Odeon Cinema, Penel Orlieu, Bridgwater, Somerset
The newly opened Odeon Cinema, advertising 'The Amateur Gentleman', with Douglas Fairbanks, the first film to be shown there. The cinema, opened in 1936, was sold to Classic Cinemas in the 1960s and renamed The Classic. It closed in 1983, later becoming the Film Centre and then Scott Cinema, which closed in 2022. The Odeon cinema company was founded in 1930 by Oscar Deutsch. During the 1930s, it grew to become one of the country’s major chains of cinemas. The first five Odeon cinemas opened in 1933, and by 1936 there were 142 across the country. Although each Odeon was unique, the use of a set range of architectural features meant that most of the cinemas were instantly recognisable as an 'Odeon', with their distinctive Modernist style. The slogan, ‘Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation’ (ODEON) was also synonymous with the brand.
