Cinema Memory and the Digital Archive

In Autumn 1994, Cinema Culture in 1930s Britain Research Fellow Valentina Bold renewed contact with Hamiltonhill, a day centre in Possil, Glasgow where she had conducted interviews with several of its elderly users before joining the project. She arranged to carry out further interviews, and five of the centre's clients were interviewed for CCINTB. Sarah Irvine was among them. Mrs Irvine was born in 1904 in Townhead, Glasgow, and had one brother; her father was a tradesman--his precise trade is unrecorded--her mother a housewife; she left school at fourteen, and her occupations had included domestic service, cleaning, and shop work. On 18 November 1994, she took part in a five-way interview, the other four interviewees being Lily (Lilian) Buik, Nellie (Helen) Donaghy, Davy (David) Paterson, and John Shearer; and on 3 March 1995 three of the five (herself, Mrs Donaghy, and Mr Paterson) were interviewed again. On 2 December 1994, CCINTB interviewed Mrs Irvine on her own. All three interviews took place at Hamiltonhill Day Centre.

Discussion during the first interview centres mainly on the range and variety of cinemas in the Glasgow area, with recollections of the buildings' interior features and the various forms of entertainment on offer, as well as reflections on the behaviour of cinemagoers. Other leisure pursuits, such as children’s games and dancing, are also remembered. In the second interview, the three participants add further recollections of the Glasgow cinemas they frequented, with details of strategies employed to avoid paying for admission; the rowdy audience behaviour at Saturday matinees; shouting at the cliffhangers that concluded episodes of serials; singalongs with song lyrics displayed on the screen; silent films with piano accompaniment and audience members contributing sound effects. Over forty film personalities are alluded to in the course of the interview, with lively debate about the merits of some, including singing duo Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, and popular male stars Wallace Beery and George Raft.

In her solo interview, Mrs Irvine recollects going to children’s matinees and talks about the audience's wild expressions of excitement; she liked cowboy films and boxing films best, she says. She recalls the cluster of cinemas around Cowcaddens that were popular for their children’s screenings, and shares memories of the arrival of talking pictures and the enthusiastic response from audiences when synchronous sound was first heard in the cinema. In the interview's second half, Mrs Irvine talks about the fashions of her youth, maintaining that she was always was--and indeed remains--passionate about clothes. The interview closes with reflections on her own background, her lack of educational opportunities, and her first experiences of work.

Audio-synced interview (1 of 3)
Interview transcript | Listing of cinemas, films and stars mentioned
Audio-synced interview (2 of 3)
Interview transcript | Listing of cinemas, films and stars mentioned
Audio-synced interview (3 of 3)
Interview transcript | Listing of cinemas, films and stars mentioned

Documents, Memorabilia and Related Links

Glasgow home page
Bijou Picture Palace (TheGlasgowStory site)
Extract of Charlie Chaplin in Gold Rush, 1925 (YouTube)
Extract from The Bowery, 1933 (YouTube)