| The Andrews Pages Picture
Gallery : South London Cinemas |
| A selection of our own
photographs and postcards that have personal or family connections |
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Streatham Golden Domes, Balham Ritz &
Catford Plaza |
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“Golden Domes” Cinema, Streatham - about 1934 |
The person outside the “Golden Domes” cinema in Streatham
High Road is Andy’s father, Reginald F Andrews. Reg thought the
picture was taken in 1937 but the two films being shown were released
in 1934 so an earlier date is more likely."Madame Spy" starred
Nils Asther and Fay Wray whilst "Bombay Mail" starred Edmund
Lowe as the Inspector and Shirley Grey.
Reg grew up in Didcot, Berks but showed a great interest in the cinema
and things technical from an early age. He worked at his school's
Cinema Club in Didcot during his early teens and by the time he was
16 he was 4th Operator at a cinema in Reading. After a move to Yeovil
to help open a new cinema there Reg moved to the Golden Domes as Chief
Operator in 1932. The cinema was bought by the ABC group (Associated
British Cinemas) in 1935 at which point he became its Manager. The
"Golden Domes" showed its last film in 1938 when it was
replaced by the new Regal, Streatham that had been built further along
the High Street. |
The Plaza, Catford (right) was Reg’s next
cinema and he returned there several times later in his career.
We have other photographs showing the World famous clown, Coco,
outside the Ritz when he visited the cinema to promote road
safety for children.
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The film “Left Right and Centre”,
which starred Ian Carmichael and Alastair Sim, was released
in 1959. |
In 1941 Reg was called up and appointed to the Army’s Cinema
Service (part of the RAOC) and in 1945 he was selected to join a then
secret mission on the Cunard ship ‘Franconia’ taking senior
officials to the Yalta Conference (attended by Churchill, Roosevelt
and Stalin). During the voyage he showed films to Winston Churchill,
Anthony Eden, Viscount Alanbrooke and, once arrived at the conference,
Molotov. Many of the films were from the war front, and he was told
never to discuss what he saw and heard, but some of the popular movies
of the day were also screened to provide some lighter moments. |
After the war Reg worked at a number of South London cinemas
including the Regal, Streatham; the Rex, Norbury and the Capitol,
Forest Hill. At the Capitol, Andy, then aged about 5, was introduced
to Dulcie Gray and Michael Denison who were promoting their
latest film, “The Glass Mountain”.
Finally he went to the Ritz, Balham, shown on the right and
below. “Funeral in Berlin” was released in 1966 and
starred Michael Caine as Harry Palmer and Oscar Homolka as Colonel
Stok. |
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The Ritz Cinema, Balham, 1966 |
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Photographs in the collection of, provided by and © Andy
Andrews Intended for personal use only
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Elsewhere on the internet:
 Streatham
High Road, November 1978, a photograph by Brian Whittle
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