This instantly recognisable layout comes from the what's on section in the Courier. The one here dating from April 1970.The choice of Dundee cinemas to pick from are - ABC - GAUMONT - ODEON - PLAZA - RITZ - ROYALTY - TIVOLI - VICTORIA and the REGAL in the Ferry.
Quite funny to see that all the films have family rated U & A certificates, except for the Tiv, who typically is showing X's..!!
Despite the Royalty being located at my end of town, I don't think I was ever at this picture house. No memory of that one at all.
Click image to enlarge.
My memory of the Royalty is seeing pictures advertising some sort of "nudie" film that was due to be shown in the windows beside the front door.Very interesting for a young laddie making his way to the Glebie! I suppose I remember this because it was fairly unusual as it normally went in for run-of the- mill films unlike the Tiv. which went in for "continental" type films. You could go around the side of the Royalty and down the steps leading to St Matthew St if that helps place it for people.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any mention of the other Ferry cinema - the Reres which was situated to the left of Vissochis in Gray St. This was lovingly referred to as the Bug Hut for obvious reasons and was as dark as Hell. There was another Ferry cinema at the Dundee end of King St. where the newish houses are now, but even I am not old enough to remember that one in operation.
Sorry, have just checked google and for St Matthew St , read South Baffin St. The stairs are still there but I don't think they lead anywhere now. There used to be a plaque on them with info about authoress Mary Shelley.
ReplyDeleteGG If I remember rightly the Royalty was near Baxter Park....
ReplyDeleteMy dad took me to the Odeon (at that time in Strathmartine Road which was replaced by Safeway/Lidl/soon to be Tesco) to see 101 Dalmatians.
ReplyDeleteMy Uncle Willy was the projectionist there...he sadly passed away within the last month....he had such brilliant stories of the Dundee cinemas.
The Royalty was next to a bakery. I used to walk past it on the way to the Gleebie ,during the early 70s.
ReplyDeleteI remember the Baffin St steps. We used to call them the Frankenstein steps. I never knew why until today. It seems that Mary Shelley lived in the area.
if the films were u and a certs this would be because it was the easter holidays and the kids would be off school
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that your uncle Willie has passed away. I too was a projectionist in Dundee (ABC 1965-1985)and knew Willie. We used to see each other at the monthly union meetings. When the Odeon closed Willie went to the Guamont in the Cowgate for a while before leaving to work outside the cinema industry. As with many of the older cinema staff I lost track of him when he left the cinema industry. Sadly, all the old time projectionist have now gone. Little did we know back in the good days of the cinema, when cinemas had around 4 to 6 full-time projectionists, that projectionists would become obsolete with the advent of digital projection. Oddly enough I was thinking about Willie the other day and wonder where he was and then came across you blog. As with all the older projectionists who have gone, Willie, who was a character with a lively and vibrant personality, is sadly missed.
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