|
Author
|
Topic: In 1960-70, did a film come to public in one session or more?
|
|
|
|
|
Hugh Thompson Scott
Film God
Posts: 3063
From: Gt. Clifton,Cumbria,England
Registered: Jan 2012
|
posted October 02, 2012 04:17 PM
Here in the UK Winbert, films had their first run, but returned
sometimes years later, for instance, "The Ten Commandments"
I first saw as a child with my parents around 1959 or so,then saw
it again as a school outing,when it returned about '67 when it
had a two week run.Lots of films returned over the years, Sunday
nights were mainly for Horrors or adult features.I remember when
myself and two school mates attended a packed "Gaiety Cinema"
to view the original "King Kong". The first horror films I ever saw
in the cinema were "Son of Frankenstein" & "Tarantula" which
were shown over three days, and that was '65.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hugh Thompson Scott
Film God
Posts: 3063
From: Gt. Clifton,Cumbria,England
Registered: Jan 2012
|
posted October 03, 2012 06:28 PM
One of the things we had in the UK Winbert that might have been
different to overseas, was the "Continuous Programme",where the
first film was shown, film "A", then film "B", then film "A" again.
If you wished, you could sit through the entire performance
which would start at 5.30 pm and end at 10.00 pm for about
two shillings, which would equate to 40 cents then.We did have a lot of re runs,but in those days we only had two TV channels which
would later in the 60's become three, with the additional BBC 2.
There was generally a gap of seven years between a films release date and a TV showing,remember there were no video
recorders as such then, so viewing a film in the cinema was
still treated as an event.Schools had special outings for pupils
to view films such as "Fantasia", and in my home town were quite popular,watching film was preferable to school work!
Looking back,I think attending the cinema was a far and away
better experience than now, even with the additional comfort,
the atmosphere was different and people far more appreciative.
Do they still do re- runs of films, sadly no, these days it's one
circuit then consigned to limbo or dvd release.Times have
changed, things have moved on, and audiences have become
"more sophisticated",so the old films that were trotted out in
the past, are never screened again.
[ October 04, 2012, 03:54 AM: Message edited by: Hugh Thompson Scott ]
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
David Ollerearnshaw
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1373
From: Penistone Sheffield UK
Registered: Oct 2012
|
posted October 16, 2012 01:25 PM
Remember visit to ABC in Barnsley to see The Italian Job and Kes double bill, while I was at school. 1969 I think 1st year at PGS. This was a beautiful cinema even as a school kid the lobby had a wow factor for me. Sadly knocked down in the 80's to make way for a supermarket, which was its self knocked in 2011 for a supermarket! Silly but true.
The town where I live still has its own small cinema 'Penistone Paramount' This used to run double bills in the 70's Some I remember Confessions Of A Window Cleaner & The Take, I think almost every week when the programme changed it was a double bill. Unless it was an 'Epic' Wish I had kept the monthly newsletters. It was a big thrill to get into an X cert film while still a school.
They had a good run of re-releases in the 70's lots of war films Guns Of Navarone, Where Eagles Dare, Ice Station Zebra, Lawrence Of Arabia, Kelly's Heroes, but just a full supporting programme & intermission.
The only problem the screen which was properly only 4x3 when it went into cinemascope the masking just made less hight same width. A major upgrade in the late 90's the screen increased almost to the full width of the cinema. The first film I saw Robin Hood: Prince Of Thief's. The screen was a vast improvement, they also installed surround sound. Sadly they 'improved' this year, now you don't go to see a film, but a video!
My local only open in the evening and had one showing. The Odeon in Barnsley opened early I used to go and watch the same film twice, they also had double bills though. Seem to remember Bond double bill Goldfinger & On Her Majesty's Secret Service. This was one they 'twined'.
--------------------
I love the smell of film in the morning.
http://www.thereelimage.co.uk/
| IP: Logged
|
|
Ken Finch
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 543
From: Herne Bay, Kent. U.K.
Registered: Oct 2011
|
posted October 18, 2012 01:14 PM
Oh what nostalgia, Joe really hit the nail on the head regarding the London screening schedules. Living in South East London, we were always the last to see the latest releases. As another point of interest for our friends across the ponds, most of the U.K. towns from the early thirties to the late 50,s were served by 3 main cinema circuits,Gaumont,Odeon,A.B.C. and if you were lucky a 4th Granada. Odeon tended to show Paramount,
Rank,R.K.O. Disney and British Paramount news or Universal News. Gaumont similar but G.B. productions and Gaumont British News until absorbed into the Odeon Chain. The A.B.C. had Associated British productions, M.G.M. Monogram and other "poverty row" B productions, also Republic and Warner Brothers, Pathe releases and Pathe News. Granada varied as did the other smaller circuits and independents. All also appeared to have Universal Productions at various times. The big 4 would run re issues on Sundays. The others would often have a popular re issue as already mentioned. Going to the cinema was quite like going to a theatre in many ways until colour TV came and the decline began. From the late 30s for many years the ticket prises were 1s, 1/9d, 2/3d and 3/6d. in old money!!!! for aproximately 4 hours of entertaimnet!!! Ken Finch.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
David M. Ballew
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 113
From: Burbank, CA USA
Registered: Nov 2009
|
posted October 21, 2012 05:12 AM
I grew up in South Carolina in the 1970s, and even in that semi-rural locale at that late date, there were occasional reissues of older movies. From time to time, local cinemas would also have what we might think of as “one-off” repertory screenings.
I specifically remember Columbia Pictures mounting a huge reissue campaign in 1978 or '79 for a double bill of Seventh Voyage of Sinbad and Jason and the Argonauts. There were television ads in near-constant rotation during hours when children and young people were thought to be watching. I begged and begged my mother to take us, but those films were just not her cup of tea, so we missed it.
(Five years later, when Blackhawk liquidated Columbia 8mm's inventory, I got all the Harryhausen I could handle in Super 8mm. All's well that ends well.)
Perhaps a year or two prior, we went to see Close Encounters of the Third Kind at the late, lamented White Horse Drive-In. In the interest of “equal time for opposing views,” I suppose, the theater management had booked George Pal’s 1953 classic War of the Worlds as the second feature. While my mother quite enjoyed Spielberg’s story of peaceful aliens, she only endured about five minutes of the Pal film before ordering my dad to start the car. I remember my brother and I watching sadly through our rear windshield as those first three idiots carrying the truce flag got vaporized by the Martians. We were miserable the rest of the week.
Later, when The Shining hit the Cedar Lane Drive-In, its companion feature was The Exorcist from the same studio, Warner Bros. I have no idea if this was just creative booking on the part of drive-in management, or if it represented the specific intent of Warner Bros. to provide an appropriate second feature for their then-recent horror hit. What I do know is that my dear mother made up for some of her past inadequacies by taking us to see the double feature four nights in one week!
I should take a moment to say here that, as an adult, I am appalled that my mother would take us to see such vulgar and horrific films at such a tender age... and at the same time quite grateful and delighted that she did so. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic
