Thrill of going to the flicks

Nostalgia buff Stanley Gordon has been wistfully reflecting on more than seven decades as a patron of Dundee’s once renowned cinemas.

The north-east Fife resident recently regaled Craigie with his memories of working as an usher at Lochee’s Odeon in the 1990s, and today he takes us all the way back to when he was first bitten by the big screen bug as a small boy.

Stanley says: “I have been a movie-goer for over 70 years, firstly attending the local Rio cinema in Newport from around 1950. As a family, we would occasionally visit the Picture House in Tayport.

“It was an added thrill when we made the journey by train, rather than travelling there by car. I also recollect being in a bus party from Newport Primary School and going to the Tayport venue to see a programme of Disney films.

“There were five cinemas to choose from in Dundee city centre at one time and I remember the splendour of the interior of the King’s, in Cowgate, with its tiers, boxes and ornamental ceiling. I also remember queuing on the stairs when my mother was booking seats for the biblical epics and the musicals of that era.

“The King’s hosted touring companies until 1961 – the final stage productions were given by Sadler’s Wells Opera, which played to 90% capacity audiences. I am sorry that I didn’t get the chance to see live shows there, though older friends have fond memories of when the Carl Rosa and Sadler’s Wells companies were on the Dundee circuit tours.

“The King’s was later renamed the Gaumont and, latterly, the Odeon. During that period, the building underwent major alterations and was transformed into a modern movie theatre. I can understand why this was vital and I am sure that it was a popular move.

“As Jean Brodie would have said, ‘Very nice if you like that sort of thing and that is the sort of thing that you like’. I eventually got used to the changes. In later years, I took my nephews along to see such offerings as The Sound Of Music and the Carry On films. La Scala, in the Murraygate, was also one of my favourite haunts. The strange thing was that although I appreciated the facade of the building, and the brass rail running along the long passageway to the ticket box gave it a classy look, I don’t recollect seeing the auditorium with the house lights up.

“Also, the audience entered from a side aisle with one’s back to the screen, which was rather unusual. La Scala hosted the screenings of the St Andrews and Dundee Film Society.

“Membership remained high until television became popular and the society ceased operating in August 1963. I regret not knowing anything about the film society, although perhaps ‘art’ movies might not have appealed to a 17-year-old.”

Stanley adds: “The Kinnaird cinema was tucked away on the south side of Bank Street. I wasn’t surprised to discover that it had at once been one of the main venues for concerts, lectures and gatherings in the city, as it still had the look and the atmosphere of a hall, even when operating as a cinema.

“I had a fondness for the building and recall when watching a screening of A Night To Remember there was hardly a dry eye in the house. On a happier note, I enjoyed going to see child star Haley Mills in films such as In Search Of The Castaways and The Parent Trap.”

Stanley’s tour continues tomorrow with a look at two more famous Dundee cinemas.

A street scene from July 1965 showing the Gaumont in Dundee’s Cowgate. Learn about the city’s cinemas past on today’s page.