I’m sorry if these posts are seemingly just a list of cinemas and films, but virtually most, if not all of these visits to the cinema during the years 1963 to 1973, along with my magazines where really my cinematic education, one that would eventually enable me to take a job that would last for almost 37 years, so we’re nearly at the end of this voyage of mine in which cinemas were the main focus in my life. So lets begin with a rundown of lesser cinemas, but no less important. The Cinephone, Birmingham began life as the Bristol Street Picture House in 1913. In 1956 it was transformed into the Cinephone, a 600 seater specialising in foreign films, although it seems that erotica prevailed. It showed films with titles like ‘As Naked As Wind From The Sea’, ‘Love-Swedish Style’ and ‘Nudist Paradise’. It was around 1967 before I made my first visit here and the film was ‘Curse Of The Dead’, from the renowned Italian director Mario Bava. Also seen here was ‘M’ and ‘Wichcraft Through The Ages’ and ‘Project X’, which was a science fiction movie from William Castle! The Villa Cross, Handsworth, Birmingham, opened in 1913 as the New Picture House, it was re-named Villa Cross Picture Palace in 1928. It closed in 1970 switching to the screening Asian films, later turned into a Bingo hall, which closed in 1984. It was badly damaged in an arson attack during the 1985 riots, and was demolished in 1989. This was a real gem and would have been a Grade 2 listed building had it survived. This cinema took some effort to find, but was worth it. The inside, although scruffy and a little run down, was magnificently decorated with sculptured decorative panels on the side walls, with lots of angels and cherubs. The films that afternoon were ‘The Indestructible Man’, with Lon Chaney and ‘Gorilla At Large’, with Cameron Mitchell and Anne Bancroft. The Royal, Cradley Heath, opened in 1913 and was a single floor auditorium with the circle being added after WWI. I saw ‘Creature From The Black Lagoon’ here around 1966/7 and a short time later a wonderful double bill consisting of ‘Son Of Frankenstein’ and ‘Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman’. I always used to get excited when films, from the 30’s or 40’s turned up! The ABC Walsall, opened as the Savoy and seated over 2,150! The name Savoy was dropped in favour of ABC by 1960, becoming a triple screen cinema during 1973. Among the films seen here were ‘Curse Of The Undead’, ‘The Thing That Couldn’t Die’, ‘Blood And Roses’, ‘The Terror Of Dr. Hitchcock’, ‘Not Of This Earth’, ‘X: The Unknown’, ‘Goliath Vs the Vampires’ and ‘The Leech Woman’. The Prince’s, Smethwick, Birmingham. This cinema was only a minutes walk from Smethwick, Ralph Street train station, easily reached by a 20 minute train ride from Wolverhampton. The film was the stop motion fantasy ‘filmed in Fantascope’, “Jack The Giant Killer” starring Kerwin Matthews, it was my only visit to this once fine looking theatre. I made a visit with a camera a number of years ago only to find it had recently been demolished
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