Matinee Mayhem

A Memory of Newbiggin.

Aged seven I would join the queue outside the cinema each Saturday morning for the children's matinee accompanied by an older cousin. Once the doors were opened we were ushered in by a man with a voice like a sergeant major,he needed it,it could be bedlam,choosing where we sat was not an option we were instructed to fill one row before another was started,on one occasion I ended up on the other side of the auditorium to my cousin who was supposed to be looking after me.A great favourite was Flash Gordon,the original with Buster Crabbe starring as Flash,the plots were ridiculous,the acting left a lot to be desired and the scenery was flimsy,but we loved it.There was usually a cowboy film,Hopalong Cassidy & Roy Rogers are two I recall,they generally involved us all singing,following a little white ball that bobbed along above the words,The stars at night shine big and bright DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS,the last bit sung at full throttle,to make sure we all joined in the sergeant major would prowl the aisle flashing his torch and bellowing SING child friendly it wasn't but we had a great time.The cinema was still going in the early 60s but closed by 1966 when it was a bingo hall