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The Weston Cinema


Guest tsavo

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Guest tsavo

I'm trying to find the location of the Weston Cinema, (known locally I believe as The Flea Pit) but don't know it's exact location. My reference book gives no information other that the name and the fact that it existed. Weston St? St Philips Rd? Answers and info gratefully received.

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I'm trying to find the location of the Weston Cinema, (known locally I believe as The Flea Pit) but don't know it's exact location. My reference book gives no information other that the name and the fact that it existed. Weston St? St Philips Rd? Answers and info gratefully received.

An old posting on Sheff Forum says it was on St Phillips Rd

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Guest JackD

Tsava, the Weston (bug hut) was near the top of St Phillips rd,on the right hand side going down.It was directly across road from my aunts newsagents shop, was our local, along with the Scala and the Star picture houses. JackD.

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Guest tsavo

Thank's everyone, I'm still trying to locate a picture for the listings, but at least I now know where it was!

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Guest JackD

Thank's everyone, I'm still trying to locate a picture for the listings, but at least I now know where it was!

A bit more info,just below the Weston was a tripe shop/bleaching house.

And below that the Albany pub.

JackD

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I remember walking up St Phillips Road with Mum in the mid to late 50's. (We lived further down opposite the Whiet Hart Pub) The Weston Cinema was all boarded up by that time but looking at the maps it would be on what is now called St Georges Close, probably at the junction of Brook Drive?

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From THE ABC of Sheffield Cinemas

WESTON PICTURE PALACE Upperthorpe St Phillips - Mitchell Street

Opened: mid or late February 1914 Architect: W G Buck

Proprietors: Weston Picture Palace Ltd.; from 1921 Hallamshire Cinemas Ltd

Capacity: 800 (1914); 706 (1935); 610 (1945) Closed: 2-2-57

Subsequent use: Demolished. NOTES

At the time the cinema opened the music was provided by a Cinfonium

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docmels [from the beeroff shop? ] right it was near the top of St Philips Rd. I went with my sister and friend on the last

day before it closed. I can tell you what film we saw, it was The Three Muskateers the old one of course .

It was my birthday and I'd got a bit of money. . .only a bit, it was the 2nd Feb but what year ??

Maybe 1956 or 57. :blink:

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From THE ABC of Sheffield Cinemas

WESTON PICTURE PALACE Upperthorpe St Phillips - Mitchell Street

Opened: mid or late February 1914 Architect: W G Buck

Proprietors: Weston Picture Palace Ltd.; from 1921 Hallamshire Cinemas Ltd

Capacity: 800 (1914); 706 (1935); 610 (1945) Closed: 2-2-57

Subsequent use: Demolished. NOTES

At the time the cinema opened the music was provided by a Cinfonium

According to Ceegee, 2nd Feb. 1957.

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Guest plain talker

According to Ceegee, 2nd Feb. 1957.

Which, I suppose would correspond very closely with the clearances in that area at the time? (my father's family were "clearanced" off Fawcett Street to Gleadless Valley in 1957)

My poppa always referred to it as the "Bug Hut".

I'm not 100% certain, but I think it is where the Sainsburys/ Jacksons store is, Down Weston Street, at the rear of the Star and Garter pub.

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Did you know Arthur Marshall [of Marshalls Refractories Loxley] used to own the

Weston picture house. He was also a manager of the Hippodrome.

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what year was he manager of the Hippodrome. Ukelele Lady?

I don't know the exact year tsavo but it was around the mid 50s.

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Thank's everyone, I'm still trying to locate a picture for the listings, but at least I now know where it was!

You never asked me for a picture of the Weston; if, perchance, I could produce one, would there be any interest ?

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You never asked me for a picture of the Weston; if, perchance, I could produce one, would there be any interest ?

Richards photo "I believe this to be quite a rare photograph"

With hindsight, this photo is unique; other than on this site - you find one ... please, prove me wrong.

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..........................! (speechless)

"Look and someone else shall find ..."

Book of Sheffield, Verse 6, Cupboard 3

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Guest tsavo

Looks like a very pretty nice place from the outside. though the inside was reputed to be a little on the well worn side. Great find Rich!

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Looks like a very pretty nice place from the outside. though the inside was reputed to be a little on the well worn side. Great find Rich!

Don't let the photograph fool you tsavo.inside it was DUMP of the first order,but a well loved and well remembered dump even so, my attendance at the Weston,quite correctly described as the Bug Hut was mainly during the war because it was not very far from where I lived, and the very first film I saw there was Lon Chaney Jnr in The Wolf Man, I attended Springfield School and this film was the talk of the school and we were all agog to see it, the problem was it was an "A" film and in those days unaccompanied children under 16 were not allowed to go into the cinema unless with an adult, and the practice was to stand outside and ask any adults going in"Will you take us in please?" and to see this film we had to get there early and make sure when it was busy to get someone to take us in.In this day and age it may sound extremely dangerous for unaccompaned young children to ask complete strangers for this favour, but well practiced in those days,and if my ageing memory is correct for this pleasure we paid twopence, that is old money,not decimal.

Somehow these hours spent in a scruffy and downtrodden cinema seeing our heroes on the silver screen are remembered with affection and very great pleasure and surroundings ,who cared.Thanks for the memory

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Don't let the photograph fool you tsavo.inside it was DUMP of the first order,but a well loved and well remembered dump even so, my attendance at the Weston,quite correctly described as the Bug Hut was mainly during the war because it was not very far from where I lived, and the very first film I saw there was Lon Chaney Jnr in The Wolf Man, I attended Springfield School and this film was the talk of the school and we were all agog to see it, the problem was it was an "A" film and in those days unaccompanied children under 16 were not allowed to go into the cinema unless with an adult, and the practice was to stand outside and ask any adults going in"Will you take us in please?" and to see this film we had to get there early and make sure when it was busy to get someone to take us in.In this day and age it may sound extremely dangerous for unaccompaned young children to ask complete strangers for this favour, but well practiced in those days,and if my ageing memory is correct for this pleasure we paid twopence, that is old money,not decimal.

Somehow these hours spent in a scruffy and downtrodden cinema seeing our heroes on the silver screen are remembered with affection and very great pleasure and surroundings ,who cared.Thanks for the memory

"Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms. And the autumn moon is bright."

The 1941 version of "The Wolf Man" is one of the most important Universal monster movies that is a classic even if it is not a great film. That is because pretty much the entire mythology of werewolves, from the transformation beneath the full moon and the silver bullets to the appearance of a pentagram that marks the next victim of the werewolf, comes from this film. Consequently, screenwriter Curt Siodmak did for werewolves what Bram Stoker did for vampires, also working to take established folklore and then add a few creative twists.

The story of "The Wolf Man" should be well-known even to those who have yet to see the film. Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney, Jr.), returns to his ancestral home in Wales following the death of his older brother. One night poor Larry is bitten by a wolf during an attack and he soon learns he has inherited the curse of lycanthrope from the gypsy werewolf (Bela Lugosi). Now, whenever the full moonrise, he goes out looking for some throats to rip out. What chance does he now have with the beautiful Gwen (Evelyn Ankers), and whatever will he tell his father, Sir John Talbot (Claude Reins?).

"The Wolf Man" is Lon Chaney, Jr.'s signature role mainly because it is one of the few movie monster roles that he originated (although the part was originally intended by Boris Karloff). Chaney was the original and only Larry Talbot, which is rather surprising given how often Universal played musical actors with the guys behind the monster makeup, which, once again, is by Jack Pierce. The film is more atmospheric than bloody, with lots of mist hugging the ground in the dark forest, which reflects both the sensibilities of the time and limitations placed on the genre by the production code. You also have Ralph Bellamy and veteran character actress Maria Ouspenskaya in the supporting cast adding weight to the story and make up for the fact you never really can buy that Reins and Chaney are father and son.

Ultimately, "The Wolf Man" is a monster movie that plays like a Greek tragedy with the monster being as much of an innocent victim as any of the werewolf's prey. Universal's classic version of "Frankenstein" was changed so much from Mary Shelley's novel that it lost the most tragic aspects of that particular story, leaving "The Wolf Man" to claim that particular title. It is that tragic element that you can find in all of the better werewolf movies that have followed this one, from "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" and "An American Werewolf in London" to "The Howling" and "Wolf."

The Wolf Man was directed by George Waggner.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lon Chaney Jnr. (real name Creighton Chaney) 1906-1973

Claude William Rains 1889-1967

Evelyn Ankers born in Chile 1918 - 1985

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..........................! (speechless)

It took a lot of effort over a couple of years - but I managed it, just the once.

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