The aim of the Going to the Pictures Project has been to help preserve a part of our local cinema heritage by collecting and recording memories from people who used and worked in the local picture houses from the 1930′s to the 1960′s.
Explore this map of 21 local cinemas within a 3 mile radius of the Plaza, from 1930 to 1960.
The Picturegoer film magazine is probably one of the oldest film magazines having first been published in 1913, it was a typical fan magazine not only telling readers about new films but also carried stories about the film stars and their private lives.
Moral issues have always been a concern when it has come to films and censorship
The cinema has provided a popular venue for dating and through the 30’s to the 60’s was the first choice for many first dates and courting couples who would often head for the back row.
The Bootle Picture Palace Marsh lane was built in 1912 and was the first building locally to be erected as a cinema.
“I remember the club song which went like this: “To the Ode – Odeon we have come…”
Cinemas accommodated for different audiences by holding film programs which catered and entertained many tastes.
The role of women portrayed on the screen often fell within the stereotypical roles amplified and made up by Hollywood