Theatres in the three towns

[Hughie]

Theatres in the three towns

Possible discussion pointers:

- Personal recollections
- Favourite picture theatre
- Saturday movie matinees
- The Pavilion
- Local theatrical groups
- Personal involvement
- Since the introduction of TV
- Present day theatres

Hit "postreply" and let us hear your recollections

[Sarah]

Hugh, for me it has to be Saturday matinee, at the Lyric,
looking back it was hysterical, Abbot and Costella, etc.etc.
and favourite Robin hood, then up to the castle to play our version
of it. When we started " winchin" I have fond memories of all the
picture houses in the district, loved going to the pictures...
Regards Sarah

[joromomi]

Hi Hugh, good topic For me it was the Regal in Saltcoats, those
"Divans " were hard to beat. Then when the ice cream wummin came round and I got my choc ice, well you'd think I had died and gone to heaven . The only problem with that was when the lights went up,I nearly always had some of the choc ice down the front of me
Also across the road at the La Scala at the weepy ones, trying to fix the mascara when the lights went up and not being able to get into the bathroom as half the women were already in there
Great memories , we all loved the movies,cheers...................Joyce

[ellenyoung31]

Hello group. the things I remember about the pictures, are the
queues, for the 3 cinemas they went on and on,espially the
Countess it went round to Dockhead st, do you remember
when the 3d came to the Grange. and the songs and music that
made the hit parade, the pictures were good, well not all,
remember the news reals during the war, and the trailers,
best regards, Ellen.

[joromomi]

Hi group I also remember you could watch the "wee' picture first, then the big picture, then the 'wee' picture again. Talk about value for your money Ellen I forgot about the Countess, if my memory serves me right , that one was the swankiest...........Joyce

[Wee Shuggie]

As a very young 'wee shuggie' I can remember going with parents and grand parents to the Summer Shows held at the Beach Pavilion-Saltcoats.
We only ever went at weekends and I don't know whether or not the performances were on every day,matinees etc.Anybody out there know any more ?.

[Catherine Belle]

Hi group,
My first time at the 'pictures' was to see 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'. My granny Miller took me on my 4th. b'day. Unforgetable! I can also remember going to the Deluxe when I was about 5 to see a picture about an old lady called Mother Riley, and a Robot. It was a comedy...can't recall the exact title.
The last picture I saw in the Deluxe before it closed down was, 'A Night To Remember'.It was about the sinking of the Titanic. Also unforgetable! but not in a good way.I don't remember what year it was, but it was winter time, yet for some reason there was no heat on in the place..I sat there for 2 solid hours, bones shivering, teeth chittering, fingers and toes numb from the cold..watching people drowning in icy water..It was torture!!! I think it was the first and only time I ever said "No thanks" to an ice cream at the pictures. I was there with my Uncle Walter, and 'though I was begging him to, "Take me hame!" He wouldn't budge till it was over! To this day I can't stand that movie! It was 'a night to remember' alright!
Do any of you girls remember the perfume dispensers in the wash rooms?..Insert a coin and get scooted wae 'Tweed':lol: Them were the days!
Catherine

[joantoyboy]

hi group my favourite picture house was the countess rember my GOD mother taking me to see the LODGER it wasabout jack the ripper laird gregor was the ripper merle oberon was also init.remember going to the lascala to see WUTHERING HEIGHTS with orson wells and joan fontain, does any one rember having to book to go to the regal on a saturday night. cheers joan

[wellparkno9]

RE the booking office for the Regal,I remember it was across the road next to the Lascala.Used to book seats for my big sisters.could'nt book seats for myself because I used the bottom left hand door at the car park that led into Windmill St.The Countess was easier to get into,you just walked in up the stairs and into the balcony,was always feart to skip in the Lascala because the woman that worked there new my mother.
I used to like when the Archie McCullouch show came to the Pavilion.they used to give away Coca-Cola ,we used to collect the empties and take them to Tony Lanni's in Countess St. all the best, Sam.

[Hughie]

do you remember
when the 3d came to the Grange.

Hi Ellen,
I remember going to the Grange to see Fort Tye? which was in 3D. Recall all the lassies screaming when the bats flew out of the screen - the goodie was in a cave at the time. Me, I was under the seat ducking from all those tomahawks and flaming arrows.

Anytime the Grange is mentioned it brings tears to my eyes - well it did originally back around 1958. Us lads were standing outside the Grange Cinema on a Sunday night waiting for it to open. I'd run out of Brylcreem so earlier that night someone suggested that soap is good for keeping your hair in place (Tony Curtis hairstyle period). They never mentioned that my eyes would sting standing there in the rain. Oh the humility of it all - not to mention the froth and bother.

For sometime afterwards we'd fall about laughing whenever someone played the Platter's song "Smoke (soap) Gets in Your Eyes" on the juke box in the Melbourne café. Yes! Just normal teenagers. Hughie

[gnyaff]

What a subject, yes I remeber them all. Queueing up as a wee boy on a Saturday afternoon to get into the Regal matinee for a tanner. There were the times when you got a pair of long trousers and tried to get into see the X rated pictures telling the woman at the cashdesk you were sixteen. When I was 13 and 14 me and a mate Davie Murphy would go to the countess on a Friday night armed with a few penny bangers, you always made sure there were a few empty rows in front of you. The trick was to light the touchpaper and place the banger on the floor in front of your foot, when it started fizzing you gave it a good kick and it shot about 6 or seven rows down. Suddenly there would be an almighty bang and hysterical screams fom down the front accompanied by a pall of smoke from where it went off. Pandemonium would ensue with big Mary shining the torch in that area and questioning everyone there as to who had the bangers. I remember two wee boys getting flung out for one of our bangers, poor wee chaps got the blame. Little did I know in later years I would get a wee job there rewinding the film reels.
When we got a bit older the Sunday Grange was good, you had to be sixteen and you got two movies, they were generally old and "B" Grade. Most of us youngsters went winching, or if you weren't doing that shouting funny comments at the picture. Lots of us used to buy a bag of Toffee Mints and throw the odd one down at the wooden front of the stage, they used to make a real bang when they hit the wood, all you could here was bang, bang bang, then the usherette would come down and shine the torch. As soon as she went away it would start again. When the lights went up at half time the carpet at the front was covered in Toffee Mints.
Now these mints were round rather like marbles, and one Sunday the ice-cream woman came out with that wee tray in front of her and stand at the front of the stage to sell the ice cream. When she got to almost the middle she couldn't see what was in front of her feet, well she stepped on a few of the mints and went arse over elbow with the ice-cream and drinks going everywhere. Was real funny. After that the Grange stopped selling Toffee Mints. I wonder why?

Wee Boney

[lorrass]

Hi Everyone
Just a little memory about the theatres,a mate of mine
Tom Nickolson {I think that is the spelling} worked at Countess
in Saltcoats as a helper to the bloke in the oporaters box .
He used to get me in free to all the new movies
also his father managed the Den in Ardrossan[billiard hall] it
was in the late 50s.
I can remember they lived on Dalry road his
father was a big skinny dour man.
Ross