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Cinema Story

1961 , Beccles (Suffolk)

Cat no. 116299

An About Anglia television report narrated by John McGregor, who visits some of the smaller cinema venues in the region, and interviews the owners concerning a decline in cinema attendance.

John McGregor narrates, giving a brief history of the development of early cinema, accompanied by a montage of photo stills of early cinema exhibitors and key stars from the period, including Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Al Jolson. John McGregor visits cinemas located in the smaller towns in the region, that are either currently undergoing restoration work or facing threats of closure, interviewing the venue’s owners, Mrs Butterfield of Beccles Regal; Mr Jones of Diss Cinema; Mr Young of Dereham’s Exchange Cinema; Mr Oliver of Wells’ Regal Cinema; and finally, Major Nieve OBE, the director of a chain of cinemas in East Anglia. Participants argue a variety of competing leisure interests are responsible for the decline in cinema attendance, including bingo, frequenting coffee bars and visiting dance halls for jive dancing, but more particularly the advent of home television viewing, specifically since the transmission of Anglia Television.

Featured Buildings

Kings Lynn’s Electric Theatre The Regal Cinema Beccles The Cinema, Beccles Harleston Picturehouse Diss Cinema The Exchange Cinema, Dereham (previously The Corn Hall) The Regal Cinema, Wells

Keywords

Building restoration; Cinema-going; Cinemas; Leisure; Television

Other Places

Kings Lynn; Diss; Dereham; Harleston; Wells

Manifestations

Cinema Story

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