Historic Odeon faces final curtain

Carl Palmer

July 06, 2004

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UNDER THREAT: The Odeon

MANCHESTER'S historic Odeon cinema is facing its final curtain.

The Oxford Street venue opened nearly 75 years ago and is thought to be the oldest cinema in the city centre.

But staff have now been told it is "likely to close".

A month of consultation is expected before definite plans are agreed.

One staff member who was close to tears said: "This has come as a real bombshell. It will be a terrible loss to Manchester. I hope we all get the chance to fight to keep it open because it is as much a part of the fabric of the city as any of the great buildings we have."

The Odeon started life as The Paramount Theatre on October 6, 1930. It had a flickering projector bringing Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald to the big screen. In 1939, it became the Odeon and over the years stars like Bruce Forsyth appeared in its piano lounge.

It has also been used for glitzy film premieres. In 1992, the Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise film, A Few Good Men, premiered in Manchester. Hollywood moguls, hoping for Oscar glory, wanted to test audience reaction before it opened in the US.

Cinemagoers last night came out fighting after hearing of the closure plans.

Film lover Henryk Baranski, 41, from Stretford, said: "It's very upsetting to hear that it is going to close. I have been coming here since I was a kid. I have noticed that it has become a bit empty in recent years, but I think it is a terrible shame to close it. I think that a lot of people would support a campaign to keep it open."

Location

Ernest Horrocks, 67, of Chorlton-on-Medlock said: "It is really sad. It has been a central part of Manchester for a long time. The first time I came here was 40 years ago and I have been coming here a lot since. I suppose it is losing out to these multiplexes but I always thought it would survive because it has such a great location and it has all the student crowd."

But some customers admitted last night that despite its unique charm, the Odeon couldn't compete with modern cinemas. Former Odeon employee Chris Fallone, 20, from Prestwich, said: "It's really quite old-fashioned and it's a lot smaller than most new cinemas. It can't compete, the screens and the seats are smaller. But I never thought it would close."

Laura Ellinsworth, 17, said: "It's a bit of a shock but there are better cinemas in Manchester. The Filmworks has comfier seats and it's bigger."

But Eddy Nuttall, 28, of Sale, said: "Manchester lost its Hacienda, now it is losing its oldest cinema. The city is losing out to faceless corporate chains and I think it is very sad because Manchester will become like other cities - sterile and lacking in character."

Just before the Second World War there were more than 100,000 cinema seats in Greater Manchester.

Cinema has enjoyed a renaissance in Britain with a string of blockbuster hits like the Harry Potter films, but industry insiders always feared that some of the city's cinemas would be squeezed out by the new multiplexes.

Casualties have included the Arena 7 cinema, the UGC complex at Salford Quays, and the Tatton at Gatley.

What are your memories of the Odeon?

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Anne Schafer, Mountain Home, Idaho (06/07/2004 at 22:41)

I was an on-and-off part-time usherette at the Odeon between 1957 and 1961 when I left to go to live in Spain.
I would get off my day job in Minshull Street at 5.30pm and run pell mell down to Oxford Street to start work 30 minutes later.
The usherette's dressing room was right at the top of the buillding and we had to run up about 100 steps to get to it.
We had live shows from time to time. The circle was rocking up and down when Bill Haley and the Comets appeared. Some artists required two shows in one night to satisfy all their fans, but some had audiences so sparse that the people were invited to "come down to the front". Which they did, nearly knocking each other down in the rush.
I saw Paul Anka when he was about 16 years old; Johnnie Mathis; Bobby Darin, who had to be urged to go on for the second show, and Victor Borge who filled the house twice in one night.
I met a lot of great young women at this job and still have a picture of all the staff from around 1959.
Sorry to hear that the old place is closing. I sure had some good times there.

Derek Atkins., York .North Yorkshire (07/07/2004 at 11:48)

It is sad to hear of yet another Odeon Cinema closing.I am fighting to save the York Odeon from closure.The demise of yet another original Odeon as become an all to familiar story around England.
Derek Atkins.(Public Relations Officer) Mercia Cinema Society.

David Pring, Islington London (08/07/2004 at 23:42)

I have many fond memories of attending the Odeon in the 1960s when it was a single screen venue.There was a real sense occasion when visiting the cinema.One highlight was a family outing to Mary Poppins...there was an organ recital and a follow spot shadow image of Mary Poppins on screen prior to the credit sequence.

Andy, Wythenshawe (10/07/2004 at 10:26)

Weren't we told that cinema audiences were booming over recent years ?
I attended the Odeon throughout the 90's, i loved the place because it was so unique, quiet often loooking at the interior decor was more interesting than the film, and it clearly has more charecter than modern multi-plexes.
The exterior however is awful, and the attitude of some of the staff wasnt good enough (often i saw them argueing and fooling around), but i hope it can be saved... get the exterior sorted, and revamp the place.. it might have a chance.

Mike B., Salford, Manchester (13/07/2004 at 23:03)

Throughout the '80s, I spent my childhood watching films at the Odeon, and it's a sad day if the place is to close. Like others have said, it may not be the plushest or trendiest cinema in town, but for the sheer history of the place, then the UCI Filmworks can't begin to compete. You always felt that going to the Odeon was a sense of occasion, the place had its own character, and that's something that the faceless megaplex culture will never hope to attain to. Attack of the clones indeed.

Alex, Withington (14/07/2004 at 17:28)

It seems like there's quite a few pairs of rose rinted glasses around here.

I've been to the odeon a fair number of times over the past two years since living in Manchester and it just doesn't compare with places like the filmworks. - The seats are uncomfortable with no leg room and the theatres are stupidly hot in a ploy to try and sell more over-sized refreshments.

Whilst the filmworks is a bit more expensive, the screen is huge and the more comfortable seating+environment make watching films a much more pleasant experience.

Mike B., Salford, Manchester (31/07/2004 at 22:55)

Rose tinted glasses? It seems to me that opening the AMC Northern and UCI Filmworks within a mile of each other not only impacts on the Odeon, but also each other. I recall the ABC on Deansgate used to show different films to the Odeon, so there was never a 'clash' as such, and thus, the paying public could choose which cinema to visit. It's a travesty if they demolish the Odeon / Paramount and replace it with yet another apartment block. Message to Manchester Council : STOP destroying the cultural history of this city, this cinema is 75 years old. Where will your plasterboard apartments be in 75 years? Absolute disgrace.

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