Remembering the Durham cinema where I saw Jaws aged 7

RECENTLY we said a sad goodbye to my Uncle John. Our John took me to my first football match (Sunderland lost to Crystal Palace, 2-1); he took me to the theatre to see my first Cole Porter musical, (‘Kiss Me Kate’ at the Theatre Royal Newcastle); the first person to give me a Stephen King book.

He was the first person to buy me a digital watch; the first person to introduce me to Oor Wullie and The Broons; the only person who I have been to see an opera with and, unforgettably, the first person to take me to see Jaws – when I was seven!!

Read more: I was tempted to ‘question everything’ with Robson Green… but luckily I didn’t

Yes, he took me to see the Spielberg thriller when it was released in cinemas in June, 1975.

The classic shark film is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. It spawned several sequels and we’ve had plenty of sea monster films since, from Sharknado to The Meg but, for my money, NONE of them come close to the original and best.

Our John took me on the bus from Thornley to see it in the Durham Classic Cinema on North Road, Durham.

If you’re younger than me you might remember this picture house became part of the Robins Cinema chain in the late 70s and 80’s.

If you’re older than me you might remember it as a Regal Cinema or an Essoldo Cinema (See Facts and Footnotes below for more trivia).

And you might be wondering why does that matter WHERE you see an all-time movie classic?

My Dad had always made sure I was aware of the great classics on TV; Cool Hand Luke, Bad Day At Black Rock, 12 Angry Men, Laurel and Hardy, White Heat…I saw them all on the telly, sat on the couch with my Dad.

Thankfully, my Uncle John continued this education on the big screen and the thing about seeing an all-time classic at the pictures, you usually remember WHO you went with and exactly WHERE you saw it.

This is why, when an old cinema is knocked down, people are sad as their memories are so firmly attached to it.

Now you might also be wondering why I was allowed to see it at the age of seven. Well, Jaws held the now defunct certificate ‘AA’ – a film that passed at ‘AA’ certificate limited admission to 14 years and older, unless accompanied by an adult!

And that adult was Our John and I’ll be forever grateful for being introduced to something so iconic at such a young age. I still treasure the memory of hearing that incredible John Williams’ theme for the first time, ‘…Daah DAH! Daah DAH! …DAH DAH DAH DAH…’

The opening, shocking scene. The false alarms. The mayor of Amity. That bit where they look for Ben Gardner on his eery boat. And those unforgettable leading characters, Quint, Hooper and Brodie.

Every scene is perfect. The script so memorable! ‘We’re gonna need a bigger boat’. It was unbelievable to be introduced to such a quality film at such a young age.

The 50th anniversary means there have been a huge spate of articles, tributes, YouTube shorts, documentaries and even previously untold tales about the making of the film and I have enjoyed devouring as many as I can.

There was even a touring theatre show called ‘The Shark Is Broken’ that came to the North East, starring Robert Shaw’s son who looks and sounds just like his dad.

Unfortunately, I missed this show but I am happy to report Mrs Joey took our lad to see it. Yes, I had introduced him to the film when he was seven.

They loved it the stage show and so the legacy continues. He is a Jaws fan, like myself and Our John!

FUN FACTS & FOOTNOTES

• Durham’s Regal Cinema was built in the 30’s in an Art Deco style by architect S.J. Stephenson. It also had a Christie 2-manual organ,

• When Robins took over, they converted parts of the building: the upstairs screen was split into two, and a very small screen (about 66 seats) was created out of another area, making it a 4-screen venue.

• The full-size mechanical shark in Jaws was called Bruce, named after Steven Spielberg’s lawyer.

• In the original novel by Peter Benchley, the shark survives and Hooper dies!

Alfie Joey’s theatre and costume design can be seen on stage in Goldilocks and the Three Bears at Customs House Theatre, South Shields until January 3.