Stories Of London

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The first cinema that I noticed in Slough was the Century Theatre.  This was during our first trip to check out Slough and environs prior to moving there.  I remember passing it on the 81 bus that we took from Slough Station to Langley Broom.  It was about halfway along the High Street.  Sadly, I evidently noticed little of its exterior, I am ashamed to say, since I cannot recall what it looked like.

The Various Bus Types that have operated on the 81 Bus Route over the years

I am certain that despite my inability to remember any details of the building’s exterior, I do not doubt that I believed it to be a fine looking place.  I say this since I found nearly every cinema outside Bethnal Green to be grand, as the cinemas of Bethnal Green were in a poor condition and in great need of restoration.  Later, when we went inside the Century Theatre, I remember that it had a lavish foyer decorated in burgundy and gold with several potted palms and a couple of huge pots that could have hidden several of Ali Baba’s thieves!  How could I not be impressed?  As much as I loved going to the Excelsior in Bethnal Green and the Plaza Cinema on Kingsland Road, going to the Century Theatre was like going to a special cinema, as it was plush!

The Century Theatre was originally built as the Palace in 1921 as an independently owned and operated cinema.  An organ was installed later in 1929, but was removed in 1937 when the cinema’s seating capacity was increased from 950 to 1,336 during modernisation.

The cinema closed on V.J. Night, 16th August, 1945, as a result of a fire in the building.  The building was eventually taken over in 1949 by Granada Theatres and re-opened on 2nd January, 1950 as the Century Theatre following repairs using plans of the architect George Coles and interior designers Howell Jones and W.F. Mudd.

I remember that on one of our visits to Slough before moving there, my mother decided that we should go to the cinema and we chose the only cinema that we had found until then, the Century.

At last I found something to like in Slough!  I had been fortunate enough to go to some of the lavish cinemas in the West End of London and liked them very much.

Empire Leicester Square, once London’s Showcase of MGM Pictures
Left: in 1953; Centre: today, by day (Upper) and night (Lower)
Right: MGM Pictures Logos through the years
The green logo was used to introduce
Alfred Hitchcock’s film, North by Northwest (1959)

Warner Leicester Square, once London’s Showcase of Warner Bros. Pictures – now The Vue
The carved side panels (Sight & Sound) were by Bainbridge Copnell

Top Left: Odeon Leicester Square, Top Right: Odeon Marble Arch
Bottom Left: Carlton Haymarket; Bottom Right: Rialto Coventry Street

However, until that time, I considered the Odeon Hackney Road to be the most luxurious of our local cinemas.  I was also impressed with the Dreamland Cinema, in  Margate, which I went to once and saw Walt Disney’s version of Treasure Island (1950).

Dreamland Cinema Margate
Top Left: Exterior; Top Right: Interior at opening
Bottom, Left to right: Robert Newton as Long John Silver;
Robert Newton & Bobby Driscoll as Jim Hawkins; & Film Poster

Although the Excelsior Kinema in Bethnal Green was my favourite cinema, I also really liked the Odeon Hackney Road.  This was a beautiful cinema and had an elegance that I was not used to in our other local cinemas.  I liked its design and its decor in chocolate and gold colours.

Left: Odeon Hackney Road; Right: Excelsior Kinema Bethnal Green

However, the Century had an exotic look and feel to it that I had never experienced before.  I did not know at the time that it belonged to the Granada Theatre Circuit, and to be honest, I did not even know of the existence of such a circuit.  Whenever I looked in the evening newspapers to see What’s On at the Pictures, I don’t remember seeing any mention of a Granada Theatre anywhere.  I later learned that the circuit only advertised in local newspapers in areas where they had a presence and since my area of the East End had no presence, there was no advertising for them in the local paper.

What’s On At The Pictures This Week

Something, or rather  someone, that I was very much taken with at the Century was the saleslady that sold the tickets in the box office.  She was exotic too! In fact, she was the most exotic and beautiful woman that I had ever seen until then. She had amazingly high cheekbones with flashing dark eyes and soft, smooth, silky olive-coloured skin.  Her hair was long, straight and jet black in colour and constantly fell across an eye.  She gave her head a slight flick and her hair moved to reveal her face once more.  I was, to say the least, besotted.

The saleslady was dressed in the Granada Uniform.   She wore a light coloured blouse of what I assumed was made of silk or satin, which shone in the light and was buttoned at the back.  She appeared to be wearing what I took for pantaloons.  She barely spoke and did not smile, which added to her tantalising appeal, which had completely bewitched me!  Her obvious charm and allure sent me reeling.  I was besotted. I suspect now that she was of Malay or Polynesian heritage of which I knew nothing at the time.

Besides the exotic looking saleslady, I had noticed something else about the Century Theatre that made it an appealing place.  This was the presence of a small confectionery shop within the foyer with its own entrance.  The establishment was named Miss Candy and was filled with the most colourful succulent sweetmeats in large glass jars.  I remember wishing that I had lots of money, as I would have spent it all there and willingly shared my purchases with the exotic box office lady that I have forever thought of as Miss Candy.

Una Stubbs, the Diary Box Girl and starred in ‘Til Death Us Do Part 
& now plays Mrs. Hudson in Sherlock and often appears on BBC Radio

I thought that the little shop, Miss Candy, was unique to the Century Theatre.  Once I moved to Langley and discovered the Granada Theatre in Windsor Road, Slough, I noticed a little counter in its foyer that was also called Miss Candy.  Naturally I then thought that both the shop and the counter were unique to these two theatres.  However, years later, when I began to delve into the history of The Granada Theatre Circuit, I learned that these shops/counters had been added in the hope of cashing in of the cinema-going public’s sweet tooth and had been installed in most Granada Theatres.  Despite this, I am still convinced that our Miss Candy was the best and employed the most beautiful and exotic of salesladies!

Although I cannot remember them, the Century Theatre also employed some very nice usherettes also dressed in seemingly silken uniforms.

The Manager & Usherette Staff of the Regal Cinema, Eversham  
The photograph is reproduced by permission of Home Front History  and
Rob Hemming, author of Shazam – The Book (The History of a Regal Cinema)

Left: Usherettes with Johnnie Ray at the Odeon Nottingham
Right:  Staff of the Central Cinema Stourbridge (June 1935)

I remember seeing two films, a cartoon and a news report on that first visit and also enjoyed some sweets from Miss Candy and an ice cream purchased from the tray of the Ice Cream Lady who walked up and down the aisle during the interval.

Ice Cream Ladies with their Trays

I can only recall one of the films that we saw, Mohawk, which at that time, was exactly the kind of film I liked.   Firstly, it was in colour, and secondly, although it was a western, it had lots of Indians in it.  I have always sided with the Indians and used to get most annoyed when the Cavalry rode in and killed many and rounded up the survivors to take back to a reservation!  I remember that I found it odd that the hero of the film was an artist.  I was not expecting this.

Left: Film Poster; Left Centre: Rita Gam shown here in the classic, The Sign of the Pagan
Right Centre, Top: Scott Brady; Right Centre, Bottom: Neville Brand
Right: Rita Gam shown here in Mohawk

I cannot recall much else about the Theatre despite going there often once we moved to Langley.  I don’t think it had a circle, but I cannot swear to this.  After my first visit, I saw several 20th Century Fox’s CinemaScope Productions including Good Morning, Miss Dove and The Best Things in Life are Free and also the war film, Attack, with the great Jack Palance.

Sadly, soon after we moved to Slough, Granada Theatres closed the Century Theatre.  As the Circuit operated both the Granada and Adelphi Theatres in the town, it most likely thought that it did not need a third especially since the sale of cinema tickets was in decline.

I was surprised and very upset that the Circuit chose the Century to be closed, as it had obviously become my favourite Slough cinema thanks in great part to the presence of the exotic and unsmiling Miss Candy, as well as to the decor of the Theatre.  Personally, I would have closed the Adelphi Theatre in a flash.  However, the Adelphi Theatre offered several advantages to it remaining open compared to the Century.

The Adelphi  was the largest theatre in the town and was fully equipped for theatrical presentations.   With the decline of cinema admissions, the Adelphi was proving not be a money maker.   At this time, all circuits were suffering from the decline and were desperately seeking ways to attract customers back to their buildings on a regular basis.  Rock ‘n’ Roll was now big business, as fans now wanted to see the singers whose records they were buying.  As a result, a several enterprising entrepreneurs began bringing a number of popular singers, groups and comedians to act as Masters of Ceremonies together and booking them collectively into cinemas and theatres throughout the country.  These tours proved very popular during the late 1950s and 1960s.  The Adelphi Theatre with its large seating capacity and equipped stage and dressing rooms proved ideal for becoming such a venue and so was to prove of greater value to The Granada Theatre Circuit than the Century in those changing times!

The Century Theatre closed on 27th January, 1957 and alas, I never saw Miss Candy again.   Over the years, I have often wondered what became of her.

And all because the lady loves Milk Tray …….

The Theatre became a Waitrose Supermarket and not demolished, as I had thought.  I am told that the ceiling of the Theatre could be seen.*  It took me a good while before I could bring myself to enter this establishment.  In addition, I have never been able to like the Waitrose Supermarket Chain or its parent company, John Lewis, and suspect that my irrational reasoning stems from its take-over of the Century Theatre.

Waitrose Supermarket, 1957, on the site of the Century Theatre Slough

I would like to thank Mr. Andrew Williams for this information:

The supermarket was itself demolished in the late 1980s to make way for the Observatory Shopping Centre, which I have also never liked and never enter during my visits to Slough!

What is the expression? What goes around, comes around!

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I have received a letter from a reader who kindly was willing to share his memories of the cinemas and theatres that he visited as a child and young man while living in Cardiff.  I thought this account worthy of being shared here:

I remember from my childhood the cinemas of Cardiff.  There were a number in the centre and included:

The Capitol, which I think was part of the Rank Circuit, the Empire (later the Gaumont), the Queens, which was  an ABC cinema, the Olympia, the Odeon, the Grand, the Park Hall, the Central and the Pavilion.

There were a number of other cinemas in other areas of the city and included:  the Plaza, the Monico, the Splott, the Coliseum, the Globe, the County, the Gaiety, the Washington, the Tivoli, the Avenue and the Rialto.

As a child during the immediate post war years, my mother would take me to town each week and we would meet my Dad and have afternoon tea at the Carlton Restaurant which had a small orchestra that playing for the diners.  Afterwards we would then go to one of the cinemas.  I loved it.  When my Dad was posted to Germany for two years, my Mum continued to take me to the cinema each week, but whenever my Dad had a weekend pass and came home to Britain, we would meet him in London and always spent an evening at the cartoon cinema in Piccadilly Circus (or was it Oxford Circus?).

When my Dad returned home permanently, we moved to our pre-War home in Rhiwbina Garden Village on the outskirts of Cardiff.   The local cinema was the Monico and we went there at least once a week and often twice as the programme changed mid-week. Also I went to the Saturday morning kids’ cinema which cost 6d at the time.   Later during my teenage years, I had a friend whose father was a cinema manager, initially at the Splott cinema and then at the Plaza which was closer to my home and much more “up market” than the Splott.  I went often with my friends to the Plaza as well as continuing to go to the Monico.  Occasionally we went into town to one of the cinemas there.

My friend’s father was also able to get tickets to Trade Shows and for jazz concerts being held at The Capitol cinema. I remember enjoying the Trade Shows and also the concerts.  We were fortunate enough to get to see Ray McKinley & The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Williams & the Count Basie Orchestra, Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck, Stan Kenton, Ted Heath, Tubby Hayes-Ronnie Scott and The Jazz Couriers, and at a different venue, The Modern Jazz Quartet.

Unfortunately all of the cinemas that I once knew are now gone.  My beloved Monico was kept open for several years by an enthusiast, but eventually, perhaps 5 or 6 years ago, was demolished and replaced by a block of flats.

The Theatres in Cardiff were the New Theatre and The Prince Of Wales Theatre.  Again my Mum and Dad would take me to the theatre frequently, in particular to see the D’Oyly Carte or The Welsh National Opera.  As a result, I developed a love for the operettas of Gilbert & Sullivan and of Operetta and Opera. As a teenager, I often went with my friends to the theatre to see plays.  We usually sat high up in “The Gods” as seating here was cheap!

Bob Sanders from Cardiff

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank Mr. Simon Glenhill for providing information on the Hammond Organ.

I also would like to thank Mr. Bob Sanders and Mr. Stephen Dutfield for their contributions and Mr. Andrew Williams for his correcting my errors regarding The Century Theatre and Waitrose.

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