Results tagged “cinema” from Southport Visiter - Look Back

RICHARD Attenborough, Vanessa Redgrave, Woody Allen - those are just a few of the movie greats Eric Moonman has brushed shoulders with in the course of a star studded career that was inspired by a Southport childhood.

The former Labour MP for Basildon and Billericay regards his childhood in the resort's cinemas as the beginning of his love affair with film, which eventually led him to become a governor of the British Film Institute.

Like many of our LookBack correspondents he has fond memories of he "cosy" Forum cinema.

Professor Moonman OBE said: "I visited the Forum many times as my sister, Betty Pagin worked as an usherette and I had a prime opportunity to see a wide range of films.

"I took pride in being up to date on movies, much to the envy of my school-chums at Christ Church."

A youthful Prof Moonman delighted in the resort's array of movie theatres.

"I'd had this love of cinema ever since I attended the cinemas in Southport as a boy," said Prof Moonman.

"I'd get myself into difficulties at Croxton Preparatory School because they had a ban on pupils going into town so I had to take my cap off and go in disguise to get into our eight cinemas in Southport.

"It was great fun and it was my training."

After serving as an MP for 10 years Prof Moonman left parliament, taking a job with the British Film Institute.

It was there that the Southport film aficionado could indulge his boyhood passion for the big screen.

Acting as an ambassador for British film making Prof Moonman's job would often see him on the road with actors and directors, escorting them in the UK or chairing business and funding meetings.

"Julie Christie was one that I thought was marvellous and was sympathetic to a film buff," he said.

Woody Allen was another of Prof Moonman's favourites, he met the actor on a trip to America.

"That was great," he said.

"He was entertaining to be with, we did have a drink together.

"At that time he still hadn't got the English bug, that came later.

"He had been in Florida where he was still doing the stand-up circuit.

"That was very memorable."

Vanessa Redgrave also left an impression.

"I chaired one or two of her meetings when she did a lot of film work," said Prof Moonman.

"She was very political and that was one of the concerns going into a film.

"Someone with such a political attitude was very good, but one of the worries was would that slot in easily with anything that might be put on screen.

"At the time you expected the stars or artists to accompany any discussions to try to raise the money to fund the project - they were an attraction.

"Vanessa Redgrave had been around a long, long time and people wanted to see her.

"You never knew what she was going to say, but while you were trying to fund projects you wanted her there.

"People were excited about sitting alongside her and she was very good about that."

Prof Moonman also escorted the tragic actress Sharon Tate on a visit to the UK.

"Not long afterwards she was murdered by the Manson Gang," he said.

The job proved to be a film fanatic's dream opportunity to get a glimpse behind the scenes, providing an almost unique insight into the creative process.

Prof Moonman said: "It was a job of love - it was absolutely ideal for me."

Supporting the celebrated author Alan Sillitoe as he reworked the novel Saturday Night and Sunday Morning into a film script, Prof Moonman helped to bring a British cinema classic to our screens.

He said: "Often you had people who rewrote the book for the screen, but not in this case.

"I sat alongside him. The book was marvellous and eventually the film won BAFTAs.

"In many cases the author was a pain and they didn't want him to be around, but that wasn't the case with Alan."

FILM historian Don Geldard is hoping that one of our LookBack readers can help to shed light on the two cinemas missing from his picture archive.

Mr Geldard, who gives talks on the history of Southport's cinemas, told LookBack that despite giving lectures on the subject for the past four years pictures of two of the resort's cinemas still elude him.

He said: "The first is Bedford on Bedford Road in Birkdale which opened in 1929 and closed in 1959.

"It was purpose built at the time with shops at the front; now it's a car repair shop but it's still got the same roof over it.

"The other is The Queen's cinema which was known locally as Tivoli or "The Tiv" which was on Devonshire Road in Hyde Park.

"The building is still there; it was built in 1912 and closed in 1957.

"If anyone has a photo tucked away in the album I'd like to take a look at it."

And there's another movie mystery that Mr Geldard hasn't been able to get to the bottom of.

He said: "Twice people have said to me that they went to a cinema called the "Cosy" which they seemed to think it was at the end of Lord Street, but there's no record anywhere.

"One man said to me he wanted to see Quo Vadis but he wasn't allowed to go and instead his aunt took him there to see Johnny Guitar starring Joan Crawford.

"But I've never, ever heard of "The Cosy" yet another lady asked me if I'd ever been there."

Quo Vadis was released in 1953, which dates the cinema to that year. Get in touch with LookBack if you've got any clues.