Abc Regent Cinema

A Memory of Beckenham.

In the autumn of 1967, at the age of 14, my friends and I each lit a cigarette, raised ourselves to our full height, summoned up our gruffest voices, and walked up to the kiosk in the ABC to proffer our cash to gain entry to our first ever X-film (entry for 18 and over only). The film was the Dirty Dozen, and, somehow or other, we were admitted entry without question. Looking back I find it hard to believe that the person serving us was fooled by our little charade of maturity, but it made us feel good.