Coliseum, Spital Hill

[Redfyre]

How about some memories of the Coliseum, Spital Hill, a famous suburban cinema that closed in late 1963. Anyone with stories about going to see Roy Rogers films there? I recall one Christmas, back in the 1940s, when I went carol singing, and, as soon as I'd raised enough money to be able to afford to get in at the "Coli", off I went to see Roy Rogers, Gabby Hayes and, of course, Trigger. Remember the pit entrance at the bottom end?

[walt]

How about some memories of the Coliseum, Spital Hill, a famous suburban cinema that closed in late 1963. Anyone with stories about going to see Roy Rogers films there? I recall one Christmas, back in the 1940s, when I went carol singing, and, as soon as I'd raised enough money to be able to afford to get in at the "Coli", off I went to see Roy Rogers, Gabby Hayes and, of course, Trigger. Remember the pit entrance at the bottom end?

 

My funniest experience at the Coliseum on Spital Hill , was going to see the epic film "Spartacus" in the early 1960s. It got to the point where Spartacus and the slaves were defeated and the Roman leader Crassus offered to spare their lives if they would identify Spartacus. Spartacus stood up about to identify himself and the man chained to him shouted "I'm Spartacus". Another one of the slaves shouted "I'm Spartacus", then another, and then another. All of a sudden a man in the Coliseum stands up and shouts "I'm Spartacus". Within seconds everyone in the cinema was standing up and shouting "Im Spartacus" ! Brilliant audience participation, what a laugh and what a great film.

[Texas]

Poor old Spartacus had only been fighting lions in the Coliseum a few moments earlier.

My own memories go back to the 30's/40's, sat on a tipped up seat, to see a 'Big Broadcast' movie. I can't remember which one, but it wasn't the one with Bing Crosby. I'd seen that at the Sunbeam.

Coming down the years a bit, that's the cinema where I saw, on the news, the atom bomb finish WW2, the horrendous film of the Americans finding Belsen, and the trials of the Nazi leaders. Happy days as they say.

Mind you I did see 'Meet me in St Louis' there, a little bit more cheerful depending what kind of movies grab one.

[Falls]

How about some memories of the Coliseum, Spital Hill, a famous suburban cinema that closed in late 1963. Anyone with stories about going to see Roy Rogers films there? I recall one Christmas, back in the 1940s, when I went carol singing, and, as soon as I'd raised enough money to be able to afford to get in at the "Coli", off I went to see Roy Rogers, Gabby Hayes and, of course, Trigger. Remember the pit entrance at the bottom end?

 

Hi,

 

I was a regular at the Coli in the 1940's. My grandparents took me - first house on Wednesday nights. Later, I went with the kids from school. Then fish and chips from the chippy at the bottom of Spital Street, usually served by Tony Macdonald's Mum.

 

I can't remember the very first film I saw there, but John Wayne in the "Wake of the Red Witch" was an early one. Saw all the westerns of that era. Lots of Roy Rogers and John Wayne winning the war in the Pacific on his own.

 

Remember the bottom entrance - more like a tunnel -that ran along the back of the screen. Remember how the ticket office there was at the far end and little more than a hole in the wall. So small that the ticket window was also part of the door where the ticket lady went in and out.

 

I remember that the projection room was on the low level ( most other cinemas had the projection room upstairs) with the toilets on either side.

 

Remember the Carols at Christmas. They used to have the words up on the screen with the bouncing ball on the word you was supposed to be singing. Didn't seem to help with many of the patrons.

 

Regards

[rf2690]

My funniest experience at the Coliseum on Spital Hill , was going to see the epic film "Spartacus" in the early 1960s. It got to the point where Spartacus and the slaves were defeated and the Roman leader Crassus offered to spare their lives if they would identify Spartacus. Spartacus stood up about to identify himself and the man chained to him shouted "I'm Spartacus". Another one of the slaves shouted "I'm Spartacus", then another, and then another. All of a sudden a man in the Coliseum stands up and shouts "I'm Spartacus". Within seconds everyone in the cinema was standing up and shouting "Im Spartacus" ! Brilliant audience participation, what a laugh and what a great film.

hi walt,went to see a john wayne film at coli,hope you or someone can answer this,sure it was a war film and he got gangerine in his leg.i know i ended up in the aisle in a dead faint

any one know the film.

[Redfyre]

Hi Rf2690, re the John Wayne war film, have you any rough idea what year it might have been? If you can say roughly when it was, someone might be able to pin it down.

It's great that so many folk have responded with memories --keep 'em coming!

[Texas]

Big John in the Pacific. 'Back to Battan'(?) 'Fighting Seabees'.

[Kidorry]

My sister-in-law was an usherette there in the50s.I think they all wore dark red uniforms. They had 2 houses there instead of the continuous programmes that a lot of cinemas had.

[rf2690]

Hi Rf2690, re the John Wayne war film, have you any rough idea what year it might have been? If you can say roughly when it was, someone might be able to pin it down.

It's great that so many folk have responded with memories --keep 'em coming!

hi redfyre,all i can say it must have been between 58/60?.can you recall the coliseum chippie,did the lady that owned it have red hair wonderful chips.wonder how many times you've come out of coli slapping your a--e thinking you was roy rogers.:hihi:

[Kidorry]

Big John in the Pacific. 'Back to Battan'(?) 'Fighting Seabees'.

 

Or Sands of Iwo Jima.