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I am one of seven children and live in Waterloo. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, when we were all younger, we used to go to the Odeon cinema (now the Plaza) on Crosby Road North, Waterloo.

On Saturday mornings Mum would be glad to see the back of us and we would head off to the cinema where they held the Saturday Club. We would pay our 6(d) pence to go in to the cinema, we would then buy our sweets and popcorn from the counter and when we walked into the main auditorium there would usually be a man playing the organ. This would then lead to us all singing our Saturday morning song, when we had finished we would settle down to watch something exciting like Flash Gordon, or a western. I always remember the adverts; it’s a bit like the telly nowadays, but without the fast forward. During the interval we would look out for the lady with the ice-creams and would have either a tub or an Orange Maid. If you were lucky you got a Jubbly – hmm, lovely. After the interval there would be something else to do, such as a competition or a draw. Sometimes the competition was a Yoyo race to see who could ‘walk the dog’, ‘swing the baby’ and other tricks that I have long forgotten. This did not happen all the time, but when it did it was great!!!

We lived from one Saturday to another and the happy memories of the Odeon for me as a child in the 50s and 60s are filled with happy times.”

Edwina Lyons

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.

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.