Cinema

Mr Bakhsish Singh Attwal came to Highfields in 1957.
Extract
Not much entertainment.

After a while somebody who was a Gujarati introduced Asian films. Would book a cinema and watch an Asian film. Everybody used to come otherwise used to go to pub, but I did not consume alcohol. Coach & Horses pub

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Roger Cave came to live in Highfields in 1940, the year he was born.
Extract
we went to the cinema quite often. There was the Evington cinema on the corner of Chesterfield Road, and there would be special children's matinees on a Saturday afternoon. There would be a special programme for children. We used to go to the Melbourne cinema as well at the bottom of Melbourne Road, they were a good substitute for television really.

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Helen Edwards interviewing Sandy Coleman for Highfields Remembered.
Extract
Oh, the Evington cinema! Who can live without the Evington cinema? I'm so
pleased they've kept the frontage. Now, my mum worked at the Evington cinema,
she actually did cleaningthere, so we used to get into the tuppenny rush on a Saturday. All the kids used to go. Me and my sister didn't have to pay because my mum worked there. I can't remember his name, we used to call him the owner, but he was most probably the manager. He would let us go into the top and have a look where the projector room was.

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Linda Cox who was born in 1948.
Extract
Perhaps one afternoon a week, mam would take me to the Imperial Cinema otherwise known as the flea-pit! I think this is now a warehouse and stands on the corner of Mornington Street near to the Laundrette. Once inside the pictures we would sit through the matinee and watch the Three Stooges and Norman Wisdom films. I used to like the smell of the air freshner which the usherettes used to spray around the place.

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Mr Amarjit Singh Johl came to Highfields in 1964.
Extract
Did you have bath and heating facilities in your house?

There was no heating but there was a bath, we used to put a shilling (10p) in the metre and take a bath. We also used to have a coal fire. We never used it, nobody had the time to do this we used to go out for pictures at the weekend.

Extract
How did you entertain at the weekend and holidays?

It was customary to go to the pub after working hours. At the weekends we would go to the Indian pictures and enjoy ourselves. There was no other source of entertainment. There was a psychological and mental vacuum which was lacking. I used to keep myself busy at work so I did not have time to think. It was a hard time. At times it was unbearable.

Extract
There was a couple of cinemas in the area. There was a picture house in Highfields on Melbourne Road. The Indian film society used to rent it for weekend pictures. People used to look forward to see the film next weekend. We use to go to see Indian films. I used to miss Indian music and songs.

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Mr Aidan Maguire came to Highfields in 1962.
Extract
Did you ever go to the cinema that was on Melbourne Road and Nedham Street?

Yes, every Saturday morning we went there. I remember having my badge with a star on it, I loved it. Even today, I love films and pictures. It was absolutely fantastic. We used to go there on Saturday mornings to the matinees, my little mate Rashid was a film fanatic and all us kids used to go every Saturday morning, it was just absolutely choc-a-block, you could never hear the films because everyone was shouting and going crazy. I always remember everyone's favourite was Captain Marvel, and when he used to turn into Captain Marvel and say 'Shazam!', everyone used to go crazy. I mean we would all come out and run up the street, and we would be cowboys and indians and act out the films. That's what we did for the rest of the week!!!

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Marjorie Marston was born in Highfields in 1942.
Extract
Did you visit the cinemas?

Yes, our local cinema was the Evington cinema where its now an elderly people's home and also the Melbourne cinema across here.

Do you remember the price of the tickets?

Yes, at the Melbourne cinema it used to be nine pence we used to go in there. Nine pence downstairs and a shilling upstairs. And at the Evington I think it was sixpence, I'm not really sure but we used to queue to get in there every week and they used to be pretty good shows, we used to enjoy that.

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Councillor Farook Subedar came to live in Highfields in 1972.
Extract
Do you remember any of the cinemas that were here?

There was a few cinemas. There was one called Sangam, one on Belgrave Gate, the other one was Evington cinema which is on the corner of East Park Road and Chesterfield Road, now it is an old peoples' home. There is another cinema on Green Lane Road, I'm talking about Asian cinemas. There were lots of English cinemas. I'm just giving you background on the Asian cinemas. Then there was a brand new one built on Belgrave Road called Natraj Cinema, it was purpose built. Nowadays, it's a Sari shop.

What about the Apsara?

Apsara cinema? Sorry I forgot that one. There there were five or six cinemas in the city of Leicester.

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Mary Thornley came to live in Highfields in 1912.
Extract
Did you ever go down to the Fiveways cinema on Melbourne Road?

Yes, I played there once or twice but not regularly. It was silent films and they had orchestras you see and I have got an idea there was a trio or something violin, cello and piano that played at the Melbourne cinema and I think I went and deputised once or twice for them either when they were ill or went on holiday or something.

Extract
My father also played for the silent films, he played at somewhere called the Empire in Wharf Street off Humberstone Road, don't suppose that's there now, but they had films there and then it turned into more like a music hall and he still played there with one or two other men, violin and cello and I think it was an organ or something similar.

What sort of music did they play at on those occasions?

Well with the silent films they used to try to fit the music to things that were going on, and of course they had to sort of switch from one piece to another rather quickly, sometimes when the scenes changed. I suppose they had some nice sentimental music for the love scenes.

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Mr Eric Tolton was born in Highfields in 1916.
Extract
When you were in your teens and interested in girls, what sort of entertainments were around?

Ah well, only going to the cinema and dancing. I couldnt dance anyway so it was only going to the cinema.

Where did you go?

Evington cinema.

The one on the corner of Chesterfield Road?

Yeah, thats right. Strangely enough, one of the ladies up here, she can tell the same story. Sunday night, we used to parade up and down the London Road you know, all the youngsters or teenagers of Leicester. It was a regular procession, we used to walk up giving the girls the glad-eye, and she did the same she met her husband doing it!!! Hes dead now, she lives just across the road. We laugh about it.

Were there any dance halls locally?

Oh, yeah there was one at the fire station at Lancaster Hall, the dance hall that the fire station people used to go to. It was called the Embassy, over the Co-op on the Uppingham Road just before you get to the Uppingham Park, whats the name of the park, is it Humberstone Park? Before you get to Humberstone Park, its quite a big park – the room over that was a dance hall. Of course, the Palais de Dance was going but oh you didnt go there. Mother wouldnt let you go there.

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