Going To The Pictures » Tag: jam jars

Exchanging jam jars for Cinema entrance

admin — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:37:56 +0000

Some of the cinema memories we have collected talk about how you were once able to pay to get into the cinema with jam jars. Some cinemas would exchange entrance for a jam jar or two, hoping they would be clean and empty but sometimes they still had jam in! The cinema would then take the jam jars to the local scrap dealers who would pay them money for the empty glass jars.

Some children would take the jam jars or lemonade or beer bottles to the scrap merchants themselves in exchange to get money for their cinema admission and maybe a few sweets, if they were really lucky.

Mike’s memories of the popularity of Going to the Pictures

admin — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 13:56:52 +0000

Exchanging jam jars and running errands

admin — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 12:36:16 +0000

“I went to the Palace in Marsh lane. We would have tarpaulin muster and send one of us in to open the door and we all bunked in the doorman wore a glittering uniform and an officer type coloured cap his name was Sunny? We would come out slapping or bums, giddy upping down Marsh Lane. We would take jam jars to Dalby’s scrap yard in Salisbury road, and run messages from the shops to get our picture money. Roy Rogers gabby/ Hayes /Tex Ritter/ Lone Ranger Gene Autry all my hero’s, when I grew up to find Randolph Scott and Gabby Hayes were gay – still don’t believe it.

Sun Hall, Gainsborough, Muncaster Irlam road / the Carlton. There are only 3 cinemas left in Bootle, still in use for other purposes what are they and where are they? We also got 6 pence for going for coke from the gas works, and that’s the only time you would see a Marsh Lane lad push a pram…”

Tommy Watson