My Dad's Diary : Tues 5th August 1947

"Bill stayed extra day - went to Durham.

Fine day for last day.

Took him to Westgate at night."

I assume this was the Westgate Cinema in Newcastle. It closed as a cinema in 1958 and reopened as the Majestic Ballroom ("the Maj") in 1959. The Beatles played there in 1963. Later it became bingo hall and  is now the O2 Academy.

My Dad's Diary : Fri 11th July 1947

"Took Doris to Ritz."

Not the Ritz restaurant, of course, but the Ritz Cinema in Gateshead. The Ritz was the nicest and probably the most expensive cinema in Gateshead and going there was always a treat.

The Ritz Cinema was closed on 18th May 1968 with Dennis Waterman in “Up the Junction”. It had been purchased in a compulsory purchase order to build the A1 road viaduct, a scheme which also destroyed the nearby Essoldo Theatre. There are now plans to demolish the road viaduct, when money allows.

My Dad's Diary : Tues 18th March 1947

"Raining (with sleet) all day.

Took Doris to Essoldo at night to see 'Janie Gets Married' and 'The Letter'.

Snow disappearing fast."

The Essoldo, along with all the other old cinemas in Gateshead, is long gone.




Janie Gets Married (1946): 

Married life isn't as blissful as either Dick or Janie had hoped. Dick is hired to write filler for his father-in-law's newspaper, but is never allowed to prove his real worth. Janie has to do housekeeping while dealing with a "well-meaning" mother and mother-in-law. When Dick invites an army buddy to stay with them, and that buddy turns out to be a girl, the situation takes a turn for the worse.

The Letter (1940) starred the wonderful Bette Davis and was directed by William Wyler:

The wife of a rubber plantation administrator shoots a man to death and claims it was self-defense, but a letter in her own hand may prove her undoing.

My Dad's Diary : Sat 25th January 1947

"Still no coals.

Saw Gateshead beat Rotherham 2-0.

Saw 'Concerto' at Coatsworth."


Five days of no coals."

 Although the Odeon was the cinema of choice, there were of course, several other cinemas in Gateshead. The Coatsworth was an easy walk from the house.

I can't trace a film called simply 'Concerto' from that period.