How about some memories of the Coliseum, Spital Hill, a famous suburban cinema that closed in late 1963. Anyone with stories about going to see Roy Rogers films there? I recall one Christmas, back in the 1940s, when I went carol singing, and, as soon as I'd raised enough money to be able to afford to get in at the "Coli", off I went to see Roy Rogers, Gabby Hayes and, of course, Trigger. Remember the pit entrance at the bottom end?

How about some memories of the Coliseum, Spital Hill, a famous suburban cinema that closed in late 1963. Anyone with stories about going to see Roy Rogers films there? I recall one Christmas, back in the 1940s, when I went carol singing, and, as soon as I'd raised enough money to be able to afford to get in at the "Coli", off I went to see Roy Rogers, Gabby Hayes and, of course, Trigger. Remember the pit entrance at the bottom end?

My funniest experience at the Coliseum on Spital Hill , was going to see the epic film "Spartacus" in the early 1960s. It got to the point where Spartacus and the slaves were defeated and the Roman leader Crassus offered to spare their lives if they would identify Spartacus. Spartacus stood up about to identify himself and the man chained to him shouted "I'm Spartacus". Another one of the slaves shouted "I'm Spartacus", then another, and then another. All of a sudden a man in the Coliseum stands up and shouts "I'm Spartacus". Within seconds everyone in the cinema was standing up and shouting "Im Spartacus" ! Brilliant audience participation, what a laugh and what a great film.

Poor old Spartacus had only been fighting lions in the Coliseum a few moments earlier.
My own memories go back to the 30's/40's, sat on a tipped up seat, to see a 'Big Broadcast' movie. I can't remember which one, but it wasn't the one with Bing Crosby. I'd seen that at the Sunbeam.
Coming down the years a bit, that's the cinema where I saw, on the news, the atom bomb finish WW2, the horrendous film of the Americans finding Belsen, and the trials of the Nazi leaders. Happy days as they say.
Mind you I did see 'Meet me in St Louis' there, a little bit more cheerful depending what kind of movies grab one.

How about some memories of the Coliseum, Spital Hill, a famous suburban cinema that closed in late 1963. Anyone with stories about going to see Roy Rogers films there? I recall one Christmas, back in the 1940s, when I went carol singing, and, as soon as I'd raised enough money to be able to afford to get in at the "Coli", off I went to see Roy Rogers, Gabby Hayes and, of course, Trigger. Remember the pit entrance at the bottom end?

Hi,

I was a regular at the Coli in the 1940's. My grandparents took me - first house on Wednesday nights. Later, I went with the kids from school. Then fish and chips from the chippy at the bottom of Spital Street, usually served by Tony Macdonald's Mum.

I can't remember the very first film I saw there, but John Wayne in the "Wake of the Red Witch" was an early one. Saw all the westerns of that era. Lots of Roy Rogers and John Wayne winning the war in the Pacific on his own.

Remember the bottom entrance - more like a tunnel -that ran along the back of the screen. Remember how the ticket office there was at the far end and little more than a hole in the wall. So small that the ticket window was also part of the door where the ticket lady went in and out.

I remember that the projection room was on the low level ( most other cinemas had the projection room upstairs) with the toilets on either side.

Remember the Carols at Christmas. They used to have the words up on the screen with the bouncing ball on the word you was supposed to be singing. Didn't seem to help with many of the patrons.

Regards

My funniest experience at the Coliseum on Spital Hill , was going to see the epic film "Spartacus" in the early 1960s. It got to the point where Spartacus and the slaves were defeated and the Roman leader Crassus offered to spare their lives if they would identify Spartacus. Spartacus stood up about to identify himself and the man chained to him shouted "I'm Spartacus". Another one of the slaves shouted "I'm Spartacus", then another, and then another. All of a sudden a man in the Coliseum stands up and shouts "I'm Spartacus". Within seconds everyone in the cinema was standing up and shouting "Im Spartacus" ! Brilliant audience participation, what a laugh and what a great film.
hi walt,went to see a john wayne film at coli,hope you or someone can answer this,sure it was a war film and he got gangerine in his leg.i know i ended up in the aisle in a dead faint
any one know the film.:thumbsup:

Hi Rf2690, re the John Wayne war film, have you any rough idea what year it might have been? If you can say roughly when it was, someone might be able to pin it down.
It's great that so many folk have responded with memories --keep 'em coming!

Big John in the Pacific. 'Back to Battan'(?) 'Fighting Seabees'.

My sister-in-law was an usherette there in the50s.I think they all wore dark red uniforms. They had 2 houses there instead of the continuous programmes that a lot of cinemas had.

Hi Rf2690, re the John Wayne war film, have you any rough idea what year it might have been? If you can say roughly when it was, someone might be able to pin it down.
It's great that so many folk have responded with memories --keep 'em coming!
hi redfyre,all i can say it must have been between 58/60?.can you recall the coliseum chippie,did the lady that owned it have red hair wonderful chips.wonder how many times you've come out of coli slapping your a--e thinking you was roy rogers.:hihi::hihi:

Big John in the Pacific. 'Back to Battan'(?) 'Fighting Seabees'.

Or Sands of Iwo Jima.

Is'nt it funny how 'movie theatres' or the 'pictures' took on the names from Greek mythology and the Roman Empire, but enough about that. We went to the 'Colly' usually on a Saturday night as they seemed to have better films and it was thought of as a little bit more 'upscale' than our local 'Victory Picture Palace' on Upwell st. We had to catch a bus either way from Botham st, but I am sure I walked that on a few occasions. The theatre was plusher and even the sweets and ice cream were different and nicer, not to take anything away from the 'Vic' though spent many a happy hour there also. Texas you mentioned the graphic pictures you saw on news reels about Belsen and the Holocaust, I remember them also plus all the stories and pictures in the papers that circulated at the end of the war and yet some people and even countries are now making it their lifes work and advocating that 'it' never happened and that 'it' was all part of a large conspiricy, what a load of 'pigs swill' they preach really.

Or Sands of Iwo Jima.

and "Flying Tigers"

Hi rf2690. Best bet is to look up John Wayne biog on Wikipedia, then go into each of the films he made in late 1950s. The films, when you call them up, include a rundown of the storyline, and that might bring it all back for you! I have a few details of films shown at the Coli, but these were in the late 40s.

I saw 'Sands of Iwo Jima' a couple of months ago for the first time. I thought it a good movie, the cutting between actual war footage and studio was very good. BUT big John gets shot in the back in the last few minutes of the movie, so it ain't that one pilgrim.
Anybody remember a movie called 'The Fighting Sullivans'? I remember seeing that at the Coli'. It was about a family growing up, the sons going to war, and all getting killed. Happy little movie, it nearly had me in tears and I was only about twelve. Sensitive little so and so that I was.

How about some memories of the Coliseum, Spital Hill, a famous suburban cinema that closed in late 1963. Anyone with stories about going to see Roy Rogers films there? I recall one Christmas, back in the 1940s, when I went carol singing, and, as soon as I'd raised enough money to be able to afford to get in at the "Coli", off I went to see Roy Rogers, Gabby Hayes and, of course, Trigger. Remember the pit entrance at the bottom end?

I used to frequent a lot of the old cinemas in the 50's and 60's, but can't for the life of me remember where this one was.

I saw 'Sands of Iwo Jima' a couple of months ago for the first time. I thought it a good movie, the cutting between actual war footage and studio was very good. BUT big John gets shot in the back in the last few minutes of the movie, so it ain't that one pilgrim.
Anybody remember a movie called 'The Fighting Sullivans'? I remember seeing that at the Coli'. It was about a family growing up, the sons going to war, and all getting killed. Happy little movie, it nearly had me in tears and I was only about twelve. Sensitive little so and so that I was.

Hi Texas,

I also saw that movie but I don't think it was at the Coliseum.

There were five Sullivan brothers - George, Francis, Joseph, Madison and Albert (aged 20 to 27 at the time of their death). I think the family came from Iowa. US Navy policy was not to put brothers on the same ships but somehow they wangled their way onto a light cruiser called the USS Juneau (CL52). They lost their lives when the Juneau was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine at the Battle of Guadalcanal on November 13, 1942. ( Can't remember if Guadalcanal was another of John Wayne's victories).

It was the greatest militairy loss by a single US family in WWII.

The US Navy named two ships "The Sullivans" . The older one was a Cleveland Class destroyer (DD537). It was withdrawn from service a long time ago and was donated to the Buffalo and Erie County Militiary Museum in Buffalo, New York. Just down the road from where we used to live.

The present USS The Sullivans (DDG-68) was commissioned on 19 April 1997 and is still on active duty somewhere.

Regards

Re notes from Falls and rf2690 about John Wayne films, Sand of Iwo Jima was at the Coliseum for four days from May 2nd 1951.
I have some notes on films at the Coli from 1945 to 1951, and I can't see any reference to The Fighting Sullivans, though this film was released in 1944 and starred Anne Baxter and Thomas Mitchell. In fact, this film was originally realeased as The Sullivans, and the 'Fighting' was added when it was re-released (I don't know the year that happened).
It may be of interest to anyone interested in the Coliseum's early post-war wera and the films of John Wayne to know that Wayne's films screened at the Coli between Nov 1947 and May 1951 were:
Nov 47 Angel and the Badman
Nov 49 Wake of the Red Witch
Jan 1950 Three Godfathers
March 1950 Dark Command
March 1950 New Frontier
Oct 1950 The Fighting Kentuckian
May 1951 Sands of Iwo Jima.

Does anybody have any memories of the gangster films that featured the Bowery and the East Side Kids? I saw a number of these at the Coliseum in the 1950s, and one of them (I don't know which) featured a scene in which someone looked at a line of mug shots (obviously pictures of members of a gang) hidden under the counter of a shop. I haven't a clue what it was about, but for some reason that scene has always stuck in my memory!

Re notes from Falls and rf2690 about John Wayne films, Sand of Iwo Jima was at the Coliseum for four days from May 2nd 1951.
I have some notes on films at the Coli from 1945 to 1951, and I can't see any reference to The Fighting Sullivans, though this film was released in 1944 and starred Anne Baxter and Thomas Mitchell. In fact, this film was originally realeased as The Sullivans, and the 'Fighting' was added when it was re-released (I don't know the year that happened).
It may be of interest to anyone interested in the Coliseum's early post-war wera and the films of John Wayne to know that Wayne's films screened at the Coli between Nov 1947 and May 1951 were:
Nov 47 Angel and the Badman
Nov 49 Wake of the Red Witch
Jan 1950 Three Godfathers
March 1950 Dark Command
March 1950 New Frontier
Oct 1950 The Fighting Kentuckian
May 1951 Sands of Iwo Jima.

Does anybody have any memories of the gangster films that featured the Bowery and the East Side Kids? I saw a number of these at the Coliseum in the 1950s, and one of them (I don't know which) featured a scene in which someone looked at a line of mug shots (obviously pictures of members of a gang) hidden under the counter of a shop. I haven't a clue what it was about, but for some reason that scene has always stuck in my memory!

I always thought it was the Bowery Boys & the Dead End Kids.

I think they were in a film with James Cagney who got hung in the end.

Nice bit of information there Falls. Did you ever get to go around the ship at Buffalo?
The film you refer to about Guadalcanal could've been 'Guadalcanal Diary', featuring at least Lloyd Nolan and perhaps Preston Foster? Big John wasn't in that one, that I know for sure.
Another couple of cinemas named after ancient Roman places could be the Forum and the Capitol.
But the question remains, in which film did Big John get the gangreneous leg?
The 'Sullivans' movie I could've seen that at the Wicker. But then again cinemas were always dark inside.

I used to frequent a lot of the old cinemas in the 50's and 60's, but can't for the life of me remember where this one was.

I can't think of it either jmdee :confused: I was an usherette at the one near Coles..forget the name, I hated it when I had to stand there with the tray and sell ice cream when the llights came up,they attacked me like vultures :hihi:, I gave all the wrong change out, then ended up just handing out the ice creams to get rid of everybody , oh! and I did get the sack after a few weeks...don't know why :confused:

Bloody itchy uniform too!

I can't think of it either jmdee :confused: I was an usherette at the one near Coles..forget the name, I hated it when I had to stand there with the tray and sell ice cream when the llights came up,they attacked me like vultures :hihi:, I gave all the wrong change out, then ended up just handing out the ice creams to get rid of everybody , oh! and I did get the sack after a few weeks...don't know why :confused:

Bloody itchy uniform too!

Was it the Gaumont with the Cinema house opposite.

Was it the Gaumont with the Cinema house opposite.


Yes that was it, they were showing Elvis movies then, but I went to the Forum on a Saturday as we lived in Southey Green.

Hi Kidorry,
I was thinking of the East Side Kids who were in the 1946 Coli films Muggs Rides Again, Docks of New York, and Follow Your leader; but, course, there was also the Bowery Boys and Dead End Kids of Angels With Dirty Faces, They Made Me A Criminal etc. Then, of course, there were the films about the Bowery that starred George Raft, Wallace Beery, etc. A fascinating mix of black-and-white films that seemed so good to kids in the pre-TV era!
Keep the Coliseum memories coming.

Can anyone remember the last film on at the Coli?I can`t.

Hi Kidorry,
The last show at the Coliseum was on Nov 2 1963 when the double bill featured The Horse Without A Head and Savage Sam.
The old theatre organ that was once a famous feature of the Coli from 1921 to 1934 was later installed in a church near Worksop. Anyone know which church?

Just remembered another movie I saw at the Coli' 'A Night at the Opera', the Marx Brothers.
Once you start thinking about the old movies, and where you first saw them, the memories come thick and fast. For instance 'Champion', 'Phantom of the Opera', saw them at the Don on West Bar. 'The Outlaw', 'Maltese Falcon', at the Wicker. 'Man in Half Moon St' at the Sunbeam. Leo Gorcey and the East Side kids, all over the place.

Anybody had any relatives who worked at the Coliseum? The cinema used to close for one day in July every year for the annual staff outing? I wonder where they went, and whether the boss paid. Moreover, when they got to where they were going, did they go see a film!

I had a sister-in-law who was an usherette there but I know nothing about the day trip.She got complimentary tickets every so often though.