Did you do this?

Don’t forget sneaking into another screen to watch something else after ?

Great fun the kids Saturday matinées. Afterwards we would go to the chop shop for chips and batter bits.

If my memory serves me well usually the Lone Ranger and Tonto appeared alongside the cartoons.

I get so frustrated on the odd occasion I go to the cinema now and you sit through half an hour of adverts or 'What' s Coming Soon' before the ruddy film starts.

AwwKatyK have this one?

Me and my friend did this a few weeks ago!! We booked to see Bohemian Rhapsody at a local cinema and got the time wrong. After a bit of a giggle and looking at each other in bewilderment we realised what we’d done so just sat and watched it and came out at the end, had a cup of coffee and went back in and saw the beginning. We still haven’t lived it down with our husbands!! ??

If I went to the pictures on my birthday, I could never understand why I was never called up to the stage and given a lollipop like the other children. It was only later on that I realised that someone actually had to tell them!

I had a holiday job as an usherette in 1965. Wore an awful dark red uniform with gold braid and epaulettes. The job involved showing people to seats after the lights had gone down. Films were on a loop as people have said so arrivals during the film were the norm.
During intervals, the dark red was swapped for a voluminous pink nylon overall and I had to stand at the front with my ice cream tray of tubs and choc ices with a spotlight on me! Show biz!
Remember seeing Mary Poppins and Help! More than 20 times.?

Mad stampede for the exit door before the National anthem was played Seadragon

Sometimes we saw the film near to the end and then stayed until 'this is where we came in.'
DH used to say that you had to be careful (in the Saturday morning rushes) not to sit downstairs just beneath the balcony edge or you could get some ice-cream dropped on your head!
I don't know if this actually happened but the thought of it makes me chuckle.

We used to go to the cinema every Boxing Day. I don't know why, it was just a tradition. But it always gave us something to look forward to after the anti climax of Christmas Day. There was always a queue.

This brings back memories. It was perfectly normal back then and going to the pictures was a real treat. I remember the massive queues for the Cliff Richard films and the disappointment when they announced the cinema was full and you couldn't get in.

He was called 'Michael Hopwood, should he still be around nearly 73 years later. Show any remorse yet, Michael??

My mother detailed a neighbour's slightly older son (6) to take me to the 'odeon club' I can't remember whether it cost 4d or 6d.
What I do remember is that the evil Michael, just after the main film had started leaned over anxiously and said' You DID keep your ticket , didn't you? they won't let you out without it'
I burst into tears and remember crawling between the rows of kicking feet and swing seats.... to try to find one.... anybody's

I don't remember ever walking in when film had started but we did sit through the programme twice quite often- especially if it had someone we fancied - Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen etc.(anyone remember Horst Bucholz? probably spelt it wrongly)
I took my 3 young DGC to see the Lego Movie this week- £42 for tickets & then I had to pay £3.50 for a bottle of water! I always take my own sweets as the prices are so mad but I forgot a drink. What amazed me was we seemed to be the only ones in there not partaking of burgers, ice cream sundaes, coffee etc It must have cost them a fortune- we had lunch before we left home.
I was just glad they all stayed awake- last time we went to cinema youngest fell asleep (& actually so did I!)

Do you remember that cinema advert, ‘Don’t forget the Kiora, Auror. We had a girl of that name at our school and she was plagued by people calling that out to her. Her name was Aurora Fricker, I wonder if she is on GN

We were talking about this with friends the other day. Funny how we never minded having to stand for the ones coming in behind us or leaving before. We had 4 cinemas close together and it was a weekly treat.

What about Saturday Morning Pictures. We would all take little brothers and sisters or cousins. At 5 and 7, my brother and I were responsible for taking 3 year old twin cousins with us. We all walked the half a mile together, crossing the roads. Then we brought them back to my aunties for mash potato sandwiches.

Bradford lass - I’m so glad you do this too! I’ve been teased about it by shocked ‘serious’ booke readers. I really like it because I can also see how the author builds the plot (at least that’s my excuse ....) ☺️

Oh Bijou is that now the Bank of Baroda? The Tooting Granada still has its amazing cinema organ which I believe has a protection order on it.
I used to go to Waterloo with my grandpa and he'd take me to the cartoon cinema by Platform 1. That was on a loop and you could stay as long as you liked! It was his form of childcare!

DH is keeping the trend going by taking DGDs to cinema this afternoon..but just for one sitting!

The Commissionaire, in his smart uniform, informing the queue "2 seats in the 1/6d, 3 seats in the 2/-d!
Even though the cinema was quite cheap, in those days, Mum couldn't spare the money every week. If she did, we walked 2 miles each way to save the bus fares.
When I started work I often used to take a sandwich for my tea, and go straight to the cinema, I would watch 2 films, a cartoon and a newsreel, see the first film over again and come out when the performance had finished. Now we watch one film, several 'trailers,' and far too many noisy adverts! There are also far too many noisy customers fiddling with their phones, chatting, and guzzling mountains of expensive junk food!
I also miss sitting in the 'Gods' at our local repertory theatre, seeing some wonderful performances from stars of the future, and falling in love with the likes of Shakespeare, Shaw, Ayckbourn and Bennett. A night out at the theatre, or a concert, is so expensive now.

I remember Saturday morning pictures. We sang a song I can remember the tune of but not all the words. Something along the lines of 'We are the boys and girls of..... something something ABC' and we all shouted the ABC bit.

Later on, older and a bit naughty, we used to go to Lewisham Odeon on a Saturday afternoon. One of us would pay to get in, go down to the exit, open the doors and let the others in! We used to smoke (I accidentally set my hair on fire on one occasion lighting one of my 5 Park Drive and wearing hair spray!) and snog boys in the back row.

Then afterwards there would be a Wimpey.

Ah those were the days of crime

In the 1930s if we went to Tooting Astoria at midday it cost four pence. For that we got two films, Pathe news, adverts and Reg Dixon at the organ.

Memories, memories!!

I remember it too. I watched The Young Ones (Cliff) and Blue Hawaii (Elvis) multiple times and knew the dialogue and songs word for word.

Yes, and I remember queuing to get in - no pre-booking and not always guaranteed a seat, so we’d go back again the next night.

My Dad always did that every Monday after work ?

My husband to be would want to go in halfway through a film. He thought it was normal but I hated it so tried to avoid. I also remember trying to go in as a child when film was U but trying to get into anA film as an adult. I would have been 16/17.