Opening night, Odeon Cinema, Sudbury, Greenford, London
The opening ceremony for the Sudbury Town Odeon on the 16 September 1935. Oscar Deutsch, the founder of Odeon Cinemas, stands at the front and to the left of the group of special guests. Quite a social occasion, the guests all wear evening dress and the ladies have been given bouquets. This Odeon branch closed in October 1956. The auditorium later became the Starlite Ballroom, Bingo Club, and Sudbury Town Nursery School, before being demolished by March 2018. 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.
