Hollywood comes to town

Cinemas were a major part of the entertainment landscape in Britain in the 1930s. Almost every town, suburb and housing development had its own cinema. As well as showing the latest films they also offered newsreels and short films that kept people up-to-date with wider news, events and culture and were a vital source of information and communication during the War.

Postcard of Throckley showing the war memorial and the Lyric cinema

Throckley’s first picture house, The Imperial, had opened in 1912 but burned down 10 years later. In a much smaller building than the later Lyric, The Imperial, had shown silent films projected onto a whitewashed plaster screen. Films were accompanied by a pianist or small orchestra.

The Lyric cinema, however, brought newer, bigger budget films with sound from Hollywood's golden age of cinema. The village had also grown rapidly in the intervening years with new housing estates and the expansion of the mines had bringing more and more people to Throckley.

After much anticipation, the cinema opened on 19 May 1935 with a showing of The Thin Man, a comedy mystery film starring William Powell and Myrna Lloyd. The Lyric was done out in the latest concept of cinema art, with luxurious seating and double seats in the back row. It even had a curtain which changed colours before the film began.

Inside the Lyric cinema

Many people in Throckley would visit the Lyric Cinema regularly. The Sunday matinee was particularly popular and a visit to nearby Wake’s shop for sweets on the way was a popular custom.

The Lyric Cinema outlasted many other cinemas in the area, remaining in use until 1966 when it became a Bingo Hall.