Projectionists memory’s a wonderful thought. Started in the tatler church street Liverpool 1969 just left school and my first job £7 per week. Chief was jimmy teasdale 2nd vera taylor always interested in projection from an early age.
I was Moved from there as classic cinemas was cutting down on staff so I was transferred to the classic cinema Allerton There for a good while but yup it closed last film was shot in the dark.
Moved on once again this time to rank film distributors picton road under a car show room.
This time a building above went on fire so it was moved into town by the Baltic fleet rats the size of cats around that area.
After a while I was able to get a job at the Odeon London road loved the place I was in screen one upstairs, but alas the gaumont across the way closed and projectionists moved from there to the Odeon so I moved on once more.
This time the classic cinema hoylake chief was jimmy corkhill who started just before me at the classic church street.
When that closed he was moved there until the classic Allerton was rebuilt. bit of a bummer as I was promised a job by classic when the old cinema closed. But I enjoyed being there even though I had to travel from Kirkby to hoylake met Charles Morris who now owns a few cinemas.
From there I went to top rank club Birkenhead as an engineer then back to hoylake classic.
Moved from there to be chief projectionist at the new twined Albany maghull, then a new twin cinema was built at Kirkby the J&A cinema and bingo Cinema done quite well after we stopped showing horror and sex movies that they thought people wanted to see.. done better with Gone with the wind and Love story….. but after a while they were booking rubbish and one screen closed still more rubbish and cinema closed and bingo was extended a real shame I just hope it was not all planned to show rubbish.. now at the end of my projectionist era worked at the royal court for a while on the limes then started being self employed still doing it till present..
I’m just glad I started before the multiplex era when being a projectionist was classed as showmanship and we were respected, days when screens had tabs in front.
I would hate to work in a multiplex I would think I would be depressive
NAMES I remember out of friendship or respect:
- jimmy teasdale, vera taylor, jimmy corkhill – tatler church street
- peter preston
- charles benson – classic plaza Allerton
- ( Norman thorn ton westrex)
- Fred & Raymond sheldon Jaycee Clayton sq.
- Phil devoy Phil green Odeon London road
Best wished to all
Dave Parr