glittering sweep of those amazing seascapes, the stunning capture of some of Ireland’s best scenery and what must be the ultimate filming of a severe storm which threatened to become part of some cast and crew members' epitaphs, all created something in a cinema which I don’t expect to ever see bettered or even equalled. It was a technical combination which went beyond dimensions; we felt the ocean breeze on our faces and were we not splashed during the storm? “Virtual” just wouldn’t have done the sensations justice; it was literally stunning, so much was presented to eye and ear that one’s brain had little to do to complete the experience of being there and we were transported. If ever cinema was immersive, it was then!
The twinning of Empire One’s auditorium now renders the Odeon even more special although, as CF100 rightly says, technical upgrades in multiplex screens and distribution patterns/early transfer to DVD and Blu-ray have long-since put an end to exclusive West End runs that were also technically superior to most subsequent general release locations. The Odeon’s owners continue to invest in what they rightly call Europe’s Premiere Cinema and I hope the theatre’s own celebrity and popularity with studios and distributors will ensure this showcase, with its original, undivided stalls/circle layout, huge rectangular proscenium, stage house, dressing rooms, orchestra pit and Compton organ, will survive and prosper.
Does anyone else think it strange that the Royal Film Performance now takes place in a concert hall, the BAFTA awards in an opera house and, come to that, the Royal Variety Performance having forsaken the world’s most famous variety theatre for a concert hall? No doubt number of seats and potential revenue for the respective charities is behind what can only be bad news for the very venues which were designed to present these media at their best.
Hope the Impact auditorium, in the front section of Empire One’s stadium layout, will not feel too shallow for the large screen. Odeon Marble Arch may have retained its own giant screen but, with just the front section of the former stalls seating available, it doesn’t have its former “feel”. Putting the largest screen possible into any auditorium isn’t always the wisest course – screen, auditorium size and shape and characteristics should all inter-relate for the best experience. Haymarket’s Carlton, Shaftesbury Avenue’s Columbia and Marble Arch’s Odeon are certainly not the cinemas they were, sub-division has made them run-of-the-mill complexes with no longer anything to make them stand out.
Tampering with well-designed cinemas seldom improves the audiences' experience despite appearing to make economic sense. The theory of a wider choice of films does not hold good in central London where there were sufficient cinemas of all sizes offering different films to begin with. Those that survive are mostly carved up and sharing the same selection of films – selected release and art house product excepted.
My prediction is that the Empire will end up with one very good Imax auditorium and one that not everyone will take to. Tabs will probably be confined to history to squeeze in as big an image as possible and the Empire “experience” will be diluted.
In terms of size, facilities, technology and atmosphere, this twinning will leave the Odeon Leicester Square as London’s only remaining super cinema – long may it thrive!
I attended a number of lunchtime organ concerts at the Odeon in the early ‘seventies during Gerald Shaw’s tenure and I was sad to learn the nature of his death.
I’ve since enjoyed many concerts there by Donald Mackenzie and a number of guest organists including the late Carlo Curley. Despite not being played on a regular basis, the “Duchess” five manual Compton is just one of the features that set this fine theatre apart, and it is great that the instrument is maintained and playable almost seventy six years since its installation.
Good to see the tabs, footlights, lighting coves and pageant lighting all still working at the last performance (at least in this, the main auditorium). A credit to those responsible – a handsome Odeon to the end. Almost a year earlier, Chester Odeon’s cousin in York closed in similar style with tabs and pageant lighting functioning.
If only newer cinemas could capture a little of the magic and atmosphere these splendid theatres engendered.
As a five year old, I was taken in a school party to the Rodney one afternoon in 1953 to see “A Queen is Crowned”.
Last visited in 1964 to see “Tom Jones” at which time the cinema still had a relatively large screen (CinemaScope looked particularly good there)and plain brown screen curtains lit by two ceiling mounted pageant lanterns.
The 1968 conversion for Mecca produced a particularly pleasing cinema in the original, large balcony. Not only was the large screen frame set within a “soft” proscenium but the silver satin screen curtains were very effectively lit by three colour circuit footlights (red, amber and blue)and the “new” cinema was large by today’s standards. The cinema looked splendid and had a really good atmosphere. The aesthetics were matched by splendid sound and projection quality. I saw several films there during 1969 including “Funny Girl” where the standards of presentation were top notch.
By the mid ‘60s, the original, elaborate auditorium had, like many vast and ornate cinemas – Granadas particularly – taken on a somewhat tired and dusty appearance which wasn’t helped by economies which involved using a bare minimum of decorative lighting in the auditorium.
Up until a small fire on stage and its closure for Mecca’s conversion, the Capitol had a spectacular set of screen curtains which were made by the Holophane Lighting to take advantage of their lighting system. The curtains were identical in design to those installed at the unrelated Rialto cinema in York where Holophane also created the decorative lighting scheme. The curtains were black velour with a striking, appliqued design of various colours of satin forming lower, horizontal bands in green and red above which were what appeared to be abstract tree-like shapes in shades of green from which gold birds appeared to be taking flight. The curtains must have looked magnificent in the days when the red/blue/green footlights were mixed and blended to produce countless different hues on the multi-coloured satin “picture”. The black background virtually disappeared, of course, and gave the design an almost 3D look. By the '60s, only one of the footlight circuits was being used and this was filtered primary green with just the outermost three lamp compartments filtered red. The effect was still quite good with the red and green separated by an amber glow where the neighbouring compartments allowed the red and green to blend.
The orchestra pit wall was built in 1964 at the time of a £20,000 modernisation which also saw the removal of the footlights from their trough, at one end of which the paint pots are standing in this view.
The orchestra pit originally had a delicate, wrought iron, ornamental rail of an identical design to that which spans the area between the two columns in the circle lounge above the stairs from the main foyer.
Roger, your detailed recollections are of great interest to me as I was an Odeon manager during the late ‘60s and early '70s, though not at Halifax. Your descriptions of the auditorium and its lighting schemes are particularly valuable to me as this is an area in which I have a strong interest. During the '60s, Rank engaged the services of the Trevor and Mavis Stone design partnership to update the interiors of their more “important” cinemas – a scheme of decoration now often referred to in hindsight as the “zing” treatment.
The basic idea, as in many '60s architectural designs, was plainness and so any ornate features were either removed or concealed, auditoriums were generally painted in one or two neutral shades (beige and grey were favourites) and indirect lighting from either coves or footlights was usually abandoned in favour of “pageant” lighting housed in long “boxes” mounted on the balcony front. The actual lanterns used were Strand Electric 2k adjustable beam spotlights with Fresnel lenses providing a soft edged pool of light adjustable in spread. Depending on the size of cinema, from six to twelve lanterns were provided and normally all filtered with the same, prescribed, pastel colour (instead of the previous three-colour circuit footlights where colours could blend and change with magical effect).
Where existing curtains were considered suitable – presumably sufficiently plain – and in good condition, they were retained and sometimes cleaned, as with Halifax. York Odeon was provided with nine lanterns all filtered with “57 pink” gel, its maroon curtains with copper coloured satin bands were replaced by plain silver satin tabs – the effect was striking, not to say dazzling, but the colour was always the same which was rather bland compared to the colour-changing of the previous scheme. Bradford Odeon was also given nine such lanterns, filtered in “straw” but retained its gold satin curtains.
Interesting to learn that Halifax’s colour was orange.
In a number of Rank cinemas so updated, once the “dust had settled” the lighting schemes could be modified by the cinema’s projection crew to work on the three colour principle once again and the combination of the powerful, focusable lights and colour-fusion created some wonderful effects.
The Odeon, Leicester Square was modernised during 1968 and already had eighteen pageant lanterns as well as footlights, battens and concealed lighting in wall and ceiling coves. Although I believe the Stones were involved and much original décor did give way to large, plain surfaces, the three colours of the pageant lighting (6 x primary red, 6 x medium amber and 6 x bright blue) survived the modernisation and created virtual firework displays on the reflective silver screen curtains and two-tone red velvet house curtains.
The three colour principle at the “flagship” lasted until 1998 when the number of lanterns (by now profile spotlights) was reduced to fourteen, all wired on a single circuit and filtered rose pink. Anyone still awake?!
I visited the Globe twice during 1970 while managing Stockton’s Odeon. I saw a touring production of “Madam Butterfly” with full orchestra in the pit – most impressive on a stage whose proscenium arch was two feet wider than that of London’s Palladium Theatre.
I also saw the film musical “Goodbye, Mr Chips” there and the CinemaScope screen was suitably vast. A prime candidate for restoration as a touring musical/concert venue I would have thought. A reborn Globe would have a huge catchment area for large scale attractions including Middlesbrough, West Hartlepool, Darlington and Billingham as well as Stockton and Thornaby. Nearest competition for what the Globe would be able to mount would be Scarborough’s Futurist and Sunderland Empire.
A few years before my time on Teesside, the Globe pantomime had starred the Shadows and, while they were in residence at the theatre, they wrote the tune “Stars fell on Stockton” which was included on at least one of their subsequent albums.
A friend of mine was among an invited group to be shown a demonstration film in the Impact cinema and found that when someone stood up in the back row, their upper silhouette appeared at the bottom of the screen. Alas, during quieter moments in the film, he could detect sound penetration from the back-to-back IMAX cinema. Whilst Empire One used to suffer sound penetration from the erstwhile Mecca Ballroom below, this was, I believe, only really noticeable from the front section of the stadium. On account of George Cole’s lovely Empire being itself built on the first floor of the complex, optimum sound-proofing between the two new cinemas would probably involve the kind of weight the Empire’s ‘60s floor was never designed to support.
Should Odeon decide to incorporate an isense auditorium within their flagship, I expect it would be less of a problem to deal more successfully with the consequent acoustics as they would have the original, intact theatre to work with rather than a conversion.
Terry,
Afraid not! I’m not aware it’s happened before; I suspect if you were to input my email address manually (without any link to this site) your message and pictures would reach me. I receive many emails with no problem and wonder if C.T.’s direct link is failing.
Sorry your kind gesture is proving so troublesome.
Regards,
James
Terry,
I’m at a loss! The email address you used is the right one although I’m slightly puzzled why, when it appeared in your last message, the “uk” was black while the other characters were blue. Nevertheless, I’m sorry you’ve been troubled – it was kind of you to think of sending me the pictures.
Regards,
James
Terry,
Your email hasn’t appeared here I’m afraid. Could I ask you to re-send it please. Looking forward to seeing your pictures!
Regards,
James
Terry, That’s fascinating for me to read as so many names are familiar from so long ago. Brett Childes is so familiar yet I cannot remember why it should be so. I’m sure George Skelton would have been the manager of Stockton Globe when I had the Odeon (I was Assistant Manager in charge as the “real” manager, Bernard Goldthorpe was off for a long time following a pulmonory thrombosis). One of my part-time usherettes used to always be on leave over Christmas/New Year in order to appear in the Globe’s pantomime as one of the dancers. I’m sure it would have been Mr Skelton who very kindly gave me and a colleague front row circle seats for the opening night of a touring opera company performing “Madam Butterfly” at the Globe and, if I’m not mistaken, told us about the Shadows composing “Stars Fell on Stockton” while appearing at his theatre in panto. Jim Stewart is yet another familiar name. When the North East Area had its area meetings at York’s Royal Station Hotel, quite a few of the attending managers would call in at the Odeon to have a chat with George Shepheard on the eve of the meeting and, no doubt, this is where I would have come across them and why their names remain familiar. If you’re ever within striking distance of York, you’d be very welcome to come over for some refreshment and a bit of reminiscing! I have a home cinema with 4K digital projector, motorised tabs, three-colour circuit pageants and LED concealed lighting. Other former cinema people have said things like “By Jove, that takes me back”!
James
.uk
Very interesting, Terry. When I began my management training at York Odeon, the manager was George Shepheard who had previously managed the Halifax Odeon. As my training period started, Ken Close had just completed his at York and was about to move to another Rank cinema as assistant manager. When I was managing Stockton-on-Tees Odeon, Peter Talbot was my opposite number at the nearby Darlington Odeon. George Shepheard, a master showman, great character and generous man, loved York and its Odeon and always said he never wanted to work anywhere else whatever might be offered. He never did leave York and retired from his beloved Odeon. George’s wife, Beryl, died some eighteen months ago and he followed her, a few weeks later.
The incendiary bomb fell through the roof and started a fire towards the rear of the auditorium which largely destroyed the balcony. After repairs were completed, only a very few, short rows were left at the rear of the former balcony and these were above the main foyer – no part of the “overhanging” balcony was ever reinstated and the auditorium thereafter felt like a very high stadium style layout with a large “private box” set into the rear wall. The Tower was a handsome cinema internally and is still fondly remembered by older citizens for being the first cinema in York to install both CinemaScope and stereophonic sound for the City’s first run of “South Pacific” – an initial run of seven weeks in 1958 and several return runs during the ensuing years. It became the longest run of any entertainment, stage or screen, in York in a large, unsubdivided hall and it’s a run that has never been exceeded. The Tower’s owners had been quick to invest in the new screen and sound system once Rank (who owned the Odeon and Gaumont circuits and would normally have had first call on “Fox” product) refused to install stereophonic sound in all of their cinemas for “South Pacific”. This led to York’s larger and more modern Odeon being denied the initial run of what was to become one of the most successful films ever made. Rank’s large, big city “road show” cinemas like London’s Dominion and Leeds Majestic showed the film in 70mm. Todd-AO and it ran at the former for over four years – another record.
York Tower’s wide screen was set within a chamfered rectangular proscenium arch comprising three concealed lighting troughs containing amber lamps. The curtains were brown with a bold, appliqued black satin horizontal stripe near the bottom, descending step-like towards the centre and lit by red-filtered footlights. An outstanding cinema – much missed in York almost half a century after closure.
True. Whilst the Paramount & Plaza, as the twins were first called, understandably bore no architectural relationship with the former Plaza, they were reasonably spacious and comfortable – it was a bold subdivision which yielded two acceptable cinemas, to my mind. The Warner West End and Rendezvous always had a cold feel internally – more modern, yes, but a bare screen lit white in one and rattly steel shapes shuddering in front of the screen instead of curtains in the other? Warmth and atmosphere had been banished but, as the number of screens increased over the years at least curtains were re-introduced which was a step in the right direction. I fondly remember the unconverted Carlton Theatre which, under Fox, had a huge CinemaScope screen and the Gaumont, Haymarket which was quite splendid internally if a little narrow. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and Rank (and others) just wanted to maintain their cinemas' appeal to youngsters who would be attracted by bright, modern interiors and not be as aware as we are now of the heritage cost involved. In the West End, the rush to subdivide and ruin fabulous cinemas is hard to justify in the broader view when they all share much the same handful of films; why not present each film in one or two big, impressive cinemas as used to be the case. With suburban and provincial halls the case for conversion is, of course, much stronger. What a great shame we couldn’t simply have looked after what we had and cherished the “dream palaces” in the way that most theatres are. Industry politics have a bearing of course. I’m hopeful the twinning of Empire One will result in two cinemas that will work better than either the Plaza or Warner twinnings of their day. The twinning of Odeon West End worked well at first but replacing their curtains and spotlights with blue LEDs framing the screens renders them lacklustre and suburban in feel.
That’s cheering to hear and, yes, the computer images of the conceptual twins do appear to show coves with concealed lighting similar to those in Coles' “original” ‘60s auditorium which produced such memorable spectacles for so many of us. Maybe all isn’t lost – fingers crossed!
I was a Rank Theatres Ltd. manager in 1967 and was able to witness the changes as they took place at Leicester Square prior to the “unveiling” of the new look at the premiere of “Smashing Time”. I think most of us would concur that many cinemas lost a great deal in the then fashionable “zing” treatment where much of buildings' character was sacrificed for plain surfaces and blandness. With Leicester Square, the etched glass front doors, foyer and circle lounge wall panelling and recessed ceilings were, to my mind, very sad losses, nevertheless, it remained, and remains for me, a handsome and striking cinema worthy of listing. Does anyone know where the kitchens were situated for the restaurant? Empire One, as we latterly knew it, having been lost, what remains of George Coles' fabulous swan song in the tawdry hotch-potch of largely unsuitable viewing rooms in the pretend multiplex that the Empire has become?
And by the way… Where was the Odeon’s restaurant? Afternoon teas were served for many years in the circle lounge (as far as I’m aware, stalls patrons could also ascend to enjoy the same refreshment just as nowadays stalls guests may go up to enjoy a drink in the first floor bar) but “full service restaurant”? All patrons have always been admitted through the same set of entrance doors irrespective of the tickets they were buying; the only separation of entering patrons was a physical necessity for stalls patrons to continue forward on the same level and circle patrons to mount the staircase to attain first floor level.
Compared to sub-division, the alterations made to the Odeon, Leicester Square over the years, whilst many, have been relatively superficial. There has been much said, since 1968, about how all the ceiling/wall coves were destroyed and the “golden ladies” on the splay walls were buried under plaster in that year’s modernisation. Neither is true. Only the coves between the circle and the proscenium arch were removed and the “ladies” were actually removed to create a plainer, more modern interior. Personally, I liked the plainer appearance and, having the “ladies” recreated in 1998 gives me the best of both worlds. The remaining coves regained a degree of concealed lighting from 1987, one pink lamp produced a warm glow at the base of each cove and, since 1998, optic-fibres have produced a more fully reinstated concealed lighting scheme – albeit not as effectively as the designers conceived and most striking when viewed from the very front stalls or the stage! Externally, the 1998 re-branding/reconstruction resulted in the most drastic changes of all when a double height foyer area was created with much additional glazing. To put everything in perspective, the Odeon retains one huge screen with stalls and circle intact and as built, a working stage with safety curtain and dressing rooms, as built and the original orchestra pit with working Compton organ on its rising/lowering lift, as built. Externally, the tower and overall façade and entrance remain albeit with newer signage as befits the flagship. of a thriving, state-of-the-art circuit. I think therefore that the Odeon justifies listing as, structurally, and beyond the cosmetic, there is much of the 1937 super cinema still to cherish. My only quibbles about the landmark Odeon are that the separate 3D screen which is lowered from the fly tower as the conventional screen and frame are moved to the back of the stage, precludes the use of tabs when in use for 3D and when out of use still prevents the house tabs being operated. Much of the lighting incorporated into the reconfigured foyer, glass staircase and circle lounge is no longer working and this leaves unattractive, dark areas and unlit glazed friezes unexplained. These are somewhat esoteric regrets on my part but I bet I’m not the only one to wish the flagship could glitter and sparkle again as it did in 1998. The restored neon outlining (albeit it “fanatical” blue instead of Oscar’s red) and brilliant new, remote-controlled and dazzling film announcement panels do make the theatre stand out after dark as it was meant to do.
By contrast, the Empire has looked like a scrap heap of styles externally for many years – even copying the Odeon’s glass balcony now but on an entirely unsuitable façade. As for the interior, shoe-horning extra screens into former stockrooms and lavatories and now sub-dividing the once glorious and spacious screen one, well it’s now an even messier mess than ever!
List the Odeon! Mourn the Empire!
Drat! Having spent a family holiday in Sandown during 1965, I hadn’t realized just how narrowly I missed the chance to see a film at the Rivoli. I do remember it looking very smart externally – no doubt following a spruce-up for the launch of bingo. That summer, the Queen’s, Sandown was enjoying long queues for “Mary Poppins” and the Regal, Shanklin also seemed to be pretty busy.
SethLewis Having been entirely re-seated as part of 1998’s £3.5 million refurbishment, the new stalls seating was neither as comfortable nor as stable as the seating it replaced in my opinion. However, just a few years later, the “new” seats were themselves replaced by far nicer ones. Not only was seating also replaced in both the Royal and Rear Circle but the echelons were also reconfigured from front to back – this gave much greater legroom and cost the theatre between two and three hundred seats which certainly “trimmed” the capacity upstairs! It remains my favourite cinema even though, having left London, a visit entails travelling 400 miles – journeys I’m happy to make to enjoy the “Big cinema experience”. Like you, I love the theatre’s atmosphere and have seen many of the films there since 1971. Royal Film Performances work better there than anywhere else. I saw the 70mm. blow-up of “Titanic” there five times with both friends and colleagues, some of whom asked such questions beforehand as “We could see it in Wimbledon couldn’t we and it’s cheaper?” From entering the Royal Circle and finding Donald Mackenzie playing the Compton organ, to watching both sets of curtains sweep majestically to a close at the very end of the credits, all their queries as to why we had to see it there just disappeared and they talked all the way home about what an amazing experience it had all been. Some of them had never seen or heard anything like it.
Certainly the height of the Odeon’s screen is restricted by the balcony overhang from the rear stalls. It is hard to see how the theatre could be re-configured to accommodate a true IMAX screen and I, for one, certainly wouldn’t want it. When non-IMAX films are released and can be shown on IMAX screens – “Skyfall” for example – it’s interesting that, commercially, the Odeon holds its own very well due, of course, to the 1,700 + capacity. Even when such a popular film is playing at Odeon BFI IMAX at Waterloo and numerous suburban complexes that include an IMAX auditorium, THE Odeon can trump them all in the takings stakes with its appetite for cinemagoers. Wall-to-wall/ceiling to floor screens are not the “be-all-and-end-all” and the Odeon remains a venue of choice for many who want a huge screen and terrific sound in very comfortable surroundings without necessarily being dazzled and “blown away”! Happily, distributors are still booking slots literally years in advance to secure their opening at the O.L.S. My only concern is that it’s a very expensive theatre to operate in between the big launches and when the film is not the blockbuster the makers, and exhibitors, hoped for.
A shame the Empire’s restored façade has never been allowed to breathe. Scaffolding, banners, conspicuous and protruding floodlights and effects projectors, a glass balcony surround blatantly copying the more appropriate one above the Odeon’s entrance and a canopy totally at odds with the rest of the frontage all combine to make this property look very tacky. To call it a hotch-potch doesn’t do the mess justice. The previous canopy was ghastly but, before that, the simpler 1962 canopy and “all-over” light box was, at least, uniform. Ironic that some superb viewing areas should lie beyond such an ugly frontage.
The 70mm. film presentations I have seen at both the Empire and Odeon cinemas in Leicester Square during the last half-century have always been superb. The finest 70mm. experience I have ever enjoyed was “Ryan’s Daughter” during its premiere run at the Empire in 1971. Of course, David Lean’s craft, cinematographer and top-notch crew were no less responsible than the Empire’s vast screen, great sound kit and gently reclining armchairs but the glittering sweep of those amazing seascapes, the stunning capture of some of Ireland’s best scenery and what must be the ultimate filming of a severe storm which threatened to become part of some cast and crew members' epitaphs, all created something in a cinema which I don’t expect to ever see bettered or even equalled. It was a technical combination which went beyond dimensions; we felt the ocean breeze on our faces and were we not splashed during the storm? “Virtual” just wouldn’t have done the sensations justice; it was literally stunning, so much was presented to eye and ear that one’s brain had little to do to complete the experience of being there and we were transported. If ever cinema was immersive, it was then!
The twinning of Empire One’s auditorium now renders the Odeon even more special although, as CF100 rightly says, technical upgrades in multiplex screens and distribution patterns/early transfer to DVD and Blu-ray have long-since put an end to exclusive West End runs that were also technically superior to most subsequent general release locations. The Odeon’s owners continue to invest in what they rightly call Europe’s Premiere Cinema and I hope the theatre’s own celebrity and popularity with studios and distributors will ensure this showcase, with its original, undivided stalls/circle layout, huge rectangular proscenium, stage house, dressing rooms, orchestra pit and Compton organ, will survive and prosper.
Does anyone else think it strange that the Royal Film Performance now takes place in a concert hall, the BAFTA awards in an opera house and, come to that, the Royal Variety Performance having forsaken the world’s most famous variety theatre for a concert hall? No doubt number of seats and potential revenue for the respective charities is behind what can only be bad news for the very venues which were designed to present these media at their best.
Hope the Impact auditorium, in the front section of Empire One’s stadium layout, will not feel too shallow for the large screen. Odeon Marble Arch may have retained its own giant screen but, with just the front section of the former stalls seating available, it doesn’t have its former “feel”. Putting the largest screen possible into any auditorium isn’t always the wisest course – screen, auditorium size and shape and characteristics should all inter-relate for the best experience. Haymarket’s Carlton, Shaftesbury Avenue’s Columbia and Marble Arch’s Odeon are certainly not the cinemas they were, sub-division has made them run-of-the-mill complexes with no longer anything to make them stand out. Tampering with well-designed cinemas seldom improves the audiences' experience despite appearing to make economic sense. The theory of a wider choice of films does not hold good in central London where there were sufficient cinemas of all sizes offering different films to begin with. Those that survive are mostly carved up and sharing the same selection of films – selected release and art house product excepted. My prediction is that the Empire will end up with one very good Imax auditorium and one that not everyone will take to. Tabs will probably be confined to history to squeeze in as big an image as possible and the Empire “experience” will be diluted. In terms of size, facilities, technology and atmosphere, this twinning will leave the Odeon Leicester Square as London’s only remaining super cinema – long may it thrive!
I attended a number of lunchtime organ concerts at the Odeon in the early ‘seventies during Gerald Shaw’s tenure and I was sad to learn the nature of his death. I’ve since enjoyed many concerts there by Donald Mackenzie and a number of guest organists including the late Carlo Curley. Despite not being played on a regular basis, the “Duchess” five manual Compton is just one of the features that set this fine theatre apart, and it is great that the instrument is maintained and playable almost seventy six years since its installation.
Good to see the tabs, footlights, lighting coves and pageant lighting all still working at the last performance (at least in this, the main auditorium). A credit to those responsible – a handsome Odeon to the end. Almost a year earlier, Chester Odeon’s cousin in York closed in similar style with tabs and pageant lighting functioning. If only newer cinemas could capture a little of the magic and atmosphere these splendid theatres engendered.
As a five year old, I was taken in a school party to the Rodney one afternoon in 1953 to see “A Queen is Crowned”. Last visited in 1964 to see “Tom Jones” at which time the cinema still had a relatively large screen (CinemaScope looked particularly good there)and plain brown screen curtains lit by two ceiling mounted pageant lanterns.
The 1968 conversion for Mecca produced a particularly pleasing cinema in the original, large balcony. Not only was the large screen frame set within a “soft” proscenium but the silver satin screen curtains were very effectively lit by three colour circuit footlights (red, amber and blue)and the “new” cinema was large by today’s standards. The cinema looked splendid and had a really good atmosphere. The aesthetics were matched by splendid sound and projection quality. I saw several films there during 1969 including “Funny Girl” where the standards of presentation were top notch. By the mid ‘60s, the original, elaborate auditorium had, like many vast and ornate cinemas – Granadas particularly – taken on a somewhat tired and dusty appearance which wasn’t helped by economies which involved using a bare minimum of decorative lighting in the auditorium. Up until a small fire on stage and its closure for Mecca’s conversion, the Capitol had a spectacular set of screen curtains which were made by the Holophane Lighting to take advantage of their lighting system. The curtains were identical in design to those installed at the unrelated Rialto cinema in York where Holophane also created the decorative lighting scheme. The curtains were black velour with a striking, appliqued design of various colours of satin forming lower, horizontal bands in green and red above which were what appeared to be abstract tree-like shapes in shades of green from which gold birds appeared to be taking flight. The curtains must have looked magnificent in the days when the red/blue/green footlights were mixed and blended to produce countless different hues on the multi-coloured satin “picture”. The black background virtually disappeared, of course, and gave the design an almost 3D look. By the '60s, only one of the footlight circuits was being used and this was filtered primary green with just the outermost three lamp compartments filtered red. The effect was still quite good with the red and green separated by an amber glow where the neighbouring compartments allowed the red and green to blend.
The orchestra pit wall was built in 1964 at the time of a £20,000 modernisation which also saw the removal of the footlights from their trough, at one end of which the paint pots are standing in this view. The orchestra pit originally had a delicate, wrought iron, ornamental rail of an identical design to that which spans the area between the two columns in the circle lounge above the stairs from the main foyer.
Roger, your detailed recollections are of great interest to me as I was an Odeon manager during the late ‘60s and early '70s, though not at Halifax. Your descriptions of the auditorium and its lighting schemes are particularly valuable to me as this is an area in which I have a strong interest. During the '60s, Rank engaged the services of the Trevor and Mavis Stone design partnership to update the interiors of their more “important” cinemas – a scheme of decoration now often referred to in hindsight as the “zing” treatment. The basic idea, as in many '60s architectural designs, was plainness and so any ornate features were either removed or concealed, auditoriums were generally painted in one or two neutral shades (beige and grey were favourites) and indirect lighting from either coves or footlights was usually abandoned in favour of “pageant” lighting housed in long “boxes” mounted on the balcony front. The actual lanterns used were Strand Electric 2k adjustable beam spotlights with Fresnel lenses providing a soft edged pool of light adjustable in spread. Depending on the size of cinema, from six to twelve lanterns were provided and normally all filtered with the same, prescribed, pastel colour (instead of the previous three-colour circuit footlights where colours could blend and change with magical effect). Where existing curtains were considered suitable – presumably sufficiently plain – and in good condition, they were retained and sometimes cleaned, as with Halifax. York Odeon was provided with nine lanterns all filtered with “57 pink” gel, its maroon curtains with copper coloured satin bands were replaced by plain silver satin tabs – the effect was striking, not to say dazzling, but the colour was always the same which was rather bland compared to the colour-changing of the previous scheme. Bradford Odeon was also given nine such lanterns, filtered in “straw” but retained its gold satin curtains. Interesting to learn that Halifax’s colour was orange. In a number of Rank cinemas so updated, once the “dust had settled” the lighting schemes could be modified by the cinema’s projection crew to work on the three colour principle once again and the combination of the powerful, focusable lights and colour-fusion created some wonderful effects. The Odeon, Leicester Square was modernised during 1968 and already had eighteen pageant lanterns as well as footlights, battens and concealed lighting in wall and ceiling coves. Although I believe the Stones were involved and much original décor did give way to large, plain surfaces, the three colours of the pageant lighting (6 x primary red, 6 x medium amber and 6 x bright blue) survived the modernisation and created virtual firework displays on the reflective silver screen curtains and two-tone red velvet house curtains. The three colour principle at the “flagship” lasted until 1998 when the number of lanterns (by now profile spotlights) was reduced to fourteen, all wired on a single circuit and filtered rose pink. Anyone still awake?!
I visited the Globe twice during 1970 while managing Stockton’s Odeon. I saw a touring production of “Madam Butterfly” with full orchestra in the pit – most impressive on a stage whose proscenium arch was two feet wider than that of London’s Palladium Theatre. I also saw the film musical “Goodbye, Mr Chips” there and the CinemaScope screen was suitably vast. A prime candidate for restoration as a touring musical/concert venue I would have thought. A reborn Globe would have a huge catchment area for large scale attractions including Middlesbrough, West Hartlepool, Darlington and Billingham as well as Stockton and Thornaby. Nearest competition for what the Globe would be able to mount would be Scarborough’s Futurist and Sunderland Empire. A few years before my time on Teesside, the Globe pantomime had starred the Shadows and, while they were in residence at the theatre, they wrote the tune “Stars fell on Stockton” which was included on at least one of their subsequent albums.