Saturday matinée, the Gaumont, 1953

[George]

OK Toxteth then,Upper Parliment Street.

[H_Asbo]

My neck o' the woods again Colin

Frequented often by the lads n girls of Gerard Gardens - cheaper than the Odeon across London Road.

I went there when it became a snooker hall too just before it closed altogether and was demolished.

I did too Ged, and John Parrot was always there just before he got big.

[George]

I did too Ged, and John Parrot was always there just before he got big.

I and a couple of mates hung around with him occaisionally when his Ma let him out,proud woman his Ma,used to have to knock on the back entry gate...never the front door.

[Ged]

I did too Ged, and John Parrot was always there just before he got big.

That's right, my mate Ditty also played JP in the SFX club he used to frequent too. We'd go the Tugboat and have to leave Ditty (who's local was the Soho arms) there on the pool table while we went the Old Campfield and New York, we'd come back for last orders and Ditty would have been through the lot of them twice. Great days.

[Sirob]

The Rialto was nowhere near Granby Street.

George.
OK, ABC had their initials after their cinemas.
It doesn't mean that Gaumont (and Essoldo) had to do the same.

It'll be interesting to learn just how many cinemas Gaumont and Essoldo had in Liverpool in the 1950s.
I think Sirob will have a good idea.

The confusion arises because Gaumont aquired local circuits in 1928, giving them a foothold in Liverpool. They also bought out Provincial Cinematograph Theatres in 1930, who owned the Trocadero in Camden Street. New cinemas built were called Gaumont Palace's, ie in Oakfield Road, Anfield, but the Palace ending was soon dropped.
Of the aquisitions, most retained their name, these being, Bedford, Beresford, Broadway, Corona, Empress, Hippodrome, Savoy, Rialto, Rivoli, Casino, Cameo, Grand, Magnet. The new builds were Gaumont Palace, Anfield and Gaumont, Princes Park.
The Odeon chain took over the Paramount, London Road in 1942, renaming it Odeon.
J. Arthur Rank gained control of both circuits in 1941, but the government would not allow the combining of them until 1950, when certain names were changed to Gaumont or Odeon. In Liverpool this was the Trocadero(to Gaumont) and the Plaza, Allerton(to Gaumont). Later, some Gaumonts became Odeons.
Sol Sheckman's Essoldo bought the W. Gordon and Southan Morris circuits in 1954 and a couple of independants a year later. These were the Atlas, Princess, Grosvenor, Mere Lane, Victoria, Homer, Kings, Royal, Granby, the latter closing in February, 1965.
The Camden Street Gaumont survived until 1974 because Rank used the Odeon for extended runs(roadshows), the first runs being shown at the Gaumont. Once the Odeon was quadrupled, it had no further purpose.
Lastly, the picture at the beginning of the thread is not the Gaumont as the building is completely wrong.

[George]

the picture at the beginning of the thread is not the Gaumont as the building is completely wrong.

So its baffled you as to its location as well?

To be honest I'm sure Camden Street gaumont got a facelift at sometime after Gaumont took it over?

[brian daley]

We moved to Toxteth in 1947 and the Rialto was called just that. It had a fancy cafe and had dance area too. We only went there occasionally,I saw Peter Pan and Cinderella there when I went with Tiber Street infant school.It seemed huge at the time,sad end for it though,I marched past the burnt out shell on the Peoples March for Jobs in 1982,
BrianD

[Norm NZ]

George, The 'only' cinema in Allerton was the 'Plaza'.

[vejomast]

I lived in the Dingle and in the 1930's had the choice of The Beresford, Park Road; The Gaumont Dingle; The Mayfair Aigburth Road, Rivoli Aigburth Road and a slighlty longer walk took me to the Rialto which was destroyed during the riots.
I remember at the Beresford Saturday childs matinee, anyone who had an injury was allowed to the front of the queue. The n umber of fake walking wounded was enormous!!!

[George]

I'm thinking this has changedsince 53?take intoconsideration the wide pavement and twodoors and a colum seperating them.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/334018030/

[George]

Interesting site here gents...Gaumont in livepool only list five of em.

http://cinematreasures.org/theater/8133/

[vejomast]

Could it be The Gaumont Dingle....by the old overhead railway station?

[George]

No,totally different layout.

[Quentin_Sharples]

Thanks Sirob for your answer.

I'm not sure what George is trying to prove, because it's been established that it's not Camden Street.

The poster on the original photo says "A Gaumont Theatre".
Surely that would have been superfluous if that particular building was actually called Gaumont?

Besides, Ged's contact says it was the Savoy, in Brougham Terrace, and I'm happy to believe that.

[Sirob]

Thanks Sirob for your answer.

I'm not sure what George is trying to prove, because it's been established that it's not Camden Street.

The poster on the original photo says "A Gaumont Theatre".
Surely that would have been superfluous if that particular building was actually called Gaumont?



All the Gaumont owned cinemas carried 'A Gaumont Theatre' on their advertising boards, as I can remember them from the 1950's.
To settle this. I post a pic of the newly built Trocadero, in which you can see that the frontage is completely different. It was never altered.
The Savoy is a likely candidate as it has the right stonework, number of steps, etc. It is nothing like the Odeon, Northampton.

Besides, Ged's contact says it was the Savoy, in Brougham Terrace, and I'm happy to believe that.

xx