Coventry Cinemas

Longford lad, That was my next question was it ever an 'Opera House'. As a kid (1930's) I was taken somewhere in Coventry to see 'The Pirates of Penzance' wonder if it could have been there. I have a feeling it wasn't the Hippodrome. Surprised at the size of the place, as you say, never seemed that large the few times I did visit in the fifties completely opposite to my thoughts. It must have been a grand sight in its day. Yes it would have to be a hat, not the cloth cap. Thanks for the info.

From the library pictures section. The tiny building on the right was a cinema long before the Opera House became one!

I thought that was the Windmill Theatre

Was the Opera a repertory theatre before the war? Seem to remember my mother telling me it was - changed the programme twice a week.

There's some information on this website

There must be an even chance that the Royal Opera House is where you saw THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE (I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General - superb!). After all, here then was the ROYAL Opera House. The deep stage, of course - a MUST for an opera production of a certain size - was what made it a perfect candidate for a rear-projection screen. Superb piece of photo-history by Dutchman - but more information - if such is available - about the cinema to the right of the Royal Opera House in the photograph. Thank you, Dutchman. First rate information as usual!

More information here LongfordLad Royal Electric Cinema, Hales Street

Thanks LL and Dutchman, really is great information, think I'll just put on my top hat and white silk scarf and tootle along there. Roger Turner, newsreel and cartoon cinema on Victoria Station by platform 19 as you came out into Buckingham Palace Road, almost opposite the swimming pool. The Windmill Theatre, "we never close", "nude but not rude", was near Piccadilly Circus.

The Victoria Station News Theatre opened on September 12 1933. When it closed on August 27 1981 it was known as the Victoria Station Cartoon Cinema. It was the last such cinema in the country.

I grew up with the silent movies. Charlie Chaplin in The Gold Rush, City Lights with the blind flower seller girl. There was Carol Lombard, Errol Flynn, Bogart, Niven, Spencer Tracy, the Marx Brothers, Laurel and Hardy, Gershwin and Cole Porter, Randolf Scott and Cary Grant, whose real name was Leach, a Bristol boy who ran away from home and joined the circus, the circus toured the USA, and he got into films, changed his name, whilst his family got wiped out later in the Bristol blitz. I'm not sure if the silent movies where shown at the Rivoli Cinema in Foleshill in those early thirties' days, but I saw the early Magic Lantern or whatever it was called that my uncle had anyway. And from there I have watched things right up into this internet thing, even guys walking on the moon, so what comes next I'm looking forward to.

I did see silent films in Coventry but I don't recall any at the Rivoli. Kaga. Do you remember a trio called, I think, Wilson Kettle and Betty who did a very funny Egyptian dance? I saw them live on the stage somewhere in Coventry and it wasn't at the Hippodrome. I think it was at a cinema because after the dance a film was shown. Or did the Hippodrome also show films?

Hi Norman The Hippodrome was showing films when I came to Coventry in the early 70's. I saw a couple there but I can't recall how often they were shown

You can see several of their dances on Youtube.

Midland Red, yes you are right, The Sand Dance. Norman, I saw it at the Hippodrome in the fifties, I also saw it performed in Piccadilly by buskers, may have seen it in the silent films, believe it started from a tap-dance routine, in large shoes. But did anyone see Chaplin in the log cabin on the edge of the cliff, his face told the story. Read once that the blind flower girl in Chaplin's City Lights married Cary Grant, but divorced him for beating her up.