Your favourite cinema memory?

[gerx13]

I have several memories some good some bad....... the bad would be running 'Le Mans' while the Playhouse cinema burnt down. A great cinema. The good .......... coming across an inebriated Robbie Coltrane on his hands and knee's lookin' at the standee for 'Goldeneye' placed outside the auditorium of said film. He looked up at myself and a usher and said ' Just lookin' for my f*ckin' name'. He then went into watch the film, well actually he went into sober up before an lunchtime appointment. A great guy drunk or sober.

[Guest jlmacd]

Fondest memory would have to be, as a wee bairn, the Playhouse at Christmas time (especially the visit to the Tea Room after the film!)

Also, Saturday morning pictures at the La Scala when it was still a proper cinema with a balcony (before it was turned into two shoe boxes and you only got one film for your money.)

Have hazy recollection too of the chaos that was to be had attending the annual British Legion children's outing to the old Empire cinema (on Academy St?)

[Kingsmills]

Has to be the Playhouse Cinema restaurant at christmas.

[Charles Bannerman]

I would agree too. But I also remember being taken to the Palace Cinema (for years now the Bingo Hall on Huntly Street for the benefit of the under 50s) to see "Lorna Doone" when I was about 4. And as the hero kissed the heroine, I stood up and shouted something like "never mind about that, just get on with the film!"

Memories also of regular visits to the front stalls of the Playhouse or the La Scala on Saturday afternoons when Caley were playing away. Usually the profit made from collecting the lemonade bottles at the previous home game would cover the shilling it cost to get into the pictures. It was strange to come out from three hours in the dark into bright sunshine (and several hours' scratching if it was the La Scala you were in!)

[caley100]

Had to be as a kid going to the Saturday afternoon matinee, 2 'big' films and a wee thing/cartoon in between!

As an older person... age not mind, going to see the exorcist at the La Scala, with all the police  & ambulances outside with red cross people hanging around the back of the cinema! what a carry on.

Also a wee bit later going to the same cinema to see the late friday show at 11.30 pished to see Emanuelle 3D, everyone had to wear these crappy huge white specs to get the 'effect',  the funniest thing to see the whole audience leering at the screen wearing what looked like pervert glasses.

[tm4tj]

They say you still use those glasses boyo.

Early memories of Saturday afternoon matinee at the picture house in Grantown, now the British Legion.  Watching the likes of all the Elvis films and a load of Westerns, John Wayne style, (the **** you did).  Two lasting memories, they always, and I mean always played 'wooden heart' by Elvis before every film, and crying behind the sofa at home after Tarzans Elephant died, shame, it was very sad, I was about nine years old :019:

Couple of other things, it was one shilling for the afternoon films, and my god was it bright when you came out about five on a Saturday afternoon in July!

[gerx13]

First film I watched in Inverness was 'Thunderbirds are go' at the LaScala, my parents wanted to watch 'The sound of music' at the Playhouse. Sort of sums up the difference between the two cinemas. Never got a chance to see any films in the Palace but I was in its projection room and it was the better one. The Empire only did theatre in my time.

[Charles Bannerman]

Gerx13... thank you for that wonderful blast from the past with that photo of the Playhouse! Must be quite and old photo. I believe the Playhouse burned down as long ago as 1972.

MFTJ... memories of coming through to Grantown from BB Camp at Carrbridge to see The Great Escape for the first time. (It hadn't aspired to the Christmas slot by that stage.)

[Guest jlmacd]

First film I watched in Inverness was 'Thunderbirds are go' at the LaScala, my parents wanted to watch 'The sound of music' at the Playhouse. Sort of sums up the difference between the two cinemas. Never got a chance to see any films in the Palace but I was in its projection room and it was the better one. The Empire only did theatre in my time.

Likewise, grateful thanks, gerx13 - sincerely! My first film was seen there - Mary Poppins- must have been about 1965 (I would have been about 3-ish) I just remember, as it was a special treat, we got seats in one of the boxes to the side of the balcony. I also recall the sad evening it burned down - a great shame.

The Empire I could well be wrong about (said it was hazy!) Must have been around '66/'67 - was it still standing then? Fairly certain it wasn't the Palace (but couldn't swear) again, was Palace a cinema still by then or had it turned into a bingo hall?

If it was the Empire I am thinking of, maybe the Legion had arranged a one off screening for the kids outing. Can remember the showing starting with a b&w western and then the rest of the proceedings dissolving into bedlam!!

[caley100]

Great to see the frontage of the Playhouse, although i have to say its not as grand as i had imagined!!

The first film i saw there was Disneys fantastic cartoon, Dumbo, remember greetin my eyes out when the mother elephant was taken away.

[tm4tj]

Hmmnnnn...............must be something about elephants :019:

[Charles Bannerman]

I can't remember exactly when the Empire closed, but I think it was early 70s. I certainly remember being at a performance there in 1969 (OK... I'll have to admit it... it was the Opera Company's production of Finian's Rainbow!) There was also the Arts Centre in Farraline Park which has now become our Local Council Tax Payer-accessible, "city centre" public library. Meanwhile Inverness's less than adequate Museum, much frequented by towrists, took over the much better site in Upper Bridge Street.... but I digress.

I think the Palace became a Bingo Hall in the early 60s.

I also seem to recollect that these Legion kids' outings were notorious for dissolving into bedlam! It was a wee bit like an annual re-enactment of the Battle of el Alamein.

[+jagster]

Great to see the playhouse after all these years remember going to see the sound of music and having a wee greet when christopher Plummer couldn't sing eidelweiss at the concert. What a wee softie I must have been even for a hilton lad! now I just greet at the prices

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[Charles Bannerman]

Still think it would have been far better if the Germans had actually caught the Von Krapps. It would have saved us a great deal of nausea and fury over the years. Julie Effing Andrews peaked with Mary Poppins.

[DJS]

Over the years i think i've met enough people who claim to have been at the Playhouse the night it burned down to fill the place twice.

[gerx13]

Over the years i think i've met enough people who claim to have been at the Playhouse the night it burned down to fill the place twice.

If my memory serves me right  there were less than 10 customers for a tea time screening of 'Le Mans' I think there were more staff. The fire alert came at the back of 7 as the film was reaching it climax, surprisingly it was first reported by someone in the Crown district. By the time I exited the building before 7.30 there was a helluva lot of people outside and the roof was ablaze. Had only seen smoke in the building so that sight was a bit of a laxative for me. Jimmy Nairn had arrived shortly after and moved us all into the Royal across the road. Knocked back a stiff one after my hurried visit to the loo! Theres more to it than that but I'm saving it for the book. :004: :001:

[DJS]

......and there's another one!  :015: :015: :015:

[gerx13]

The Empire Theater closed its doors in 1970. Eventually the owners CAC built an office block in its place with the idea of using a floor as their head office, they changed their mind when they realised that they couldn't afford the lost rent. :015: I enjoyed my visits to the Empire where I saw the hilarious Lex McLean show. The highly talented Corries was another show I had the pleasure to see there, surprisingly the following photo was taken when they were appearing. My Dad had a morris 1100 just like the one parked outside. Even went to see the wrestling with Mick McMannus who caused a stir around town as he visited antique shops in the area, he was a avid collector and that he was such a soft spoken man unlike his TV image. Simpler days!  :001:

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/gerx13/9e136c26.jpg

[caley100]

What a shame that the Empire was flattened for the concrete box that stands there now, must have been built around the time bridge street was ' updated' it looks like it was made from the leftovers.

[DJS]

All the more galling because the replacement building is now boarded up and closed down.  :007:

[Kingsmills]

Not before time. That building is second only to the Bridge Street monstrosity in blighting the town centre.

[sandykent]

    Skipping school on a Friday afternoon (PE under Mr McNab at the Techie) and spending the following week's school dinner- money on sweets in the sweet shop that used to be next to the Palace Cinema. Two hours of sheer indulgence drooling over Doris Day. Starving the following Mon - Thurs lunchtime. 1954 - what a year that was.

    The first film I saw was "Duel in the Sun" in 1950 at the Playhouse - I was eleven at the time.

      Favourite cinema - probably the Playhouse - mainly because of the wonderful Christmas set prepared by Mr. Nairne.

      Best memories - La Scala - the Saturday morning matinee.

[Charles Bannerman]

Sandy... as a matter of interest, can you remember what a school dinner ticket cost in 1954? I certainly remember that for much of the 60s it was 1 shilling for the first child, and a penny cheaper for each subsequent one. Mr. MacIntyre the Dalneigh minister had so many kids that I think the youngest got their lunch for about 8d!

[sandykent]

Charles. I recall getting half a crown to take to school on the Friday morning - which presumably meant the school dinners was 6d per day. The Palace cinema was a shilling - leaving 1/6d for sweets.

[Kingsmills]

I'm sure that my first school dinner tickets in the mid 60s were 1 shilling and sixpence.