Granada, Tooting
Encyclopedia
The Granada Cinema in Tooting
, an area in the borough of Wandsworth
, London
was one of the great luxurious cinemas built in the 1930s. It is considered by many to be the most spectacular cinema in Britain.
and screened movies sometimes with stage shows or organ recitals until it closed as a cinema on 10 November 1973 (showing The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
).
The organ was a Wurlitzer
theatre organ
that had originally been used in Sacramento
, California. It had a full size stage on which a number of theatrical productions were performed. The normal program consisted of either two feature films, or one with a variety show
.
in the Art Deco
style with four Corinthian style pillars over the entrance. It was the interior, however that was (and is still) spectacular. This was designed by Theodore Komisarjevsky
, a set designer, making use of ornamental plasterwork by Clark and Fenn
. It has marble foyers both at the main and balcony entrances, and a hall of mirrors and deep ceilings more suitable for a palace than a cinema.
The seating capacity was over 3000, and was often completely sold-out. Stars such as Frank Sinatra
, Danny Kaye
, The Andrew Sisters and Carmen Miranda
gave concerts there.
After closing as a cinema the building reopened as a bingo hall.
Tooting
Tooting is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, an area in the borough of Wandsworth
Wandsworth
Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
was one of the great luxurious cinemas built in the 1930s. It is considered by many to be the most spectacular cinema in Britain.
History
The cinema opened on 7 September 1931, as one of the Granada chain, with the film Monte CarloMonte Carlo (1930 film)
Monte Carlo is a 1930 American musical comedy film directed by Ernst Lubitsch. It stars Jeanette MacDonald as Countess Helene Mara. The film is also notable for the song "Beyond the Blue Horizon", which was written for the film and was performed by Jeanette MacDonald. The film was also hailed by...
and screened movies sometimes with stage shows or organ recitals until it closed as a cinema on 10 November 1973 (showing The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a 1966 Italian epic spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Leone, starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach in the title roles. The screenplay was written by Age & Scarpelli, Luciano Vincenzoni and Leone, based on a story by Vincenzoni and Leone...
).
The organ was a Wurlitzer
Wurlitzer
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes....
theatre organ
Theatre organ
A theatre organ is a pipe organ originally designed specifically for imitation of an orchestra. New designs have tended to be around some of the sounds and blends unique to the instrument itself....
that had originally been used in Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
, California. It had a full size stage on which a number of theatrical productions were performed. The normal program consisted of either two feature films, or one with a variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
.
The building
The building, which became the first cinema to be preserved and given a Grade I listing, was designed by Cecil MasseyCecil Massey
Cecil Aubrey Massey was an English theatre and cinema architect. Massey was a pupil of Bertie Crewe. His major works include the New Wimbledon Theatre, released in 1919 together with architect Roy Young, it is a Grade II listed Edwardian situated on The Broadway, Wimbledon, London, in the London...
in the Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style with four Corinthian style pillars over the entrance. It was the interior, however that was (and is still) spectacular. This was designed by Theodore Komisarjevsky
Theodore Komisarjevsky
Fyodor Fyodorovich Komissarzhevsky or Theodore Komisarjevsky, as he is better known in the West, was a Russian theatrical director and designer. He began his career in Moscow, but had his greatest influence in London...
, a set designer, making use of ornamental plasterwork by Clark and Fenn
Joseph Bernard Clark
Joseph Bernard Clark was a British ornamental plasterer and co-founder of the specialist plasterwork company of Clark & Fenn.Born in Dundee on 25 March 1868, the son of a plasterer, Clarks family moved to London when he was still young...
. It has marble foyers both at the main and balcony entrances, and a hall of mirrors and deep ceilings more suitable for a palace than a cinema.
The seating capacity was over 3000, and was often completely sold-out. Stars such as Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian...
, The Andrew Sisters and Carmen Miranda
Carmen Miranda
Carmen Miranda, GCIH was a Portuguese-born Brazilian samba singer, Broadway actress and Hollywood film star popular in the 1940s and 1950s. She was, by some accounts, the highest-earning woman in the United States and noted for her signature fruit hat outfit she wore in the 1943 movie The Gang's...
gave concerts there.
After closing as a cinema the building reopened as a bingo hall.