Sheffield History Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 ABC CINEMA LOCATION Angel Street INFO Built & Open - 18th May 1961 Doubled To ABC 1-2 - September 1975 Name Changed to Cannon 1-2 - 17th January 1987 Closed - 28th July 1988 Demolished - August 1988 Carpark during 1990s Hotel From 2002 Seats Appx. 1327 Main Auditorium On Doubling 94 extra seats in 1975 This was the last large screen cinema that was built in Sheffield. Initially it had one large screen in the main auditorium and the concourse restaurant, upstairs, which was later converted into a smaller screen. It was built in 1961 and closed in 1989, and then demolished soon after to make way for a new retail development When it was opened in 1961 it was claimed to be the most modern cinema in Britain. Featuring the most up to date projection and sound equipment, and a very large 60 foot screen, which was one of the largest in the country. The 1300 seats were laid out in a Stadium plan, where the circle was slightly raised from the stalls, with a thick dark wall between, instead of the more conventional balcony. And don't forget the Saturday morning kids club !!! PICTURES pictured above - the last ever matinee show LINKS More info on old Sheffield cinemas - http://thewookie.co....emas/gone3.html Buy Sheffield Cinema Sketches - http://hometown.aol....urepalaces.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheffield History Posted February 18, 2007 Author Share Posted February 18, 2007 Here's a few pictures from the opening of the ABC cinema. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest grandad Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 Saw a doubl bill here - Airplane and Life of Brian.... those were the days... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Deanbean Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Saw a doubl bill here - Airplane and Life of Brian.... those were the days... Saw`that too.....my second "aa" film,my first being broken glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheffield History Posted March 11, 2007 Author Share Posted March 11, 2007 I've not heard of Broken Glass - what kind of movie was that ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Deanbean Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 I've not heard of Broken Glass - what kind of movie was that ? [/quote well from memory....god that makes me feel old.....it was about a pop star that made it big then went slightly mad,it starred hazel oconner,who had a big hit with "eithth day".........now you mention it ive never seen or heard of that film since,it would have been around 1980. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Deanbean Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheffield History Posted March 11, 2007 Author Share Posted March 11, 2007 Ah yeah - I remember the one you mean now Bleak and early eighties type stuff I saw it once on late night tv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingpig Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 Ah!!! I remember the ABC saw ' The Excorsist ' there when it was originally released can anyone remember those people of the cloth who were stood outside handing out leaflets questioning the films morality and asking you not to go in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheffield History Posted March 13, 2007 Author Share Posted March 13, 2007 Ah!!! I remember the ABC saw ' The Excorsist ' there when it was originally released can anyone remember those people of the cloth who were stood outside handing out leaflets questioning the films morality and asking you not to go in. What more could you ask for as a horror film production than to have that though Brilliant publicity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jen Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 i remember the ABC cinema me and mum went to see ghostbusters and the whole cinema sang along to the film what a laugh that was all the best things and places in sheffield are gone now what a shame Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheffield History Posted March 13, 2007 Author Share Posted March 13, 2007 Up the side of the ABC - the passageway - always stank of urine though I remember as a kid having to queue up there for the saturday morning club Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest echo Posted March 28, 2007 Share Posted March 28, 2007 I remember queuing for ages to see KES at the ABC. Went there many times. Where Eagles Dare was one of the best I saw there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cohen Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 I remember going here, well I am almost sure it was here, I was about 4 or 5 and I went to see, Superman the first Christopher Reeve version of Superman, I was in a cue for what seemed like a lifetime as a young boy! with my dad, probably only about 5mins or something! it would have been about 1977 or somewhere in that ball park! I am guessing? It seemed MASSIVE! I think it was my first ever cinema experience! Shame it's not around anymore. Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrinderBloke Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 The ABC will always remind me of The ABC Minors on Saturday mornings. I saw Jaws, Towering Inferno and Earthquake at The ABC.... the queues to see Jaws seemed to last for hours. Which reminds me I must start collecting CFF and BTF dvds and ..... I need a bigger house ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mega_monty Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 ABC reminds of my mum taking me to see ET would have been about 1983 I would think, all the girls and woman were crying. but seem to remember before then been taken there to see a Tufty road safety film, think it was called the Tufty club or something and you got a Tufty badge and story book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cheekymonkey Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 anyone remember the tuffty club? failing memory can only recall being dragged along with my brothers some sort of road safety campaign? please help me out? in later years remember being let in for nowt via side fire exits lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mega_monty Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 anyone remember the tuffty club? failing memory can only recall being dragged along with my brothers some sort of road safety campaign? please help me out? in later years remember being let in for nowt via side fire exits Yes read my post above ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cheekymonkey Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 yes but do you remember tufty? he was a person dressed as a squirrel and there was a policeman too we got handkerchiefs embroided with tuffty club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sheffsteel Posted March 31, 2007 Share Posted March 31, 2007 I was also in the Tufty Club and the squirel did a campaign helping children to cross the road, this was just before the Green Cross Code man (Dave Prowse aka Darth Vadar) did his stuff. I remember seeing Jaws, Superman 1 and Grease at the ABC. There was always a high level of excitement because you had to wait over an hour in the queue waiting in the tunnel which lead to the Dove and Rainbow pub and yes, near the emergency exit doors it did smell of urine. My memory of ABC and Gaumont were the auditoriums were absolutely MASSIVE. Three or four times the size of todays auditoriums at UCG , Warner Bros, showroom etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrinderBloke Posted March 31, 2007 Share Posted March 31, 2007 I seem to recall The Gaumont could seat about 2,000! Sure someone will confirm the actual numbers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sheffsteel Posted April 1, 2007 Share Posted April 1, 2007 Yes I seem to remember the auditorium at the Gaumont was slightly bigger than the one at ABC but there were both MASSIVE venues. When you think about it going to the cinema in them days was much more of an event/ occasion due to the sheer numbers involved. It was a bit like going to a football match or rock concert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tsavo Posted April 1, 2007 Share Posted April 1, 2007 I seem to recall The Gaumont could seat about 2,000! Sure someone will confirm the actual numbers. 2,300 before twinning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest skyman Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 The first film to be shown at the ABC was 'Don't Bother To Knock'(a world premier), starring Richard Todd, I was there the first night when he made a personal appearance. I think that Elke Sommer, the female lead also appeared. I can also remember going to the first showing in Sheffield of 'Ben Hur', when the actor Finlay Currey made a personal appearance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest echo Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 What more could you ask for as a horror film production than to have that though Brilliant publicity I remember those people being outside the ABC with religious banners. I also remember them being there a few years before when The Devils was shown, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed. Those films, whilst shocking at the time, are nothing compared to the horror films of today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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