All My Yesterdays.

A Memory of Stanford-le-Hope.

The Regent Cinema was our Saturday go to place. There was always two films on during a matinee, the second being the longer better film. The audience was very vociferous especially when the cavalry rode in to the picture, bugle blowing. Almost everybody stood from their seats to cheer. Good atmosphere.
The manager used to stand to one side in the foyer and watch us file in. Years later, as older lads, when we tried to get in to see X rated films as they were then, he would still pull us out of the line and refuse us entry. We used to stand on our toes to try to look older. It would work with the ticket seller, but the manager was up to all the tricks. We couldn't stand on our toes if he was there.
On a Saturday, my mum would give me a shilling. The bus was a penny each way. The cinema was sixpence, cheap seats, and we used to get a fourpenny bag of chips to eat while walking to the station bus stop.