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Back in the fifties, the film industry, believed in getting them young. Which was why come 9.30am on a Saturday morning a heaving, shouting ragged crowd of children, could be found, money clutched in their hot little hands, queuing round the sides of the Odeon all waiting to be let into the cinema and another world. And what a world it was, for the architects of Brentwoods Odeon strongly believed that before you found your seat, expectations had to be raised by passage though their front of house foyers. For their young Saturday morning visitors, the first question after stocking up on sweets and pop-corn from the kiosk in the entrance hall was where to sit, would it be the cheep seats down stairs at 9 old pence (5½p), or if the pocket many could stand it, upstairs in the balcony for one shilling and threepence (11½p). The journey to this better view was via a wide double stairs on either side of the entrance foyer, to a large room with large floor to ceiling windows overlooking the high street, that had been intended for receptions or dances. Originally the architects had hoped to build a bar in in this area, but this being Brentwood, it had never been developed, so throughout the cinemas history it remained largely empty and unused. Then it was on through a set of double doors into a large low lit circular room. Whilst doors on either side gave access to the toilets, another set of double doors led to a short darkened flight of stairs and the cinemas balcony. The collective tribe of Brentwoods young Saturday morning film patrons were home and dry, and the fun could begin. Now programming for children was a bit of a hit or miss affair then, for whilst a grand organisation called the National Childrens Film Foundation foundation produced film features aimed at a young audience, few if any ever found their way to Brentwood. No, our Saturday mornings were spent in a nineteen thirties time warp, watching such up to date offerings as Flash Gordon serials, countless Abbot and Costello comedies, and endless westerns all in back and white. just about the only thing in colour were the Tom and Jerry Cartoons. Not that we were a quiet well behaved audience. Oh no, come the serials and westerns and the critics of brentwood came into their own, booing and hissing the badies, and cheering the goodies. With the black and white westerns this easy, Goodies get to wear the white hat, (ie) Roy Rogers and Hop-a-long Cassidy and the badies sported Black stetsons. Not content with this noise, ice cream cartons would fly from the balcony into the pit below. An act guaranteed to bring the usherette dashing up the side stairs to flash her dreaded torch in the direction of any ice cream carton launch control. Those found throwing however paid the ultimate penalty by being thrown out of the cinema. Other entertainment came from the manager, who would dash onto the stage when-ever the projector failed, a not uncommon occurrence signalled by the slowing to a halt of the action and the bubbling loss of the picture as the film base jammed in the projector burnt away. At this the noise would become deafening as the poor manager desperately tried to calm things down. Only achieving the desired effect by yelling that the rest of the show would be cancelled if we did not shut up. Yet more fun could be had outside the cinema. Here clustered by the rear exit doors would be a criminally inclined group who had no intention of paying to get it. They had it all worked out. For the exit corridor from the cinema also led to the toilets. As their was a constant too-ing and throwing to this toilet throughout the show, it was an easy matter for anyone inside to push the locking bar on the exit door open to let his mates in. All that was required then was to filter out into the stalls with the rest. And if your wondering if these young criminals went on to a life of crime, well no. I can point to number of very upright Brentwood citizens who would be very upset if you reminded them how once they defrauded the Rank Organisation out of it's entrance fees. Having thus being hooked on the cinema habbit, it was not long before we wanted to see the grown up films. However whilst we were able to get into U certificate films without any problem, A certificate films, available only to an audience over the age of 18, or to a child in the company of an adult, presented a problem to those us us well under age. It was overcome by hanging around outside waiting for our victim, who might be pursaded to take us in with them. Too dangerous to try now of course, but back in the fifties we seemed to live in an age of innocence. As for Brentwoods other cinema. Whilst the Nationwide Odeon chain of the Rank Organisation did it's bit in attracting Custom. On the other side of the High Street, Their dreaded rivals at the Palace ploughed their independent way showing for the most part features from the ABC circuit. It was however altogether different in design from the Odeon, being older and when I knew it, long past it's best days. But it more then made up for it's faded glory by it's community spirit. In 1953 for example they had turned the entire cinema over to local schools, arranging special showings for all school children of a full colour film of the climbing of mount Everest and latter the same month by the colour film of the Coronation. In it's latter years, and managed by Stan Sedgwick it took pride in bring to the town the features local movie goers wanted, and even arranging special charity performances to raise cash for local charities. And it could always draw crowds. One film in the sixties, managed to beat all records, with a queue that stretched from the cinema, now the site of Sainsburys, up the high street to where he public toilets now stand. At what was that film that beat all records. The black and white comedy, Blue Hell of St Twinions And why was it such a hit. Well truth to tell the film featured the misadventures of a girls school. And by a great stroke of luck the Palace got to show it in a week when the National Newspapers reported, horror or horrors the story of two or was it three under age mums to be expelled from the Doddinghurst Road Secondary Modern school. Pregnant school kids may be more common now, but I can tell you back then this was the stuff of national attention. I know we had the multi screen cinema in Chapel High to replace them, but somehow it did not compare with the old Odeon and Palace.and withn a few years it closed down. The lure of television and a warm home for its audience being better then tramping into town and having to share their movie going experience with a audience for ever getting in their way in their enternal hunt for the toilet or pop corn and coke. Am I just getting old. Now I wonder what's on Sky's movie channel tonight ?
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