Gaumont State Cinema Opening Night Concert

gaumont state cinema

Opening Night

Imagine designing a cinema featuring just one screen and capable of supporting an audience of just over four thousand cinema-goers. It seems incomprehensible in this day and age. In 1937, in the golden age of British cinema, it happened when on the 20th of December, the Gaumont State Cinema opened its doors in Kilburn, north-west London. On that opening night, a special variety show was held and it was broadcast live on the BBC featuring top stars Gracie Fields, George Formby and Larry Adler together with Henry Hall and his band. The cinema showed films and also had a fully equipped stage where variety shows were held right into the 1970s when rock bands were the feature. The cinema was equipped with the latest state-of-the-art technology throughout the building. It must have been a wonderful place to visit, even in those days when every town would feature numerous cinemas. In the 1950s and 1960’s the cinema saw some changes as the building went through various conversions to accommodate the changing times. By 1981 films had ceased to be shown and all this magnificent building was left with was Bingo. From 2007 even Bingo could not survive and all activities in the cinema ceased. The building was eventually acquired by Ruach City Church and they are still there now. At the June 2023 convention, GFS Chairman Lewis Clifton was casting his eye over the donations for that evening’s auction and was attracted by a cassette tape with an old GFS convention recorded on one side and George Formby live written on the cassette case for the other side of the tape. On further examination, the tape contained a shortened recording of the opening night in December 1937 and features George Formby and Gracie Fields. The tape was created by GFS member Alf White sometime in the 1980s. You hear Alf talking about the recording and then excerpts from the special BBC broadcast including George giving a lovely performance of “Little Ukulele.” The recording is now available for all to hear. PP 22/06/2023

The opening of the Gaumont State was in itself a dramatic event, as this piece from the 'Willesden Monthly Illustrated' of December 5, 1937 records: The largest cinema in the world'. Such is the claim made for the 'State' cinema. High Road Kilburn, which opens to the public on December 20th. It is truly a magnificent building; its dimensions and magnificence are almost breathtaking, Gaumont Super-Cinema, Ltd have spent an enormous sum of money on what is undoubtedly one of the finest places of entertainment in Europe. Seating 4.000 people, the State is not only wonderful architecturally, it is designed to give the maximum amount of comfort and convenience to patrons. and variously equipped with the most modern technical appliances for screen and stage performances. On the opening night there will be: Grenadier Guards Band; 10 drummers of the Guards; 10 trumpeters of the Guards; 14 pipers of the Scots Guards: Van Dam and ‘State' Broadcasting Orchestra: Henry Hall and his Orchestra. No less than 130 musicians on the stage. The broadcast will consist of Gracie Fields, George Formby. Carroll Levis and his Discovery. Larry Adler, Henry Hall and his Band. One hundred thousand 32-page magazines about the theatre are being posted to 100,000 homes. For the first time in the history of the theatre, a special broadcasting room has been installed, from which Van Dam and his 'State' Orchestra will broadcast regularly. On either side of the lofty entrance hall are black marble and gold ornamented pillars, pink mirrors, several candelabras with hundreds of little lamps, and in the middle, hung from the ceiling, a replica of the electrical fitting as in the ballroom at Buckingham Palace containing no less than 125 lamps. The length of the entrance from the main doors to the end of the waiting room, in one complete line is 230ft. There are main volume controls for the 25 stage microphones, all of which actually

The Willesden Monthly Illustrated - December 5th 1937

rise out of the stage floor by means of counter-weights. The stage, one or the biggest in the country, has a portable 30ft revolve which can be broken up into 28 sections. The iron curtain is the biggest in Europe by 2ft. It weighs 18 tons and measures 65ft by 45ft high. The organ is a Wurlitzer one of the largest in Europe. It not only rises but revolves so that the organist can face his public. The operating box is a mechanical marvel. It is split into two separate departments. one for film projection and the other for scene and organ effects. One thousand men have been employed for two years on the construction.