Cinema Memory and the Digital Archive

Early in 1992, Lawrence Stirling heard Annette Kuhn’s call for 1930s cinemagoers on a local radio station. He responded immediately with a long letter setting out details of some of the many cinemas across Glasgow that he visited regularly as a boy and a young man. Later that year, he was invited to a screening and workshop on popular 1930s cinema at Glasgow Film Theatre; and towards the end of 1994 was contacted once again with an invitation to take part in Cinema Culture in 1930s Britain. On 22 November he gave an interview at his home in Paisley as part of CCINTB’s fieldwork pilot.

A lifelong film buff, Mr Stirling’s cinemagoing was at its most intense during the mid to late 1930s, “when the cinema in Glasgow was at its height” and the city was a “magical” place. Throughout his interview, he displays tremendous enthusiasm for all things film-related (as well as for theatre and opera, his other enthusiasms) and an encyclopaedic knowledge of the subject. He describes in detail some of the cinemas he frequented and names--unprompted—upwards of seventy films of the 1930s ,1940s, 1950s and beyond as well as a similar number of the top stars of these decades. Unusually among CCINTB interviewees, he sometimes went to see a film more than once: on some of these he offers informed comments on plots, settings and performances.

Interview audio (audio file only)
Interview transcript | Listing of cinemas, films and stars mentioned

Documents, Memorabilia and Related Links

Glasgow home page
Scan of document (LS-92-006PL001) | Transcript
Scan of document (LS-92-006PL002) | Transcript
Scan of document (LS-92-006PL003) | Transcript