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STUDIO 5,6,7 Cinema Sheffield


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STUDIO 5,6,7

LOCATION

The Wicker, City Centre

INFORMATION

The cinema opened in 1968 and was formerly known as 'The Wicker Cinema'

Owned and managed by an Australian, (named Rick ?) described as 'The Australian Anarchist' who once famously during a showing of Bambi played 'Who Killed Bambi' by the Sex Pistols, causing children in the auditorium to burst into tears.

It is reported that the owner was a drug addict, living upstairs with his wife in a really small office.

The movies that the cinema showed varied wildly from big movies like Crocodile Dundee, right through to the movies that left it with it's reputation - the soft porn films.

Some of the movies shown (might trigger your memories)

Top Gun

Crocodile Dundee

The Spy Who Loved Me

Sexy Agent 69

Blood Lust

The Beast

"What The Swedish Butler Saw' in 3D (with red/green glasses!)

Emanuelle

Obscured By Clouds (soundtrack by Pink Floyd)

Enter The Dragon

PICTURES

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Jarvis Cocker and Nick Banks of Pulp:

Nick: "The Wicker is just a street, but it's a very special street. It's difficult to say why, but The Wicker arch was the gateway to all the old steel works. Sheffield's oldest brewery is just there, it always smells of hops round here."

Jarvis: "I used to live round here, in the same warehouse that FON Studios and our rehearsal rooms used to be... and the only porno cinema in Sheffield, Studio 567.

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Guest tsavo

You're right, Mickjj, but it did seem specialize in X films in general at one time. Over 18s only.

In 1959 it was part of the Star group of cinemas.

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It wasn't always a soft porn palace. we were taken there as kids to see Mary Poppins.

Is that the x rated version ??

I'm glad I missed that one as it would have shattered my childhood illusions..

(plus I wouldn't care to see what she did with her famous flying umbrella)

:lol: :lol: :lol:

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Guest Dazza

It was the first cinema in Sheffield to show the World Cup 66 Film...erm I think...anyways that's where I saw it. After all the hype the one thing that stuck out then and that I still remember was really grainy colour of the shirts and supporters scarves and hats.

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Is that the x rated version ??

I'm glad I missed that one as it would have shattered my childhood illusions..

(plus I wouldn't care to see what she did with her famous flying umbrella)

:lol: :lol: :lol:

No I'm sure that one would have been called "Mary's Poppouts" :lol:

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Guest sheffsteel

I used to live on the Wicker during the late 70's, so I knew the studio

5,6,7 cinema really well.

It used to show mainly soft porn films. It showed all the Russ Meyer Supervixon films,

also showed many of the Emanuelle and Confessions of (a windowcleaner etc) films.

However definately during the school holidays it always had one screen showing childrens films.

My brother thinks there was also a regular childrens Saturday matinee club.

I saw a few films there (including The Land That Time Forgot).

I was too young to see any of the X rated films.

My brother mentioned that when he used to visit it was something like out of a Fawlty Towers

sketch. You would pay a woman your money at the ticket office.

....then when you went round the corner the same woman would be wearing a different hat

and check your ticket.... then during the interval the same woman would then put on a different

hat and bring round the ice cream tray.

Im sure I also saw the same woman in the projection room running the film too lol

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I remember seeing Mick Jagger in Perfomance at Studio 7, and I think I also saw Carrie there.

They had an all night horror session, which I went along to with the bikers from Coronation Cafe opposite the Kelvin. One of the movies shown was The Beast.

One of the guys had a bike he had built, which bore the name "The Beast" on it's tank. At the point in the movie (about devil worship or similar stuff) when the character declared, "All hail the rider of the beast", needless to say, an almighty roar echoed through the building!

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When it finally closed, a friend of mine who had worked in cinemas all his life, made enquiries to the owners regarding renting it from them and reopening it as a family cinema complex (3 screens).

He was given the keys to have a look round the building. I was interested as to what it now looked like when empty, as I too had been a projectionist. The downstairs auditorium was flooded out, but the two upstairs were intact. What surprised me was that the electricity was still on, and I had one of the projectors running with the Pearl and Dean ads on screen. A bigger surprise was that someone was living in the cinema, as the office had an unmade bed in it, a kettle, milk, food, and a man's shaving kit. Clothes were also on a hanger. We mentioned this to the owners and they said 'We've thrown him and his wife out once. It looks like we shall have to speak to them again'. He didn't say who they were and we did not ask. We went in a month later and the things were still there. I don't think we would have gone back if we had known people were still living there. However it all came to nothing as the rental was sky high.

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STUDIO 5,6,7

LOCATION

The Wicker, City Centre

INFORMATION

The cinema opened in 1968 and was formerly known as 'The Wicker Cinema'

Owned and managed by an Australian, (named Rick ?) described as 'The Australian Anarchist' who once famously during a showing of Bambi played 'Who Killed Bambi' by the Sex Pistols, causing children in the auditorium to burst into tears.

It is reported that the owner was a drug addict, living upstairs with his wife in a really small office.

The movies that the cinema showed varied wildly from big movies like Crocodile Dundee, right through to the movies that left it with it's reputation - the soft porn films.

Some of the movies shown (might trigger your memories)

Top Gun

Crocodile Dundee

The Spy Who Loved Me

Sexy Agent 69

Blood Lust

The Beast

"What The Swedish Butler Saw' in 3D (with red/green glasses!)

Emanuelle

Obscured By Clouds (soundtrack by Pink Floyd)

Enter The Dragon

Paint Your Wagon (on all three screens at once)

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Camp on Blood Island

PICTURES

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I was the Cheif projectionist there and Studio 7 reopened in 1968 after being destroyed in a fire in December 1967.

It existed well before 1968 as a cinema.

I can remember showing Opera films (La Bohemme) etc in 1968 after it reopened and we had installed new Italian 70mm projectors. But they were never used for 70mm film and were removed in 1969 and taken to the Isle of Wight.

I remember showing the World Cup film there in 1966.

In those days it was owned by the Star Group from Leeds.

I left in mid 1969 and I understand that it was sold in the early 1970's but by then I had left Sheffield.

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Guest tsavo

Hi electronictwincl, do you remember the disappearing anamorphic lenses around '59 or '60, or was that before your time?

Welcome to Sheffield History. Look forward to your posts.

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Hi electronictwincl, do you remember the disappearing anamorphic lenses around '59 or '60, or was that before your time?

Welcome to Sheffield History. Look forward to your posts.

Hi tsavo

Well before my time I am afraid. The first time I went there was late 1965 just after I had started working for the Star group.

I remember the Chief was called Jack (he was old) and he suffered from Asthma but he liked to smoke and drink. He also did clay modelling and he had done a bust of Churchill which was hanging up in the bar of the pub just along from the cinema. (Royal Oak I think) He died late 1965 or early 66. The next chief was locked up for debts later in 66 so I ended up back in Sheffield again for part of 66. Then went away again and returned in early 67 to stay for two years.

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Guest tsavo

Hi tsavo

Well before my time I am afraid. The first time I went there was late 1965 just after I had started working for the Star group.

I remember the Chief was called Jack (he was old) and he suffered from Asthma but he liked to smoke and drink. He also did clay modelling and he had done a bust of Churchill which was hanging up in the bar of the pub just along from the cinema. (Royal Oak I think) He died late 1965 or early 66. The next chief was locked up for debts later in 66 so I ended up back in Sheffield again for part of 66. Then went away again and returned in early 67 to stay for two years.

I spent a few months at the Star, Ecclesall Rd in 1959 / 60. Star Cinemas was a bit of a cut price operation then and had a limited number of anamorphic lenses (needed to show Cinemascope films) for all it's cinemas so we had to share and a list of who had them week by week was made up. One week someone dropped a gooley and the Wicker ended up with a scope feature but we we supposed to collect our lenses from them. Old Jack refused (non to politely) and headed for the pub. (the Brown Cow I think) We nipped up to the box and swiped them.

We had some weird experiences with the groups cost cutting measures. They had all power on a timer for a cheaper tarrif which came on at 1.45pm and cut off at 4.30pm. The day we were to show a two and a half hour feature, the film was late arriving and we finally got started at 2.20. I chopped a complete reel out and we got just half way through the national anthem when all the power went off. Happy days

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Guest jay_wickerman

I was just wondering if anyone has or knows where i can get pics of the cinema from the mid 1980's esp when it had the "75p all shows all performances" poster on the side of the building ?

I've been searching for these pics (if any exist) for 10 years so if you can help please do.

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i was just wodering if anyone has or knows where i can get pics of the cinama from the mid 1980's esp when it had the "75p all shows all performances"poster on the side of the building.

ive been serching for these pics(if any exist)for 10 years so if you can help please do

Welcome to you Jay_Wickerman, hope someone from the "gang" can help, I'm only any use on stuff 100 years old, or older ... even then <fill in the blank>

lol

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Guest carlie167

Sorry Wickerman, meant to say welcome as well as posting the photo!!!!!!!! Hope you enjoy the site. lol

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FANTASTIC - thanks for uploading the pic Carlie - appreciated

God I love this site - the stuff you people can find is just incredible

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Hi fellow SHs Just a little bit of information i have found about The Wicker Picture House. It was built at the start of World War 1 and initially used as a warehouse for steel it opened as a cinema in 1920 showing a film starring Lillian Gish called Broken Blossoms by DW Griffiths. Sound came in 1930 with The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson. Finally closing in 1987. There is a picture but due to copyright....

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