When a silent film was shown you could sit at the front and read the subtitles aloud if you were a good reader. I never got to do that. (What does that say?)

My boyfriend Brian took empty bottles back to the off-licence to get money for me to pay to get in the Vic. The ‘chucker out’ never watched the girls playing tricks as he did the boys. My job was to get in then open the fire door to let Brian in.

One time the plan went wrong, the man stood by the door all night, although we tried to distract him by throwing paper and creating a disturbance. Poor Brian didn’t get in.

The lady who owned the cinema I think (because of her accent) came from Oldham. During one performance we thought she shouted at the top of her voice, “Has anybody lost a pearl Necklace?” All the kids looked over to where she stood holding not a pearl necklace but a pair of Knickers! I guess someone wet them and left them in the loo. Of course the place was in uproar. But guess what? Nobody claimed the ‘purl-neckless’ and it definitely wasn’t mine!
Marie Pandolfo, nee Jordan.