The curtain finally falls on the
Drake Cinema
in Plymouth
1958 - 1999
Odeon Cinema No. 1767
cause of death - Plymouth's atrociously expensive evening car parking charges.......which are also slowly killing many other local businesses
another Steve Johnson "content over style" heritage web page
....once one of the biggest screens in Britain....
then and now - 1958 and it's "April Love" just after opening - and 1999 just before closure it's "Big Daddy." The first film actually shown was "South Pacific"
the final reels and the final day
when all was new and the future golden
click on all above to enlarge
Sunday the 31st October 1999 saw the final credits roll on the film "Big Daddy" to an audience of just nine. Eight men, including yours truly and one young woman. As this sadly small audience left the cinema and walked out to the chilly autumn night, the lights on the Drake Cinema in Plymouth, UK went out. One by one, the neon name, the foyer, the advertising "what's on today" windows, so that by the time the nine of us had dispersed to the main road to hail a cab home, Plymouth's Drake Cinema, the Drake Odeon was dead and dark, shut up and silent. The final sound was the grill locking into place and a hand of a young member of staff put through to the spoken word "thanks." He went on to say "this (locking up)" was the first job I did when I came here...and now it's my last." Seconds later all lights were extinguished and all that was visible through the cold hard metal grill were the private hugs and handshakes, smiles and sobs as yet another piece of Plymouth's history slide away.
The Drake Cinema on the roundabout at Derry's Cross in Plymouth is where several generations of young Plymouthians took their girlfriends, fiancées and wives to grope, kiss and canoodle? and in the case of the "marrieds" actually watch the film. I am sure that many of the 30 and 40 something's living in Plymouth now (and elsewhere) would not have been more had their parents love not been cemented by the silver glow of a 70mm Panavision film on the Drakes Screen and one of their ENORMOUS and rather nice Hot Dogs. I can still taste them now!
In my teens with my early girlfriends I snogged my way through many a feature, at one time the Drake even had "double "seats in the back row. I can well remember that most difficult of all decisions ..." dare I risk putting my hand on her leg"...or " should I put my arm around her..now...or in 10 minutes time." Sadly all this and my memories and the shared memories of my fellow citizens are now all history.
In case you don't know, as the cinema is called the "Drake," the large model of a sailing galleon in the front is a replica of the "Golden Hind" the ship with a name made famous by a former Mayor and citizen of Plymouth - Sir Francis Drake....Spanish Armada 1588 and all that. As a multi-screen cinema it had a capacity of 1,100, while in it's original form as a one very large screen cinema, it held 1,600. That would be 800 in the front and back stalls with the same in front and back circle. The Drake was owned by 20th Century Fox until 1960/61 when it was taken over by the Rank Organisation and became one of their "Odeons"
LAST DAY, LAST SHOW
The last day saw the 25 staff in a very evident bitter-sweet party mood. Most, if not all from the Manager of 15 years, Mr Allan Rosser to the box office staff were all in fancy dress. The idea was to take costume ideas from some of the films that had been shown at the Drake cinema in past times. This must surely be the "Rocky Horror Show!"
To the public they put on a brave face, after all the aim of a cinema is to please and entertain, to uplift and make smile, certainly not to make sad, yet as we left after the final end credits rolled on the final film, it was impossible not to hear the distant and hidden sobs as the staff said "Thank you" to us, the final audience. As the "shoe-box" (cinema-speak for a small screen in a multi screen cinema) became empty, all that remained of the thousands and thousands of past audiences was a collection of ticket stubs on a string.
All of us, that final audience felt proud to be there...to mutually share in an end of an era. Several, like me had come especially to witness this passing. The sad fact that there were only nine of us gives a hint as to why the Drake closed. Expensive evening car parking charges..£1.50 linked to a very poor and expensive public bus service kept the crowds away. Where are they? If they still go to the cinema...well...where? Could they be at the ABC cinema close by..a superb example of 1930's interior design and a rare survivor of the Plymouth Blitz?(only time will tell if this one keeps going, I wish it well)
No silly, they have gone to the new multiplex (many multi-screen) complex at Warner Village at the eastern edge of the city.....guess what? It's got FREE and easy parking! Would you believe that!
If you have a car - fine. But what about our elderly folks, our kids, our young teens. It will be taxis or long, tedious and in winter dark and lonely bus rides to an industrial area at the edge of the city, that once the sun sets, is a wasteland of empty business units.
The next day the Drake had lost it's heart and was dead.
A LOOK AROUND BEHIND THE SCENES
In the last week of the Drake's life, I was fortunate enough to be given a guided tour "behind the scenes" by 63 year old Ron Wilson, the Drake's Chief and Technician . Ron first came to the Drake in 1958 when it first opened.(coming from the old ABC and Forum in Devonport) The Drake played Cupid for Ron as in 1960 he met his wife to be Margaret - she was an usherette.
He can be seen in this contemporary photograph as a dark haired young man in the as then new projection room
the stairs to the circle looking up to the circle looking down to the bar area from the circle stairway to circle painting of the Golden Hind on backlit glass in the foyer (one of two) Ron Wilson and a film rewinder Ron again foyer of upstairs circle stairs to circle "sculpture" of J Arthur Ranks "Gong" on wall in downstairs foyer (once there was a fresco of "South Pacific" here, visible in this 1958 view) upstairs foyer downstairs foyer and snack bar downstairs foyer stairs from foyer to circle stairs from foyer to circle Ron Wilson and a remnant of the original 20th Century Fox carpe ......that rather interesting wallpaper next to the gents loos downstairs.....made of cinema cuttings and clippings seats and curtains in one of the screens the Box Office popcorn main electrical switchroom rewinding equipment Screen 1 projector Screen 1 The Thomas Crown Affair....remake, on 5 heavy reels Thomas Crown Affair on projector with Ron Wilson Ron checks film for flaws by feel of hand Ron splices the film together projector room for Screen 1 the Drake Cinema as built new in 1958 the curtain puller Screen 1 projector real seats and real carpet upstairs foyer to circle one of the Drake's five screens CX 16H Projector projection room and film rewinders winding equipment Ron Wilson and projector "the magic silvery light" an auditorium the curtains in front of a screen film re-winding room Screen 1 projection room close-up of detail on a projector digital sound head pickup on projector digital sound equipment film running order board...an oldie digital Dolby amp Screen 1 film rewinding equipment
GALLERY
Illustrations taken from the "Kinematograph Weekly" Journal of June 12th 1958
in harmony with new city (referring to rebuilding of wartime bombed and blitzed Plymouth)
the indoor queuing area and sales windows....are those vacuum cleaners in the window?
interior of the main screen, the circle, showing the shallow rake
congratulations to the Drake Cinema
success to the Drake Cinema from Lyons Maid ice-cream ......it was always by favourite wafer and choc-ice!
the Drake's Chief Projectionist L R J Macnamara adjusts the Phillips Multi Purpose Projector
"Kia-Ora".....I still recall the waxed paper cartons!
"Faith in the future" by the Managing Director of 20th Century Fox, James Pattinson
Phillips Multipurpose 70/35mm Sound Projectors
.....the screen, one of the largest in the country......it's curve can be varied
what the local press said - Evening Herald
....1.........2..........3...........4...(pic refers to no 3).........5.......
the last "what's on ad in the local press".....no mention here of the impeding closure
a ticket for the last night and the very last film
the cinema and the staff thank the people of Plymouth
THE DRAKE ODEON CINEMA No. 1767 - lit up by neon light in the final week
These are big files, about 350k, but well worth the download, and they should print out well.
Image 1.....scanned from 35mm colour negative image
Image 2....taken by a megapixel digital camera
Image 3....taken by a megapixel digital camera
Image 4....taken by a megapixel digital camera
THE DRAKE ODEON CINEMA No. 1767 - by Derry's Cross roundabout - external daytime views........1........2........3...... the now blocked up advertising window bays the neon lights of the Drake Cinema help brighten a dull Plymouth autumn afternoon looking upwards
A 40 minute video of the last days of the Drake Cinema along with rare archive film of it`s construction and evolution from the 1950`s to the 1990`s is available at cost price, around £3 plus p&p from John Baker on Plymouth (01752) 558414.
more Steve Johnson cyberheritage web pages.....many on local Plymouth History
