Going out to the Pictures on Sauchiehall Street: A History of Glasgow’s Cinema Buildings

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“For here in Glasgow is every type of cinema- from the largest in Europe to the smallest and smelliest in the British Isles. And in Glasgow every kind of cinema experiment is being made…” – Film Weekly, 1931

Gordon Barr and Gary Painter of ScottishCinemas.org take you on a virtual saunter up the full length of Sauchiehall Street to present an illustrated feature covering the immense range of Glasgow’s cinema history, from converted roller-skating rinks to the finest thirties art deco super-cinemas.

The talk will cover cinemas that were, cinemas that are, and cinemas that might have been.

Tickets available here: https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do-for-glasgow/sauchiehall-street-culture-and-heritage-district

Scottish Cinemas is a volunteer-led, non-profit founded by Gordon Barr and Gary Painter in 2001. The site is dedicated to recording and archiving Scottish historic cinema architectural heritage - an often-overlooked part of our social history.

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Take2: Heritage Screening - Wizard of Oz

(Door 11)

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Dorothy Gale dreams of a land "somewhere over the rainbow" and, after a tornado rage through her hometown, her dream comes true.

Joined by her dog and a band of unlikely friends, Dorothy sets out to find the enigmatic Wizard of Oz.

This much-loved family classic was released in the same year that Cosmo Cinema (now Glasgow Film Theatre) opened on Rose Street.

The cinema was Scotland's first arts cinema and only the second purpose-built arthouse in Britain, after the Curzon Mayfair in London.

Opened on 18 May 1939, it was also the last cinema to be built in Glasgow before the outbreak of WWII.

Take 2 is a free screening for families and young people, which happens every Saturday at Glasgow Film Theatre.

Free tickets are only issued from our Box Office on the day of the screening. Additional tickets and tickets bought in advance cost £6.90 each. Further information is available at www.glasgowfilm.org/take-2

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Heritage Screening: Young Frankinstein

(Cinema 2)

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A young neurosurgeon (Gene Wilder) inherits the castle of his grandfather, the famous Dr. Victor von Frankenstein.

In the castle he finds a funny hunchback called Igor, a pretty lab assistant named Inga and the old housekeeper, Frau Blucher.

Young Frankenstein believes that the work of his grandfather was delusional, but when he discovers the book where the mad doctor described his reanimation experiment, he suddenly changes his mind...

In 1974 the Cosmo Cinema was purchased by the Scottish Film Council and reopened as the Glasgow Film Theatre we know and love today.

In this same year, Young Frankenstein was released and instantly became a cult classic for its parody of the horror genre and humour.

The film was directed by Mel Brooks and loved amongst audiences. This event is a part of the Sauchiehall Street: Culture and Heritage District’s Cinema programme, which celebrates the street’s historic cinemas, past and present.

Using the street’s cinemas as a starting point, the programme delves into Glasgow’s history as a ‘Cinema City’ during the early 20th century – a time when the city had over 130 cinemas, more than any other city in Britain.

Further information and tickets available at www.glasgowfilm.org