Remember the Danilo Cinema, Hinckley, Leicestershire?

[Sumosimmosaidso2010]

Kool nice to know its going to open up

[felicitypunshon7]

It's going to be a pool snooker place I think

[Sumosimmosaidso2010]

What's going to happen to it? And how did you get to do a vid in there I love to have a look around it to never been in there

[Sumosimmosaidso2010]

Cool

[felicitypunshon7]

Yes it is

[Sumosimmosaidso2010]

Is this the old cinema near the police station across the road

[felicitypunshon7]

Happy times

[felicitypunshon7]

Many fond memoriesx

[blackratlizzie]

Happy Memories :)

[clarasmummy1]

Hi

Thanks for the post, this is so nice to see!

I have just taken over this building and it should indeed re-open in a few weeks!

If you would like more info, please check facebook "diamond 9"

Also if you have any old pictures of the building, I would LOVE a copy :-)

Thanks

Muriel

[toolsntat]

Was it Pete who had the drums behind the curtain? Used to go up there on Sunday mornings when HORIZON used to practice. My late wife used to sing with them and they did a gig at Karns once. If there is footage or sound of them at all? I would love to know.

Cheers

Andy

[itssonicblad]

That is big

[spongeything]

Saw many films here. Remember standing in a massive queue outside into Hollycroft Hill to see "Grease". The manager had to come out and turn us away until the next showing.

[HulaBoy75]

I'd love to go in there and have a look around now and see what it's like and what was left! So many films i saw as a kid there...

Intervals, the curtain going back, ice cream ladies! Bring it back!!!

[Shannon220395]

there planning a new cinema in hinkley now. its bin announced. but im not sure when there going to start

[monadsophia]

Wonderful - I recall, at probably around the age of four or five my father took me to see Disney's Peter Pan. I remember, he bought me a bag of malteasers and this girl (Who I didn't know) that sat next to me and stole so many of them that I only had a small handful myself. Suffice to say, I got her back when the film was over and we were leaving the building, when I kicked a puddle at her, splashing her with muddy water. She cried to her mum and it was satisfying :P

I miss those days. Thanks.

[outlawmadebolder]

whats in there now? is it still a bar?

[alphauktelepictures]

i live round the corner from there n i wish it was still open cuz then me n ma m8s cud go there instead of havin 2 go nuneaton 2 watch films it's a shame they closed it

[radbournism]

This is a blast from the past. I was the last manager of this place back in 1993 when it shut (May 6th) I remember that day so well. We were showing Death becomes Her, freid Green Tomatoes, and Under Siege. Head office had this great idea for showing old films for just a quid. I said it wouldn't work and it didn't.

When did you shoot this? Looks like it wasn't long after it shut, especially with the After Siege standee still there.

[funkyparrotdotcom]

Thanks for your comment, it was shot quite shortly after closure, I was one of a team, trying to raise money from the town's population to co-operatively own the building and sustain it's future, similarly to that of the Concordia theatre, a legendary achievement.

But it was the nineties and not the seventies, attitudes change. Obviously our plan was not as successful!

[vclews]

Hi, Your comment was a year ago and so you may not be logging on anymore but would you have any interest in trying to 'save' the cinema again?

[funkyparrotdotcom]

Not logging on? I've added plenty of videos recently!

2nd question, Too much water has gone under the bridge and probably into the building. At the time it was recoverable with little expenditure. Had I known it would sell for only £65,000 at the auction, I would probably have bought it.

Sadly, it's too late now.

[jasoneales]

@funkyparrotdotcom the place is due to open agen soon but its had to have alot of work done to but the big cinema still ramines there

[n00bz4r]

man what happened to this town

[sass1uk]

I remember this cinema so well. My mum Angela worked there for years when I was little & we used to go & watch loads of films. My first being Annie when it first came out. Superman, Jaws, all the best ones. The last film I watched there was the Bodyguard shortly before it closed. It's about time the council sorted themselves out and got it open, give the kids somewhere to go. Far more constructive than rebuilding the mead!

[rachnrobtfa]

i had some good times in this cinema and my aunty steph used to work there so i used to get in for next to nothing n got free goodies and posters. BRING BACK HINCKLEY CINEMA brilliant footage i forgot how big it was inside cause it looks tiny outside.

[DrewPee70]

Fantastic to see this on here! My dad was a projectionist there - his name is Colin Spencer. I miss the old place . . . We tried to campaign to keep it open a few years ago now . . . the council were crap and wouldn't listen to us! I would still love to see it re-opened again as a cinema - it would be great!

Regards

Andy Spencer

[plasmalux]

I watched Erik the Viking here in 1989. It's such a shame that the multiplex killed off the good ol' local flick houses...The Hinckley Danilo was designed by E.S Roberts and had a 1250 seating capacity...

[sammyboy10000]

have to say that you chose great music for the post, was it a play in the cinema ?

when we use to show disney films we played the cartoon disney album

i had a bell and howell super 8 f00 ft projector but sadley packed up.

Thanks for waking up a great memory

[funkyparrotdotcom]

The track is "Sally Go Round the Roses" by the Jaynettes. I thought it was suitably ghostly to accompany the tour.

[sammyboy10000]

Also when i helped there, i made a boo boo. if any one went to see the film Annie it looked like the film burned on screen, that was me as the film got stuck and the heat of the bulb melted the film and projected it onto the screen making it look like that the screen was on fire. Was you there then ?

[funkyparrotdotcom]

Hmmm. No, I wasn't there to witness this one, but I've done it with my own 8mm film in trying to capture a still shot.

My main memories of this cinema are from the late '60s and early '70s.

[jaybobthirteen]

i apologise for accidentally clicking on one star for the rating! it was meant to be five!!

[funkyparrotdotcom]

Never mind, many thanks, you're the first person to give me a star rating anyway!!

[sammyboy10000]

If you want another flashback for memories, type in "woolworths christmas ad from 25 years ago" that brings back childhood memories big time

[sammyboy10000]

Ah, the good old days. I did my first work experience here, the name of the owner was Fred in the working days, cant remember his last name.

I worked and helped in projection Area no.1 where there was 2 projectors. For those who didnt know, have you ever noticed when your watching an older film that when you see a little flash in the top right hand corner, that was the cue to start the next projector up.

Bob was the name who worked no.1 screen and Pete worked 2 and 3....the good old days

[funkyparrotdotcom]

Hiya, Thanks for comments. Fred Orgill was chief projectionist, his wife Edna was manageress.

[jaybobthirteen]

thanks for this. i'd totally forgotten about the old funky number signs for the screens. i saw my first films there in the 'classic' days as a child such as star wars, pete's dragon etc and continued to visit right up until the final days when they began to show movies like taxi driver, the exorcist and last tango in paris. the multiplexes just cannot compare for atmosphere.

[funkyparrotdotcom]

Thanks for your comment, you might read more in the "Hinckley Times" if Sam Dimmer investigates a little further.