Cinemas

[Ally Wilson]

I read online that the Scala cinema in London used to screen old TV shows like The Avengers back in the 70's (whether legally or illegally I don't know!) And I've several times heard of missing material turning up in cinemas. How widespread was this sort of thing and what are the chances of missing shows still being held in some dusty corner of an old arthouse cinema?

[Deleted]

I expect it's always possible, yes (I think it may have happened in the past but can't recall with what).

The Scala used to screen a lot of TV material in the '70s / early '80s such as The Avengers, The Prisoner and others. WTVA (who published Primetime) used to organise screenings quite frequently there and at other venues. I went to some myself.

[Ray Langstone (was saintsray)]

The Scala Cinema Club went into receivership in the 90's.

Mind you, if someone wants to ring up the place (now a venue for live music and club nights) it's 0207 833 2022.

www.scala-london.co.uk.

They also have a live help option on the right of the 'contact us' page.

[Ian Fryer]

I remember the Scala going bust after showing A Clockwork Orange without Stanley Kubrick's permission and getting sued. Kubrick really, really didn't want that film being shown anywhere in the UK.

[Greg H]

I remember the Scala very well! they never did have much respect for what they were and werent allowed to screen, which led to some very interesting evenings. I remember they used to show nekromantik and a host of films they shouldnt have been showing.
I do not have any recognition of them showing any 'lost' TV though.
Does anyone know precisely what year the Scala started screening as a cinema?

[Deleted]

They never showed any "lost" TV as such, I don't think, Greg. They had screenings of classic cult stuff though. This was definitely happening in the early '80s. I think it's mentioned in early issues of Primetime too. I believe there was a screening of the entire Prisoner series around then, prior to the C4 broadcast. They might have shown US film series too, as well as things like The Avengers.

[Ray Langstone (was saintsray)]

Greg, I quote:-

""Built to the design of H Courtney Constantine, the Kings Cross Cinema (Scala), was nearing completion when the First World War to began. The partially completed cinema was first used to manufacture airplane parts, and after 1918 as a local labour exchange for demobilized soldiers returning from the war.

Finally completed, the Kings Cross Cinema opened on April 1920. Seating over 1000 people, the auditorium offered a three-hour program, accompanied by a 20-piece orchestra.

At the end of the 1920’s, under the control of Gaumont British Pictures, the cinema staged lavish free Christmas shows for local children - endearing a whole generation.
The King's Cross Cinema was damaged in air-raids during the Blitz. New owners refurbished the cinema, now called the Gaumont, and it reopened in March 1952. In 1962, the Gaumont became the Odeon and continued to screen mainstream pictures until 1970.

In February 1971, the cinema embarked on a short-lived experiment showing adult films. Soon after it reverted to the King's Cross Cinema and mainstream features returned. In addition to the programs of films, the venue became a live, all-night, rock venue. Iggy Pop and Hawkwind have played at the Scala. In 1974, this bold move came to an end when the cinemas late-night license was revoked, petitioned by the local residents. Soon after it closed.

Five years later, the King's Cross Cinema, became a Primatarium. The stalls were reconstructed to resemble a forest. The project failed and on July 1981 the cinema returned as Scala, featuring the classic 1933 version of King Kong on opening night.
The Scala Cinema went on to become one of London's most famous repertory/art house cinemas. In 1993 the Scala Cinema Club went into receivership after losing a court case over an illegal screening of Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange.

Scala reopened in March 1999 after a radical transformation which included an additional 2 floors. King's Cross once again plays host to a vibrant and important cultural meeting place, embodied in which is the long and colorful history of both the Scala Cinema Club and The King's Cross Cinema. ""

[Greg H]

Very interesting information there. I suppose it wouldnt hurt for someone with a bit of experience to perhaps contact the management and put out a few feelers to see if there might possibly be any old film prints gathering dust in their sub basement. Its as worth a try as anything really!

[Ally Wilson]

Sept 29, 2010 15:21:51 GMT @laurencepiper said:

They never showed any "lost" TV as such, I don't think, Greg. They had screenings of classic cult stuff though. This was definitely happening in the early '80s. I think it's mentioned in early issues of Primetime too. I believe there was a screening of the entire Prisoner series around then, prior to the C4 broadcast. They might have shown US film series too, as well as things like The Avengers.

Where did they source the prints, the collector's circuit or the TV stations themselves?

[Deleted]

Absolutely no idea, i'm afraid! Not the sort of thing I would have asked but probably the BFI (being as WTVA, organised some screenings).

[Tom McPhillips]

Sept 29, 2010 14:57:30 GMT Greg H said:

.......... Does anyone know precisely what year the Scala started screening as a cinema?

I moved to London in 1979 and recall attending all night film shows at the Scala's original home in Charlotte Street then. The lease expired and I recall the site became the first headquarters of Channel 4. That would date the move to Kings Cross as mid-1982.

[Peter Bradford]

Oct 4, 2010 5:50:22 GMT Tom McPhillips said:

Sept 29, 2010 14:57:30 GMT Greg H said:

.......... Does anyone know precisely what year the Scala started screening as a cinema?

I moved to London in 1979 and recall attending all night film shows at the Scala's original home in Charlotte Street then. The lease expired and I recall the site became the first headquarters of Channel 4. That would date the move to Kings Cross as mid-1982.

Yes, C4 had a small studio - where the cinema seating used to be, so of course it gently sloped and had to be levelled off as part of the building conversion process.