Odeon West Street, c1937

Odeon West Street in the 1950s

West Street/Little Russell Street, Brighton
operated 1937-1973

• Originally planned by H H Weingott to be called the Forum, the project was taken over by Oscar Deutsch's rapidly expanding Odeon chain (see also Odeon Kemptown and the Palladium). Built next to St Paul's Church with Brighton Ice Rink (SS Brighton, opened 1934) on the south side.
1937 December 18 Opened by Sir Alfred Cooper Rawson MP, with music by the Band of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards. Designed by Andrew Mather for Odeon Properties Ltd. 1,350 seats, British Thomson-Houston sound system. Café. The opening film is Victoria the Great, starring Anna Neagle.
1938 summer An Odeon Car Club is launched.
1939 June 29 European premiere of Q Planes, starring Lawrence Olivier and Ralph Richardson.
1940 July 15 Affected by the curfew imposed in the area south of Western Road and North Street one hour after sunset.
1941 Prices 1s 2d-3s 6d.
1947 Prices 1s 9d-4s 6d, continuous performances
1953 Prices 2s 3d-5s. Restaurant.
1953 June 7 A Queen is Crowned, the Technicolor feature of the coronation on 2 June that becomes the top film of the year, opens for a week. (See also Savoy the day before.)
1954 January 11 First Cinemascope stereophonic sound screen in Brighton of The Robe begins a three-week run with five shows a day—one of only eight provincial cinemas to show the film. Cinemascope installation costs £8,000 and involves losing 46 seats at the front of the auditorium. The curtains are taken to the Academy.
1955 March SuperScope is installed. The first film shown in the format is RKO's Underwater!, starring Jane Russell, which also popularised the song Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White.
1957 Prices 2s 6d-5s 3d
1958 Around the World in 80 Days shows for four weeks.
1961 Prices 3s-6s
1968 £100,000 spent on refurbishment.
1971 Also used for live wrestling.
1973 December Closed when Odeon Kingswest opened.

* The building stood unused until demolished in 1990. It is now the site of a fianncial services company. See also Odeon Kingswest).

Brighton cinema directory

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