“I remember there were two screenings in the evenings. The first house started at around 6 o’clock, with the second at around 8:15pm. It was a real rush for workers to get to the first house. Sometimes there were two separate showings, but often everything went on continuously.

What was particularly frustrating was that after queuing for half-hour or more for the second house, in often cold and wet conditions, you could not be sure of getting in until after the main film had started. This was because the first house viewers would stay on.

Another memory is of the Odeon Club on Saturday mornings. I remember the club song which went like this: “To the Ode – Odeon we have come. Now we’re all together we can have some fun. Is everybody happy – YES…. Etc. etc.” I can’t remember the rest.”

Eileen Clarke

Below is a video clip of another version of the Odeon Cinema Club Song. The ABC Minors also had a Cinema Club song. Clubs, songs and badges gave the children a feeling of belonging and brought loyalty to the cinemas as child regulars returned each week.

The films were screened from several large film reels through projection machines which would sometimes be manned by more than one projectionist to ensure a smooth change of reel.  The film reels would be on a circuit and would be passed onto other cinemas. Sometimes the film reels in the cinema  would break, if this happened at a children’s matinee show there would be screams and shouts from the excitable audience wanting to see the film, and a frantic dash from the projectionist trying to splice and project the broken film to continue with the show.

Occasionally film reels would get mixed up to, below is Norma’s memory of one such time when the cowboys and the pirates got mixed within the film show.

The creation of Children’s Film and Cinema clubs came about as a way to get regular attendees through the doors each week. The Children’s Cinema matinee shows would generally have a film, cartoons and the very important episode of the serial.

The role of the serialization within the Children’s matinees could be an important hook in trying to lure back the children to see the next part of the serial the following week. Each week the serial was left with a cliff hanger. This was quite a clever marketing ploy as the “Cliff Hanger” was a way to ensure customers returned the following week especially in the days when picture houses were in abundance.

Cinemas would sometimes have two serials running with a delayed overlap, so when one was coming to the end another would begin so as to keep regular attendees. Popular serials at the cinema included Flash Gordon, Batman, Superman, Zorro and The Lone Ranger.

Many children would leave the cinema slapping their thighs and pretending to be cowboys like their favorite action hero’s. They would also use their coats as a capes, pretending to fly like batman, reliving what they had just watched on the screen.

The songs and musicals would be enacted around the streets when the young people left the cinema.

It was the highlight of many children’s week growing up and a place where they learnt and saw new views on the world. It is estimated that over 1 million children a week enjoyed the Saturday matinees at the cinema, { source media statistics website} each week the same children would return to see their friends and find out what had happened to their hero’s from the serial, and get carried away and lost in the land of cinema and make believe.

Children’s cinema matinees have been around since the early days of cinema. One of the first recorded children’s film screenings took place in Derbyshire in 1900 in a schoolroom in Mickemore. Posters released by London Gaumont in 1906 referred to special children’s matinee screenings . {source The Powell and Pressburger Pages website}

The latest animated or film performances would often be screened for children on a Saturday morning or afternoon. As cinema and the popularity of films grew, a program formula was adopted in many cinemas, usually taking the form of a cartoon, a main feature film and a serialization. Popular serials would range from the singing cowboy Gene Autry to the perils of Batman and Flash Gordon.

Each week the episode would be left with a cliff hanger – the hero left in peril – would he be captured by the evil villain? Would he be saved? To be continued. To find out return next week only at your local cinema – this would have the children in wonderment all week and see the children flock back the next week to see what had happened to the star – was he safe- course he was, what relief!

I say he because most of the hero’s in the serials and films shown at the matinees were male, with the odd exception such as Dale Evans who featured in several films starring Roy Rogers such as ‘Twilight in the Sierras’ and ‘Apache Rose’. She would be seen as an idol to the young girls watching the cinema shows.

In the earlier days of the Children’s Cinema Matinees the main film would often be a cowboy or gangster film, generally of American origin. Stars such as Gene Autry, Hop Along Cassidy, Roy Rogers and Buster Crabb became household names.

Children would get absorbed into the films and get excited banging their feet and cheering the goodies and booing the baddies.

Involvement at the cinema was encouraged through things such as cinema club songs and badges and members of the cinema club would often get a birthday card on their birthday.

“I was born in 1952 – as a young girl, I was a ‘very’ proud ABC Minor and wore my badge with pride!  I was at the Regal in Litherland every Saturday morning without fail. I remember the wonderful sense of ‘belonging’. I loved singing the the song ‘We are the ABC Minors, happy girls and boys……’ – and we were!!!

In 1959 when Ben Hur was advertised I was desperate to go and see it but my Mum said I wasn’t old enough.

In the 60′s groups of us would think nothing of walking from Litherland,  to and from the Odeon in Crosby and the Gaumont in Bootle to see all the new films.

In 1968, I went out on my first ‘proper’ date, what did we do?  We went to see Oliver! I’ve still got the programme!!

My Dad was born in 1919 he used to tell me he used to collect jam jars to get into the ‘pictures’!!!!

I realise what a big part of my growing up revolved around the local cinemas!”

Jean Livingstone

“I remember well the 1950’s Saturday Morning Matinees. It was always packed with children and before the show commenced {Pathe news, trailers. 2 cartoons, the serial and the main feature usually a Western – Great Stuff} an M.C. would be on stage and invite the children to come up and give ‘a turn’ After the song the M.C. would call out to the audience “How many lollies was that worth?” and the excited audience would yell back “one, two or four” or in some cases “none” , if it was terrible

Lovely times at The Odeon, now The Plaza“

Josie Messerli – Crosby

]]> https://goingtothepictures.org.uk/how-many-lollies-was-that-worth/feed/ 0 https://goingtothepictures.org.uk/172/ https://goingtothepictures.org.uk/172/#comments Wed, 18 Jul 2012 08:51:39 +0000 admin http://goingtothepictures.org.uk/?p=172

“Here is one cinema memory from a gentleman who is going to be 90 next month.

He said as children they were searched as they went to the pictures to make sure they didn’t carry catapults.”

Allan Reece

“My brother and I would run as fast as we could on our 5 and 6yr old legs from Bark Road to the Regal on Church Rd. with our sixpenny bit cluched in our hands It was the high light of our week Don’t recall what was my fav show (my brother loved The lone ranger and Tonto)I think I just loved the feeling of belonging Loved the bits when the bad guys were winning and we all had to ‘BOOOOOOOO’ or when the good guys were winning the ‘HURRAY’  We came out tired but Happy.

Here’s the naughty bit!! for some reason I was fixated with English Martyrs Catholic church, It was always open back then. I would drag my brother in with threats of his life if he dared to speak once inside. Off we would wander in awe of the many statues inside. Aaaaaah bliss. Then back home to reality.

Can’t imagine a 5-6 yr old being allowed to make that track these days different world, different times back then. Forgot to add the bit about after the film was over (wonder if they still do this in England now?) There was about a 60 second delay after the movie before they started playing ‘God Save The Queen‘ there was a mad dash for the exits in that 60secs. Interestingly enough as soon as the first note struck, not a single child moved,  Also forgot, the ice lolly of the day was a Twicer (it had 2 sticks and you could bash it on the side of the seat and get 2 perfect lollies If you were rich you could get a little tub of ice cream with a wooden spoon

I now live in Canada but still consider Litherland my home.”

Dot Sharp