Cinema

Moving pictures were first shown in Leicester as early as 1896. These were usually very short films of only one or two minutes duration, which were shown between acts in the theatre and music hall. The first dedicated cinema, The Empire, did not open in Leicester until 1908. The Empire was in fact previously a theatre, which converted to showing films full time in that year. The first purpose-built cinemas followed in 1910. The Boulevard Electric & Variety Theatre opened in July 1910, quickly joined by The Grand Electric Palace in the same month and The Electric Theatre in August.(1)

The growth of cinema in the inter-war period took place mostly in two phases. The 1910s saw the first explosion in the number of venues. This first phase comprised a mix of cinemas created in existing buildings as well as new, purpose-built ones. By 1918 there were already ten purpose-built cinemas in Leicester with another six operating in converted premises. The second major period of expansion occurred in the 1930s. This second wave of development was made up almost entirely of new purpose-built cinemas with significantly larger capacities.  The table below illustrates these key phases of development.  

Two of the four which opened in the 1920s had been planned much earlier and were most likely delayed because of conflict, so without the intervention of World War One the two separate phases would be even more marked.(2)

There were more cinemas at the end of this period than had existed at the beginning, and they tended also to be larger capacity.  Of the purpose-built cinemas constructed in the 1910s only the Olympia Picture House (1,450) and The Tudor Cinema (1,250) had a capacity above 1,000.  The average capacity was around 827.  By comparison, only The Fosse Cinema (998) of those built in the 1930s had a capacity below 1,000. The average capacity of those built in the 1930s was 1,614, almost double that of the earlier decade. The impressive Odeon Cinema in the city centre was the last to open in Leicester before the outbreak of World War Two and seated more than 2,000 people. The trend is clear, but there are exceptions. The City Cinema, planned in 1914 but not opened until 1924, also had seating for over 2,000. The Palace Theatre had a capacity around 3,500, but fluctuated between variety, theatre and films during this period. When it switched full time to films in 1931, the upper tier of seats was not used so the number of seats available reduced. The Palace opened in 1901 as a theatre, not a cinema, so its capacity was driven more by the original theatre audience, not the needs of 1930s cinemagoers.    

As well as two key phases of development, the inter-war period was neatly divided in another important way. On 20 June 1929 the Palace Theatre became the first venue in Leicester to present a talking picture, Al Jolson starring in ‘The Singing Fool.’

Prior to the advent of talkies, cinemas provided musical accompaniment of various forms, no doubt influenced by the size of the auditorium. The Lyric Cinema in the Knighton district of the city had only 444 seats and silent films were accompanied by a pianist. The Westleigh Kinema, when it opened in 1926, was one of the largest in Leicester, with room for 1,334. It “was well known for its orchestra but, for the afternoon matinees, Mr Gilbert played the violin, accompanied by the piano. He was well remembered for slowly walking up and down the aisles whilst playing, thus also keeping his eye on any troublemakers.”(3)

Other cinemas had organs. The Wurlitzer organ installed at significant cost in The Picture House in 1926 was only the sixth of its type in the country. Despite some early resistance, fueled by the cost of the equipment and doubts around the future of the genre, the switch from silent to talking pictures was swift. The technology was new although not flawless, but by the end of 1930 talking pictures had almost entirely replaced silent ones in Leicester’s cinemas.

Also of significance is the location of cinemas. In 1918, the majority of cinemas in Leicester were either in the city centre itself or very close to it. Only four of the 16 were in suburban locations.  By 1939, more suburban cinemas had been built and the balance had shifted. Whilst the city centre was still well provisioned, 15 of the 28 venues operating in Leicester in 1939 were in the suburbs. The West End area, for example, was particularly well provided for, with the Fosse, The Roxy, and Westleigh Kinema all in quite close proximity.(5) A combination of population growth and improved tram and bus services is the likely explanation for the change.   

In 1918 cinema was still a relatively new form of entertainment so it is unsurprising that change was a constant feature of the inter-war period. Most of the venues in existence at the beginning of this period were still operating at the outbreak of World War Two, but they had been joined by many more built mostly in the 1930s. Kelly’s Directory of Leicestershire and Rutland shows that by 1922 there were at least 16 cinemas in Leicester alone and many more in surrounding Leicestershire towns and villages. By 1938, the number had grown to 26 in the city and its suburbs.(6) The advent of talking pictures in 1929 fundamentally changed the experience for audiences. By 1939, many more theatregoers were attending larger venues in suburban locations. Television was still in its infancy, so as a form of mass entertainment cinema was unrivalled.(7) 

This page created by Paul Rowe.

References

1. Brian Johnson, '100 Years of Leicester Cinema', History Press Limited, 2007
2. Ibid
3. Ibid p.94
4. Arch Warren, EMOHA Oral History Collection
5. Johnson, 100 Years of Leicester Cinema
6. Kelly’s Directory of Leicestershire and Rutland, 1922 and 1938
7. Cecil Bell, EMOHA Oral History Collection