This was the age of the cinema or Picture House as they were better known and Edna went to the pictures often.  As a youngster she payed regular visits to the Tower Picture House on Piercey Street Ancoats where, during the interval, a bag of toffee could be bought for 1d.  Another feature of the early film shows was 'the bouncing ball'. The words of a popular song were screened and scanned by a white bouncing ball which helped the audience sing the song correctly.  By the year 1933, Edna was a regular visitor to the New Royal in Bradford and the Don Cinema at the bottom end of Ashton New Road. 

George Siddall spent many an evening at the 'Penny Pop' on Oldham Road where he, along with his best mate, Albert Drinkwater, would watch all the silent films of the day, westerns being his favourite. The cowboy and Indian films were watched with total fascination, especially by the youngsters in the audience. During the film the Indians dashed up to a fork in the trail, then took the left side. The cowboys arrived later, hesitated, and took the right side. George would be up on his feet with the rest of the kids shouting "You're going the wrong way."  In these early days of the cinema the exhibitors gave children presents of sweets and chocolates, and admission was sometimes by payment of jam jars. 

One recollection that sticks in George's memory of his visits to the cinema was that he always used to get stuck behind the same elderly couple,  and though the films were silent, the elderly pair in front would always read out the words aloud to each other. This used to drive young George crackers as he couldn't concentrate on the film at all.  Another local Picture House George visited as a youngster was the Tower - or 'Lousy Hour' as he knew it. Apparently there were more fleas in the Tower than there was in the rest of Ancoats.

Back To Index