Your favourite cinema memory?

[Scarlet Pimple]

Eh didn't need money for school dinners, eh went home for "lunch" on the Station square bus --or rode my  bike. Then back to the Academy via school bus pick-up at the top of Lochalsh Road, if you had a penny for the fare !!!

About the Playhouse--the lasting memory of seeing Spartacus from the lower stalls, in glorious Black and White. Saw the remake last night in my own home on DVD in colour but  not a patch on the original. Kirk Douglas was really some kind of presence on the screen in the main role; hard to beat.

Stunned by the old picture of the playhouse, never thought I would see the frontage again; remembering queuing up with Mammy amd Daddy on a Saturday night to the left of the entranceway shown there. We never had to queue at the Palace since M and D  were pally with Mr Frank taylor the owner and  the ticket box lady also was understanding of the nudge nudge wink wink situation. Sometimes , however, I felt  a bit guilty just walking past the queues. That's where Scarlet got his taste for the thrill of privilege and power I guess....... :003:

Saturday matinees at the La Scala--B & W movies like Clancy of the Mounted and Tom Mix etc.;  little did I know that one day I would be in the land of the "Mounted"--nowadays "the Mounties", as they are called in Canada, run around in large, powerful  high-price motors with the gee-gees used mostly for ceremonial duties or crowd control on occasion. On horseback in their red serge uniforms and leather leggings they do look impressive however, especially the really big lads.

[CaleyD]

You boys are obviously going further back than me.

However, I can't believe nobody has mentioned the fact that your feet used to stick to the carpet - that is probably one of the few things I remember about going to La Scala.  Even when I walk in to the new place out the A96, I still expect to have to walk as if I had chewing gum on the soles of my feet and the whole cinema experience just isn't the same without it.

Not my fondest (or oldest) memory, but probably the funniest.  I fell asleep during the Lord of the Rings and was awoken by an elbow to the ribs from my mate as I had apparently being snoring rather loudly.  Didn't realise how much of the movie I had missed until I watched it when it came out on DVD and thought they had made a fourth one I had missed somewhere along the line  :015:

[RednBlackComeback]

Where was this Playhouse you all speak of?? :shrug01:

I can only remember being to La Scala.....but I do have vague memories of the door to La Scala being on the corner of Academy Street and Strothers Lane (where Your Move is now)????? was this ever the case? or did I just dream that? :001:

[Alex MacLeod]

Favourite cinema memory has nothing to do with the movie but more with the female that accompanied me. :003:

My earliest memory is as a youngster of about six or seven. I got to stay up late so I could go and see Greyfriars Bobby which was being shown by the visiting 'Highlands and Islands Film Guild' in Roy Bridge village hall. they charged us kids thrupence back then.

[Charles Bannerman]

R and B CB.... if you're under about 40 you probably won't remember The Playhouse which, as I think has been said already, burned down in 1972 while showing Le Mans. It was at the end of Hamilton Street, two along from the Station Hotel (Royal Highlander.... nothing is sacred in this place!) in the direction of Markies.... next door to the Pizza restaurant.

Apart from being the town's better (best in the days of the Palace) picture house, the cafe upstairs was also renowned for being transformed into Disneyland at Christmas time - the genius of one Jimmy Nairn.

Those in their latter 40s and 50s will remember Inverness Royal Academy prize givings being held there. Those of an older Royal Academy vintage will have been at prize giving in the Empire.

[gerx13]

As a young projectionist in the La Scala. We came across several cans of film stored in a oven in the old kitchen, long before my time the La Scala had a restaurant. I heard that it ran down the strothers lane side of the cinema and that you could have a meal and watch the movie at the same time. This was stopped because other patrons complained about the noise of the diners. This could be some sort of urban legend?

Anyway back to the film cans, two were playable as they were safety film. the other 3 or 4 were made of nitrate and unsafe. In fact one can containing a reel of Chaplins 'Easy street' was so unsafe we had to get the fire brigade to dispose of it. The film had turned bright orange and was melting. The two reels of safety film contained scenes of the Boy's Brigade marching through Inverness in the early 50s also from the same period was scenes from some sporting event in either Bught park or the Northern meeting ground, can't really remember which venue. These reels were passed on to their owner and maker Jimmy Nairn.

Mr Nairn, as I knew him, made a film record of Inverness between the 40s and 70s. Many of his films can be seen on the Scottish film archieve site. He was known as 'Mr Cinema' a title that was quite fitting and used in a film documentary of his career, which was showing on CAC screens around the country in 79/80. While most people remember this adopted Invernessian as the manager of the Playhouse from 42 till its end and those amazing christmas displays, which were sadly destroyed in the fire along with some very rare music boxes. There was more to the Glasgow born showman. Not only did he make films and take photographs of the changing face of Inverness he was also an inventor. He invented a type of slide projector system. Those of us who were lucky to work for Mr Nairn held him in the highest respect, actually most of us were in awe of him.

James S Nairn.

[caley100]

Gerx, dont ever remember any mention of a restaurant at the La Scala, maybe some of the older posters might know.

We were neighbours of Mr Nairn in Glenburn Drive, when we were kids we often got 'comp' tickets from him much to the envy of pals, we would fight to take his wee dog out for a walk in the woods, often 4 or 5 of us shared a lead which left Jim and his wife in hysterics.

I also seem to remember him filming us playing 6 aside football in the park at Glenburn drive, wonder

if that film still exists?

My mate Colin Morrison served his time as a projectionist with the La Scala, he would sometmes sneak me in to the projection room to watch the movies, also helped him during the reel changes.

Those were the days when smoking was permitted in the cinema, as the film went on the smoke  highlighted in the light beams used to get thicker and thicker, passive smoking on a big scale or what.

[Charles Bannerman]

Some of these old films Gerx13 mentions ring a vague bell with me. I do remember seeing, perhaps on that Grampian TV programme of old films (the name escapes me for the moment) the BB one and I've also seen one of a sports meeting. In fact an Inter School Sports at The Bught in the 50s comes to mind. In fact, as I write, I'm crystallising memories of having seen a compilation of film snatches of Inverness very similar to the one you describe. I think it was transferred to video.

There are a few references in the Royal Academy log book during the 40s and 50s to the acquisition of new audio visual equipment, accompanied by a visit from "Mr. Nairn" to instal it and demonstrate its use.

The thought of the spontaneous combustion of cellulose nitrate film is a bit scary!

I certainly have no recollection of a restaurant in the La Scala. In fact the thought of one, linked with memories of all the spontaneous scratching you'd do after a visit (not an apocryphal tale either!) quite turns my stomach!

[gerx13]

I have came across the original building plans. It was a tea-room not a restaurant. Must have been a feature when it first opened in 1913 and it could have closed down during the war? rationing and all that! I'm only guessing. It was located on the ground floor behind the managers office, where the kitchen was. The tale of them watching movies while they ate seems unlikely, considering its location. Must have been a bit of BS I was fed :029:

plan

Caley 100.

There were quite a few things happening in that projection box thats best not talked about.  :004:  I remember Colin very well. He was a really nice guy. I worked with Colin when he first joined the cinema in 75. Shame about what happened, you couldn't meet a nicer guy.

[Guest jlmacd]

Where was this Playhouse you all speak of?? :shrug01:

I can only remember being to La Scala.....but I do have vague memories of the door to La Scala being on the corner of Academy Street and Strothers Lane (where Your Move is now)????? was this ever the case? or did I just dream that? :001:

I may be wrong but I am fairly certain that the main entrance was where you remember (can anyone confirm this?) before the entrance was moved to the side when the place was converted into a two cinema 'complex' (and, consequently, sounded the death knell for the days of real cinema going.)

[Charles Bannerman]

I seem to remember that, before the La Scala was made into a 2 cinema complex (and rendered parasite free!), there were two doors at right angles to each other on the corner. One went out into Academy Street and the other into Strothers Lane. I'm slightly less certain about the Strothers Lane one but absolutely sure about Academy Street.

[tm4tj]

I remember coming through to Inverness maybe around 1966-1968, to watch wrestling. Mick McManus and Jackie Pallo were 'performing', would that have been at the Empire?? Think it was somewhere on Academy Street. I was only a boy at the time and never paid much attention. It may even have been before then, anyone know the dates?

[Charles Bannerman]

Wrestling was probably in its heyday in the mid/late 60s with a big weekly slot on World of Sport on ITV. The Empire was indeed the home of live wrestling in Inverness, with frequent visits from the likes of Jackie Pallo, Mick McManus, Steve Logan (the ugly, long haired really dirty one) etc. I don't know where, if anywhere, wrestling went in Inverness after the demise of The Empire but the theatre was certainly still there in 1966-68 and doing wrestling.

The script for the wrestling was pretty predictable. Bad guy knocks eleven bells out of good guy with forearm smashes, half nelsons, full nelsons, drop kicks etc and generally breaks the rules for about five minutes. The ref does nothing about the good guy being kicked while he is down, thrown out of the ring, jumped on by the bad guy, posted and generally illegally assaulted.

In the course of this, it was mandatory that the good guy should at least once be pinned down for a count of two and a half and floored for as count of nine before either lifting his shoulder or staggering to his feet. By this time the good guy looks half dead but, as the bad guy rushes in for the kill, miraculously manages a body check or a manoeuvre which results in the bad guy smashing into the corner post.

After this, there are two scripts available... either the good guy goes on to triumph or the bad guy scrapes a jammy and somewhat illegal win.

With tag teams it was even more entertaining!

When my son reached the WWF stage of adolescence in the late 90s, I used to take a look at that and think "nothing has substantially changed in 30 years!"

[sandykent]

Charles,

I am unsure as to whether there were two entrances to the La Scala. Memory, or your question, may be playing tricks on my mind but I visualise the entrance to the ground floor front and back stalls being through the front Academy Street entrance and the side entrance was for the gallery (was there a gallery?).

    I do recall the queues at the Playhouse and Palace. Those for the cheap seats stood on the left of the front doorway and the richer folk on the right.

    My ambition was to get into the right hand queue. I still live in hope.

[Charles Bannerman]

Sandy.... I'm beginning to wonder if you're right because I now vaguely remember that entrance to the balcony (with its lower flea count) was where the main entrance was latterly - a few yards up Strothers Lane and not on the corner. But I still have a vague recollection of 2 doors on that corner. Can anybody help here?

[DJS]

Wrestling went to the Rose Street Drill Hall after the demise of the Empire.  I remember going once.

[gerx13]

Sandy.... I'm beginning to wonder if you're right because I now vaguely remember that entrance to the balcony (with its lower flea count) was where the main entrance was latterly - a few yards up Strothers Lane and not on the corner. But I still have a vague recollection of 2 doors on that corner. Can anybody help here?

The entrance to the cinema had doors facing Academy Street and Strothers Lane. Both doors opened to a vestibule.It is now Your Move. The vestibule had film times and a poster display (I think?) It had a speaker that we played music and soundtracks of trailers through. You entered the main foyer where the concession and box office was. There was an emergency exit which opened to Strothers lane in the foyer. On the corner the cinema used to have a canopy. Which carried the name of the film playing that week. I remember when we were showing 'Jaws' we had a large paper-mache shark, it was made by a local school. perched on top of the canopy. It looked good until it rained then it sort of collapsed. The canopy was removed as the Highland omnibus drivers kept smashing into it. I think that happened in the 80s or during its conversion to a twin.  :001:

[Charles Bannerman]

Gerx13.... thank you for that definitive description of the old La Scala.

DJS... the Rose Street Hall! Now there's a significant venue for a no hold barred fight to the death. I think a few of us attended such events in the Rose Street Hall in 93-94!

[Kingsmills]

The shark was made by first year art pupils at Millburn long before that particular seat of learning felt the need to add the word Academy to it's title.

[Charles Bannerman]

You mean Millburn Junior Secondary School? The shark was probably the creation of Doc Williamson.

[RednBlackComeback]

The entrance to the cinema had doors facing Academy Street and Strothers Lane. Both doors opened to a vestibule.It is now Your Move. The vestibule had film times and a poster display (I think?) It had a speaker that we played music and soundtracks of trailers through. You entered the main foyer where the concession and box office was. There was an emergency exit which opened to Strothers lane in the foyer. On the corner the cinema used to have a canopy. Which carried the name of the film playing that week. I remember when we were showing 'Jaws' we had a large paper-mache shark, it was made by a local school. perched on top of the canopy. It looked good until it rained then it sort of collapsed. The canopy was removed as the Highland omnibus drivers kept smashing into it. I think that happened in the 80s or during its conversion to a twin.

Cheers for that. I thought i remembered the entrance being through 'your move'.

Also remember the buses. My bus stop to Raigmore was right outside where 'your move' is now. The bus then would turn left along strothers lane, railway terrace and over the old railway bridge out through harbour road and then to Raigmore !!!

[gerx13]

I came across the following memories on local cinemas by Allan Goodall, his brother Donnie was the chief at the Playhouse when I started. Allan by that time was managing a cinema in Peterhead. Both really nice guys, anyway Allans insight into Inverness cinemas is a bit more technical than mines and he raises a few interesting points.

A plan submitted in 1929 by R. Carrruthers Ballantyne and Taylor, Architects, of 28 Queensgate, Inverness, to the Dean of Guild, whose approval was required for new buildings. The plan shows 'The Playhouse', which the Highland Cinema Company proposed building in Academy Street, Inverness. The Playhouse was destroyed in a fire in 1972

Opened 1929 by AB King seating 1,469. Destroyed by a fire during an evening performance, March 1972. CAC appealed against refusal of demolition, 1983Allan Goodall remembers:

"I started my career as an apprentice projectionist at the Playhouse in 1966 at 15 years of age. The Playhouse was the luxury cinema in Inverness. It started life in 1929 and was one of the first cinemas to be built for sound. My memory may be vague but it was originally going to be a theatre until talkies came out and it was decided it was to be a cinema instead. The design of the building gave it the look of a theatre - especially with the three box seats on each side of the balcony and one on either side of the stage. Occasional live shows were held there and of course after the Empire closed the Playhouse staged the annual Inverness Opera Company production. The sightlines were perfect from any seat for both films and live shows.

The screen frame and speakers could fly and this was done every Monday evening at the end of the last show so that the cleaners could give the stage a good clean. Jimmy Nairn the manager was a stickler for cleanliness, he would occasionally place small value coins under the aisle carpets so, if the cleaners tried to sweep dirt under the carpet, they would find the coin and sweep under all the carpet to see if they could find any more! Jimmy Nairn assured me that it worked.

After the Empire closed an Orchestra pit was built in front of the stage using materials from the one at the Empire, reducing the seating. I always remember the balcony seated 440 and as the total seating was reduced to 1314 , this would have left the stalls with 874 seats. The cinema had been equipped to play 4 track magnetic sound since 1954. The original equipment were Ross projectors, Western Electric Universal bases with the turntables mounted in the rear. The projector heads were changed also in 1954 to Kalee 21s. Then in 1968 the sounheads and amps were changed to Westrex 2000 and more modern Westrex amps and these remained in situ until the fire in 1972.

The projection room was in the void space under the balcony which gave you almost a direct 65ft throw with virtually no rake. When you looked down on the balcony it had a u shape cut out at the front centre for the beam - this apparently was originally going to be a spot room and the box was to be at the rear of the balcony. You can see this from the plans as there was a small box section in the rear with four rows of seats. The screen was approx 40ft wide with a deep curve. The curtains opened from the centre although the originals were festoon before scope. The tabs were lit top and bottom with foots and battens. There was a large dome which ran around the width of the ceiling and over the front balcony and front stalls. This was lit with 4 different colours, each colour could be dimmed separately - the same as the houselights. When the cinema opened there was a balcony foyer behind the box which was later turned into a cafe. For many years up to closure this was turned into a xmas fairyland every year, the walls adorned with cartoon characters, windmills and fountains were created - it had to be seen to be believed. All the work was done by Jimmy Nairn who was a very inventive and talented man. This feature was really missed by the people of the highlands when the Playhouse was lost.

The Playhouse went on fire in March 1972 - the film showing at the time was "Le Mans" starring Steve McQueen."

Twinned in 1978 to 438 seats (stalls) and 255 (circle). Closed in January 2001. Demolition took place in January 2005 for replacement with a housing development.

Allan Goodall remembers:

"The La Scala was a nice cinema, which opened in 1913. I remember the old Chief telling me about the early days as he was there shortly after it opened (his name was Willie Oberbeck and his twin brother Freddie was chief at the Playhouse Montrose just before I went there). He told me there was a fountain in front of the stage and a cafe on the right of the building. The three box seats on the right were open so people in the cafe could view the silent films. During my time there the boxes were covered up with concrete blocks and velvet drapes hung in front.

Although it sat around 1,000 when it opened, the stalls were redesigned in the 1950s. The seating originally went up to the side walls with a central aisle; when redesigned they created three aisles, one in the centre and one running down the side of each wall. Seating was then 250 in the balcony and 600 in the stalls. The procenium was approx. 36ft wide, with a scope picture of 32ft. The screen curtains were festoon and lit by foot and batten lights. In 1965 the cinema was redecorated with a light blue on the walls and ceiling, with some of the ornate plasterwork picked out in white. The projectors at that time were Kalee 12s with British Acoustic sounheads and a Kalee duosonic amp. In approx 1974 the entire projection equipment was replaced with Westrex 7000 projectors and Peerless Magnarc xenon conversions. The magnarcs which were converted came from the Playhouse which had burned down in 1972.

When twinned in 1979 the projectors were Westrex 2000s.

The original entrance was on the corner of Academy Street and Strothers Lane. There was a set of double doors on each corner which led into a small vestibule with terrazzo flooring. You then went through another set of doors to the main foyer with the box-office on the left. Just on the other side was a set of stairs which took you down to the switch room, battery room and stalls gents toilet. It was on the top of these stairs that they built a wall closing off the old foyer and created a new box-office when the cinema was twinned. The entrance was then closed off a couple of years before closure and moved further up Strothers Lane to create a slightly larger foyer but a very narrow entrance, it just looked like a shop door. The original foyer had wood panelled walls and ceilings which were painted over in the 1965 redecoration. The original entrance had a canopy put up at some point in its lifetime which went round the entire corner. The original foyer was either sold or leased out to a camera shop and is still there - it's possible the old panelled ceiling is still there above the modern suspended one, so maybe a small part of cinema history still survives..."

La Scala, in Strothers Lane, Inverness, was built in 1913 and originally had a tea room as well as a cinema. This plan, showing the ground floor, was submitted to the Dean of Guild, whose approval was required for new buildings or alterations to existing ones. La Scala closed in 2001

Interior of the La Scala Cinema, Strothers Lane, Inverness. It opened in 1913 as a one-screen cinema with a capacity of 1000. In 1978 it was divided into two screens with 438 seats in the stalls and 255 in the circle. A third screen was added in the 1990s. In 1996 the world premiere of the film 'Loch Ness' was staged here. Competition from two other cinemas in Inverness resulted in the closure of La Scala in January 2001. The last film to be screened was 'Casablanca'.

plan of the Central Hall Picture House by the Inverness architects Alexander Ross & Son. The cinema, on Academy Street, opened in 1912. It was redesigned in 1934 and became the Empire Theatre. The building was demolished in 1971

Opened 1912 by Inverness Picture House Ltd. (same owners as the La Scala) as a cinema seating 1,100.

Changed to variety theatre with occasional films and renamed, September 1934. Closed 1970, then demolished.

Allan Goodall remembers:

"The Theatre Royal, Bank Street on the riverside was destroyed by fire on 17th March 1931. As a result, the Empire cinema was fitted out for live shows in 1934 as a replacement. Projection equipment at the Empire was Western Electric sound with simplex projectors and Peerless Magnarcs. The arc lamps were taken out and installed in the La Scala. The La Scala's Brenkarcs were in turn then installed in the Playhouse Nairn. The projectors were still running into the 60's as adverts were still shown there on the safety curtain. The Empire had quite plain decor, bluish grey paint on walls and ceiling, not nearly as ornate as the La Scala which was to open a year later. In the mid 1960's the Empire could be dark for weeks with maybe the odd wrestling match on a Tuesday or Thursday - I remember having to go there to check the secondary lighting batteries when i worked at the La Scala."

Palace Huntly Street

Opened 1939 seating 1,023. Bingo from 1963.

[The Long Man]

Marvellous, thanks for posting all those details. Didn't know there was a theatre in Bank Street at one time.

[gerx13]

I think the 'Theatre Royal' was situated where the YMCA is, it was a theatre converted to a cinema and became the first cinema venue in town.  Allan mention's a Willie Oberbeck. He used to pop into the Playhouse and the LaScala and tell us stories of the old days, I'm sure he was 90 at the time and a great character. I wish my memory was much better, but what I can remember is he ran the first talkie in Inverness. If anyone wants a good link to scottish cinemas click here  :001:

[Charles Bannerman]

Well you learn something every day! I certainly wasn't aware that the Empire started life as a cinema, although I did know about the theatre in Bank Street since my father was a kid in the town when it burned down and he told me about it. Indeed I'm not sure if my grandfather wasn't in the place that night.

I do remember the Empire (not as a cinema!) being pretty basic while the La Scala (ironically, given its role as a flea pit) was a bit more ornate, although not in the same league as the Playhouse.

I also remember one or two visits to the Palace where I saw Lorna Doone and a Jimmy Edwards "Whacko!" film. (An interesting change with the times there. "Whacko!" probably wouldn't be given a certificate these days since it would be deemed to have content relating to child abuse.)

The theatre wasn't the only building to burn down on Bank Street in that era. St. Columba High Church also suffered that fate in 1940.

On the subject of multiple conflagrations, all three football grandstands in Inverness burned down within less than half a century - Caley in about 1951, Clach in about 1989 (!) and Thistle in 1995, after Kingsmills had closed as a football ground.