Coventry Cinemas

Dreamtime. From the newspaper archives the Rialto Theatre opened its doors in October 1928. They were showing films, unfortunately after 4 days he had to close down as he did not have the relevant licence and in November he was before the magistrates and had to pay a fine. The address was Moseley Avenue and surprisingly Radford. I have always considered that shopping area as Coundon. Living in between the two shopping areas we either went to "Radford" on the Radford Road or "Coundon" which was the Rialto although I did see a discussion the other day about whether the library was Radford or Coundon. In the last years of my mum being able to play bingo there in early 2000 they tried to bring the cinema back. Looking on Google it is now a venue called Rialto Reborn!

The film advertised is 'Poppy' with W.C.Fields. It was made in 1936.

Annewiggy, thank you for the info. I knew it was an old place but 1928, never thought during 'our time' and being our usual dancing haunt that it was that old. Never thought about it in the late 50's and early 60's, but that's how we take these things for granted - just too busy enjoying ourselves. It's had a few name changes since then.

Dreamtime. I agree, I don't think I ever thought about the history of buildings I went in or how long they had been there. I don't even think that a fact that there had been a war a few years before I was born ever registered or why we were having a new shopping centre in the city. I must admit I have never been in the Rialto. It was the place mum and dad went to play bingo so I imagine I then would not have been seen dead in there, I did not know it had been a theatre or held dances. When I think about it I have not been into many of the pubs etc. near to home like the Radford, Holyhead, Grapes, etc. I did have my 21st and wedding reception at the Pilot. I mostly went to town pubs and venues. Oh such a long time ago

The poor old Rex gone before I had a chance to see a film there!

There was a picture house in Spon End by the arches, I think it was called the Plaza.

Yes, I went there with my grandma.

You are right Mobray, it was about medium standard, a bit better than the Alex, Roxy etc. but not up to the standard of, say, the Forum, Savoy and Standard cinemas.

If you stand with your back to whatever they call the Colin Campbell these days and look over to what was the Gaumont and later the Odeon, above the corner shop selling ink and stuff you can just make out the word COLOSSEUM, this is because the corner shop was the original entrance to the cinema, which was then called THE COLOSSEUM.

Hi Mobray - have a look through this thread

I think you will find, Kaga, Paul Robeson appeared at the Opera House in Coventry, probably during WWII. My grandparents went and they had several of his 78rpm records including My Curly Headed Baby and All Through the Night. I found the latter song on YouTube. Hope this link will work.

Looking through the newspaper archives, Paul Robeson appeared at the Hippodrome in 1931, the New Hippodrome in 1938, and the Gaumont, one performance only in 1939.

Thanks for that Anne, seems I was wrong, but it might have been a film they saw at the Opera House.

Prof, "Ah yee oh koe, yae guh deh". Paul Robeson, 'Sanders of the river', we have discussed this a long time ago. It's almost certain I would have seen him at the 'Hippo' so can't think why your comment.

Long before the Coventry Cross was built Coventry people loved to gather to listen to the travelling minstrels, the story tellers and the actors. They watched and listened to them at the fairs and places like St Mary's Hall, and the churches welcomed them for most stories had religious themes. The 1900s were the first real built theatres, the first in 1818 in Smithford Street. When the cinematic era started most theatres turned to cinema, but now the Church objected to the Sunday showing of films. Black and white and silent still brought in great crowds, the likes of Rudolph Valentino became huge stars. He died in 1926 to great sadness for thousands. 1926 saw the Stratford Theatre burnt down. In 1932 the new theatre opened, and the Sunday Cinema Bill was dropped which made Sunday legal for cinemas to open, to great applause. The first films in England had the microphone suspended from a clothes line or wire above the actors' heads. Huge crowds now queued at cinemas for Sunday shows throughout Coventry.