Moving pictures came to the Potteries a hundred years ago - shown in fairground booths called “Bioscopes”. The Victoria Hall and local town halls quickly became the place to show these fascinating early films. As their popularity grew, many other premises and halls were used to show “the flickers”.
But in 1909 the law changed and films henceforth could only be shown in custom-built picture houses. George Barber opened the very first cinema - the Picture Place in Tunstall.
Within a couple of years, dozens of small picture houses had opened locally - and their numbers grew over the next two decades. By the 1930s, few new cinemas were built - but those that were would be the areas finest picture palaces; the Broadway, the Odeon, the Danilo.
This film charts history of local cinemas, and features interviews with many of those involved in bringing the magic of the movies into people’s lives: managers, projectionists, usherettes, and with the cinemagoers themselves. Some of the Cinema 10 events are also featured.
A combination of history, anecdotes and personal reminiscences - plus rare archive film of old cinemas - brings alive the days when it was a real treat to be at the pictures.
