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.
Program for the Odeon Bootle 1963, as well as showing what films were on some interesting adverts can be found within the pages of the cinema memorabilia which tell a part of our social history.
The project has been very fortunate in having several people who have come forward with items or collections of cinema memorabilia. Volunteers through the project have helped to scan and digitize materials.
Watch some more short clips from people sharing their memories of the Children’s Cinema Matinees of the 1930′s to 60′s
Cinema program from Boole Gaumont February 1962. Films showing at the cinema at that time included two ‘abridged versions’ this means that the films had been edited into shorter versions often in order to fit around the main feature
Some young cinema goers were given the responsibility of being a monitor – providing help and assistance to the cinema staff
To research and collect memories of Going to the Pictures we have worked with several community groups, organisations and individuals and would like to thank them all.
Showtime was first published in 1964 by the Rank Organisation as a competitor to ABC’s Film Review, it had similar content but ceased publication by the late 1960′s.
The films watched at the childrens cinema matinees would absorb and excite many children watching from the 1930′s to 60′s and would influence the games that the children played