Audrey’s life at the movies began at Carlisle’s City
Last updated 09:18, Saturday, 05 April 2008
Our feature on The City Cinema in Carlisle brought back many memories for Timeline readers, especially Audrey Wallace, of Wolsty Close, Carlisle.
Audrey worked at The City from the age of 18 back in 1948, firstly as an usherette, but gradually working her way up the ladder to relief manager.
“I began my career at the age of 16 at The Lonsdale, but moved to The City two years later as an usherette,” she remembers.
“The cinema had a capacity of 2,000 and was nearly always full. People used to queue for ages, especially for films like The Nun Story and Gone With The Wind. Cost of tickets (depending on where you sat) was 1/-, 1/9d and 2/3d. and we changed the films mid-week.
“I then became a kiosk attendant. It was a pretty small kiosk as there weren’t many varieties of sweets to sell in those days.
“I also sold ice cream during the interval. I can remember once a salesman came from head office. He decided we needed to be trained on how to sell ice cream properly!
He put on a record and told us to move our heads from right to left in time to the music, looking at the audience as we were going up the aisles.
“By the time I got to the top of the cinema carrying the tray I was dizzy – and fainted!
“In our pay kiosk was a lady called Amy Clarke, who always wore the same long green dress. The only time she changed it was when the king died and then she wore a black one. She had long ringlets and was quite a character.
“I then moved on to cashier, then secretary and eventually relief manager. Our manager, Harry Wilson was a great boss to work for. He used to hire a bus for under privileged children and take them for days out.
“I’ve always loved watching films, especially action packed ones. The City once showed Vincent Price in House on Haunted Hill. There was a scene where a body had been put in a bath of lime and became a skeleton.
“In the cinema they had rigged up a skeleton so when it disappeared from the screen, it looked like it was moving up the cinema. It was quite scary!
“When it closed in 1963 we had a party in the foyer.
“ I transferred with the company over to the North East working in cinemas in Newcastle, Wallsend and South Shields. I then moved to London and continued to work in many of the cinemas.
“I stayed in London until my retirement when I then returned to Carlisle.”
