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THE ABC CINEMA Sheffield


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Link amended in opening post

Lovely thanks :rolleyes:

That's the job of the "link fairies"

Stuart is a "link fairy", otherwise known as a "Sheffield History Admin" who has the powers to do these things.

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ABC Cinema - Sheffield

Both of the advertised films, "The twilight zone" and "Monty Python's the meaning of life" were released in 1983, so this should date the picture fairly closely.

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Just a little footnote about why Sensurround never caught on. Apart from the expense of fitting cinemas out for it. The new multiplex theatres started taking off. And with the vibrations it spoilt the enjoyment of people in the other theatres when the other was playing a film in Sensurround. Some of the cinemas even suffered damage, with tiles falling off the walls! 

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11 hours ago, History dude said:

Just a little footnote about why Sensurround never caught on. Apart from the expense of fitting cinemas out for it. The new multiplex theatres started taking off. And with the vibrations it spoilt the enjoyment of people in the other theatres when the other was playing a film in Sensurround. Some of the cinemas even suffered damage, with tiles falling off the walls! 

Look like it's making a comeback though, but this time it's more about active seats than jellifying your insides with ultra-bass subwoofers? (see link below)

4DX - Be in the movie!

My enduring memory of the ABC was queuing in that covered alleyaway up the side of Schofields, in an endless line of impatient cinemagoers, all hoping to be let through the barrier for the next showing. It also reeked up there, as I think it doubled as a late night urinal for those rendered incontinent by alcohol and couldn't make it to the lavs in the Hole-in-the-Road nearby?

My cinemagoing days were mid-70's to  late-80's and in that time, we had the choice of:

Loads more, past and present here to go at,which may bring back some fond memories?

Movie Theatres (aka 'Cinema', 'Pictures', 'Flicks') in Sheffield

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The Rex was the first cinema I ever went into: my Dad took me to see 'The Great Locomotive Chase' and I went there several times afterwards, at first with Dad and later with my friend. I am sorry to see that it has been demolished.

I also went sometimes to the Manor, whose building I am pleased to see survives, and to one of the city centre cinemas - perhaps the Gaumont or the Odeon or maybe both. I think one of them was near the City Hall.

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That picture of the ABC brings back memories of Saturday morning chidrens films. It must have been around the early 1980s when I started going, I recall they did a science fiction 'season' and it was really something to look forward to after a boring week at school. Ah, the days before video players.

My mum would leave me at the cinema and go shopping, then collect me afterwards for lunch in Schofields next door. Happy days.

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On 11/12/2016 at 20:20, JamieH said:

That picture of the ABC brings back memories of Saturday morning chidrens films. It must have been around the early 1980s when I started going, I recall they did a science fiction 'season' and it was really something to look forward to after a boring week at school. Ah, the days before video players.

My mum would leave me at the cinema and go shopping, then collect me afterwards for lunch in Schofields next door. Happy days.



Never went in Schofields but was at Saturday Morning Picture Club every week!


Welcome to the site by the way

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I seem to remember that in the early years the ABC had  an organ at the front  which rose up for organist to play during intermissions etc.

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On 15 October 2017 at 16:22, Sonia Saif said:

Remember see Oliver here in 1968 

I’m afraid you’ve got your theatres mixed up,Sonia.

The original Road-Show presentation of “Oliver!” played at the Odeon (Flat St) from Dec. 22nd,1967 to March 8th, 1968.

It was the last of the Odeon’s Road-Shows,before that theatre swapped places with the re-vamped Gaumont.

Playing at the ABC at that time was “Camelot” - which opened on Dec.17th,1967 and ran until Jan 27th, 1968.

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On 16 October 2017 at 08:35, johnm said:

I seem to remember that in the early years the ABC had  an organ at the front  which rose up for organist to play during intermissions etc.

It did have an organ,John....but, I don’t think it rose up. It was static, down at the front.

 

3326117066_c81505385e_b.jpg

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I remember the plush carpets that your feet sank into. But those seats! I think they were designed to make your bum sore!! While watching Jaws there I banged my knee on the back of one of those chairs pictured above during the scene where the head drops out of the bottom of the boat!

 

Are those grids below the screen air conditioning, or heaters, or something to do with the sound system?

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On ‎17‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 19:18, S24 said:

It did have an organ,John....but, I don’t think it rose up. It was static, down at the front.

 

3326117066_c81505385e_b.jpg

Hi S24, Thanks for photo. At least I was right that there was an organ! John

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Screenshot 2020-03-30 at 14.19.52.jpg
 

Photo of the demolotion of the ABC Cinema on Angel Street. Photo also shows The Boardwalk music venue and pub on the right hand side

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Screenshot 2020-04-05 at 11.39.23.jpg

Photo looks like someone changing the movie titles and information outside the ABC cinema on Angel Street.

You can also see the Mucky Duck/Boardwalk just behind

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Screenshot 2020-04-06 at 01.20.16.jpg

Who remembers queuing up the tunnel to the left hand side of the main doors?

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Screenshot 2020-04-06 at 13.09.55.jpg

Who remembers the ABC Minors Saturday Morning Picture Club?

Every Saturday morning at the ABC Cinema on Angel Street, hundreds of kids would queue in the tunnel up the side of the cinema waiting to go in, all excited about their Saturday morning's fun coming up.

Once inside everyone was welcomed by the cinema manager who would be up on stage with a microphone calming down the excited children of the ABC Minors Club.

There would be a couple of films shown with a smaller shorter movie usually from the childrens foundation, and then a main feature.

 

 

There would also be the singing of the ABC Minors song that would come on, with the words on the screen, and the kids would sing along at the top of their voices.

 

 

Screenshot 2020-04-06 at 13.10.09.jpg

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS AT THE ABC MINORS CLUB

The manager would also call children up on stage who's birthday it was to receive a gift and have the happy birthday song sang to them by the packed cinema.

I went up a few times, some of the times it was actually my real birthday but not often! (they never caught on)
 

 

Screenshot 2020-04-06 at 13.20.25.jpg

 

ABC Minors Club Badge

The kids would also have an ABC Minors Club Saturday Morning Picture Show badge (above)

 

 

Screenshot 2020-04-06 at 13.18.37.jpg
ABC Minors Saturday Morning Picture Club Membership Card

Every child would have their own ABC Minors picture club membership card that you used to cherish as a kid, although these would often get lost or roughed up a bit!

 

Happy times and no adults allowed only children all there to have fun

Does anyone else remember being an ABC Minor Saturday Morning Picture Club member?

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Went to the ABC MINORS every Saturday morning for Flash Gordon (still have nightmares about the 'clay men') and cartoons and if it was your birthday you took your birthday card up on stage (can't remember what the reward was) I believe the adult in the pictures was Uncle Charlie?? My friend took an old battered birthday card up there for weeks.

They also sold individual badges with letters on them, if you had the whole set it spelled A B C M I N O R S.

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