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 Regent Cinema was the first suburban cinema in the area to have a cafe lounge installed when it was built in 1920, over the years the building has had several uses including a bingo and social club. It is now part of St Mary’s School Gymnasium.
In 1933/34 I went to “The Pictures” for the first time, but I was not impressed. The black and white film was very old and scratched; it looked like driving rain to me. A few years later I went again and paid a penny to get in with a penny for ice cream in the interval.
The impact that cinema has had on society had been quite remarkable. Film is an art form that entertains, informs and provides a view of the world. Before the days of instant news and film on demand the cinema was a place for entertainment, news and information.
After the Second World War, the church and educationalists raised concerns regarding what was being shown within the children’s cinema matinees, and in the cinemas in general, highlighting Hollywood’s glamorization of immoral behavior and crime.
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.
Very few original pieces of cinema memorabilia have survived over the years, but through the project we have been able to unearth and scan some great pieces which may have other wise been discared. Here we have a Cinmea Flyer from 1962
The ABC Film Review magazine was available in all ABC Cinemas from 1950 onwards. This magazine told cinema goers of forth coming film attractions
The Plaza Cinema is one of only two remaining period cinemas in Liverpool