Regent Picture Archive

The Regent Cinema Displays Archive

The Regent Cinema was an outstanding Cinema, It was the first of Sheffield's Superkinemas. It opened in December 1927 on Boxing Day and had 2300 seats. The cinema was originally extremely lavishly decorated, and was massive compared to the other cinemas already in the city.
The Cinema was open for eighteen months before talkies came along, and this was no problem because the Regent was built for cine-variety, and the early silent films were joined with an impressive Wurlitzer organ and many live acts which were well provided for with seven dressing rooms and a huge well equipped stage.

The decoration of the main auditorium was lavish, and the rest of the building was full facilities too, including a Georgian Style Cafe-resteraunt. The cinema staff must have been extremely proud to work in such luxury and they used to make elaborate displays, to advertise the next week's films, and sheffielders used to come to see the displays. Little information has remained about these displays until, I was contacted by a Mr Harry Chamberlain, whose father was the assistant manager of the Regent from about 1935 up until January 1939. Mr Chamberlain Sr. Took pictures of these fascinating displays, and by the wonders of modern science, We are extremely proud to present them here for the world to see for the first time in 70 years.

These photos appear to be taken in an alcove, or alcoves inside the cinema, where these displays were set up. Each one is like a little film set, with some characters in action to represent the theme of each film.

~ ~ The List Of Pictures ~ ~

Click on each link to see each photo in a new window

1) Modern Times with Charlie Chaplin. The advertising set-up was displayed September 14-19 1936 and the film shown the following week. The film was popular enough for it to be shown for two weeks.

2) Tudor Rose with Cedric Harwicke and Nova Pilbeam shown August 3rd. 1936

3) Rhodes of Africa with Walter Huston shown August 31st.

4) The Crusades Pic 1 - 5) The Crusades Pic 2 with Henry Wilcoxon and Loretta Young shown February 4th 1935

6) Curly Top with Shirley Temple shown March 16th 1935

7) The Guv'nor with George Arliss shown March 30th

8) Public Nuisance No.1 with Frances Day and Arthur Riscoe shown June 29th

9) Captain Blood with Errol Flynn and Olivia De Haviland shown June 8th 1936
10 ) photograph of some of the Staff dressed up as pirates for this film

11) Anything Goes with Bing Crosby shown June 1st 1936
This film (or this display) was sponsored By Cockaynes, which was a familiar sheffield department store until early 1970s Which was located on Angel Street

12) Foreign Affairs with Tom Walls and Ralph Lynn shown March 23rd 1936

13) First a Girl pic 1 - 14) First a Girl pic 2 with Jessie Matthews and Sonnie Hale shown March 2nd 1936

15) Passing of the Third Floor Back with Conrad Veidt shown February 17th 1936
- based on a story by Jerome K Jerome

16) Stormy Weather with Robertson Hare and Yvonne Arnaud shown February 10th 1936

17) On Wings of Song with Leo Carillo shown 3 February 1935

18) Our Little Girl with Shirley Temple shown June 13th 1936

19) Hands of Orlac with Peter Lorre shown 6th 1936.

20) Main Stage set for Bathing Belles competition August 15th 1936

21) The Golden Voiced Girl competition This appears to be a singing competition , where each first prize winner wins £3 - 3 - 0 (3 pounds, 3 shillings and 0 pence) and the 2nd and 3rd prize winners get a Norfolk Permanent Wave (which I assume is a hair perm)

Later Developments

The Regent had it's name changed to the Gaumont in 1946, it was twinned in 1969 and tripled in 1979 and was closed in 1985.

It was a then completely demolished and a new building was built of steel and glass which incorporated shops at street level, and the upper floors were the Odeon Cinema Barker's Pool which incorporated 2 screens with 500 and 324 seats respectively. It opened in August 1987, and closed in February 1994, because the Odeon had seven screens down the road at Arundel Gate, and it wasn't economical for Odeon to operate from both sites. Since then the upper floors where this cinema have been have been a trashy mainstream nightclub called Kingdom.

The Odeon Building Barkers Pool

Many thanks to Harry Chamberlain, who has lent me this valuable collection for digitising, and of course his father who took these wonderful pictures 70 years ago in 1935 and 1936. If anyone would like to thank him or to contact him with any information. He can be contacted by e-mail Press here