Now, one of the pleasures of the blog is when people share their own bits of history, adding a personal reflection, which in turn often takes me off on unexpected journey.
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| Advertising the film, 1957 |
So, it was when Michael sent over this film card for the Gaumont on Manchester Road, adding, "Hi Andrew. Was going through a tin of family photos and I found this promo card, about 3.5” tall, which I scanned and put the 2 sides together.
It must date from 1957 or soon after.
Mum admitted to having a thing for Dirk B, which evidently would not have been reciprocated!
Anyway, I thought it might be of use next time you make reference to the cinemas of Chorlton.
I think I was only taken to the Gaumont a couple of times – I’m told I slept through ‘Ben Hur’ – and I mainly knew the building after its transformation into the Coop Emporium of Eternal Rest”.
To which I can remember being told that when mother took me to see Snow White at the ABC Regal on the Old Kent Road, I screamed and became most upset at the appearance of the Witch, but then I could have been no more than 5.
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| The Savoy, 1920 |
All of which takes me back to Dirk Bograde, the film, Ill met by Moonlight and our own Gaumont cinema.
The cinema opened in 1920, was our second purpose built picture house, and went through a series of name changes. It opened as the Picture House, became the Savoy and finished as the Gaumont. And like many cinemas it failed to reach its half century closing in 1962.
And I rather think 1957 was the year that Michael saw , Ill met by Moonlight, because the film was released in that year.
It was set in wartime Corfu, where two British army officers, and Cretan partisans capture a German general and arrange for his evacuation to Cairo, which was the Middle East headquarters of British forces.
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| The Gaumont, 1958 |
The film was made by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, and was the last they made for the Archer production company.
I grew up with their films, and pretty much all of the ones they made between 1943 and 1957 are still required viewing in our house.
I have to say despite Ill met by Moonlight, being a commercial success it is one of my least favourites, although it the score was by the Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, who had been raised on the island of Crete.
All of that said, I rather like the fact that 64 years after the cinema offered up this promotional card, it and the film have come out of the shadows, courtesy of Michael.
Location; Chorlton
Pictures; promotional card, 1957, courtesy of Michael Wood, and the Savoy Cinema, circa 1920 from the Lloyd Collection, and The Gaumont that was the Savoy, 1958, m09220 1958, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass
*The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943),The Volunteer (1943), A Canterbury Tale (1944),I Know Where I'm Going! (1945), A Matter of Life and Death, (1946) Black Narcissus (1947), The Red Shoes (1948), The Small Back Room (1949),The Elusive Pimpernel (1950),Gone to Earth (1950), Oh... Rosalinda!! (1955),The Battle of the River Plate (1956), Ill Met by Moonlight (1957)
I screamed when I first saw The Sound of Music - and I still do.
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