LAST week, the last ABC cinema in the country shut, meaning the closing credits came down on a famous entertainment name after nearly 90 years.
The last ABC was in Bournemouth; the first one had opened in 1928. Inbetween, there were ABCs in Darlington, Stockton, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Gateshead and Whiteley Bay – and anywhere else?
ABC stood for Associated British Cinemas. Initially, ABCs were called Savoy or Regal, but from the early 1950s they were rebranded as ABC. In the 1960s, ABC was taken over by EMI; in 1986, it became Cannon, and during the 1990s, it was owned by Pathe, MGM and Virgin until, in 2000, it ended up in the Odeon group. With each successive change of ownership, some of the ABC branding disappeared until the one in Bournemouth was the last cinema standing.
One of ABC's most famous pieces of history was the introduction of the ABC Minors club, for children, during the Second World War. At the start of the screening, the minors' song would appear with a bouncing red ball above the lyrics to show the children what they should be singing:
We're minors of the ABC
And every Saturday we line up
To see the films we like
And shout aloud with glee
We love to laugh and have a sing-song
Just a happy crowd are we
We’re all pals together
We’re minors of the ABC
If you've got an ABC memory you'd like to share, please email chris.lloyd@nne.co.uk
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