The Story of Jack Darby's (The Picture House) Cinema

Jack Darby's in retirement Further to our recent article about 'The Bump', Lower Gornal's cinema (click here), let's walk up the hill onto the ridge that is the old turnpike road to Dudley. Around the spot where Gornal and Sedgley meet still stands The Leopard pub and the old cinema hall that is currently County Wallpapers. The County Wallpapers building was originally a large 19th Century public amenity known as "The Drill Hall". It was converted into a cinema by a Mr. J. Lewis and probably showed its first movie just before, or round about the same time as, The Bump - late 1911 or early 1912. Within a year it had been acquired by Mr. Ernest Gilbert and Mr.Fred Elvins, and by the end of 1913 the eponymous Jack Darby had bought the concern. Jack, a saddler by profession, had been licensee of the Leopard next door since 1905. Along with his friends, the brothers Clifford Fellows and Joseph Eustace Fellows he refurbished the cinema and made it as successful as The Alexandra. A quieter generator than the one that gave 'The Bump' its nickname meant that the accompaniment of pianist Sam Hartland was clear and memorable. Jack retired from pub in the 1920's and the cinema in the early 30's, and his son Howard Darby took over, with the assistance of partner Mr. Holmes. They embarked on a major update in 1936, adding a balcony and sound system to bring the 'talkies' to the area. This was a brave move, because a mile away in Sedgley a brand new 'super cinema' was being constructed for the Clifton chain. The new theatre opened in May 1937, but lacked the intimacy and 'good order' of the Picture House so that for a long time Jack Darby's maintained and even increased its audience. During the Second World War a bomb fell near to the Picture House and blew the neon sign right off (does any Yampy reader remember this happening?). Conveniently, the ARP station to which Howard Darby belonged was based just behind the cinema in the Tram Depot. It was around this time that Mr. Holmes left the partnership, while Howard and his wife were to maintain his father's legacy for the rest of its working life. Two sisters, Mrs. Britain and Mrs. Marsh kept the cosy theatre in immaculate condition, and its reputation of being an 'orderly house' was undiminished. Nevertheless, the constant problem of finding films that were not already 'old hat' to cinema-goers, who could choose the Sedgley Clifton or hop on the tram to Dudley or Wolverhampton, was taking its toll, despite a commendable £4000 capital injection in the austere 1950's to facilitate cinemascope. The final show - The Mouse That Roared - was projected on 2nd January 1960 by Jim Harrison, a sad moment for someone associated with Jack Darby's for almost thirty years. Please send us your memories of the cinema; the staff, customers, memorable films, we want to know everything - well, almost everything, depending on whether your courtin' conquests are rated PG or X. If you have a photograph of Jack Darby's while it was still showing films we would be very grateful. Email us at admin@yampy.co.uk. The information used above has been summarised, with the kind permission of the author, from 'Cinemas of The Black Country' by Ned Williams, which contains further details of Jack Darby's and many other local movie theatres. It has been out of print for many years, but Gornal library has a copy. Ned Williams was born in London in 1944, but has lived in the Black Country since 1962; twelve years in Dudley, and ever since in Wolverhampton. Since 1969 Ned has written thirty books about different aspects of the Black Country with some specialising on the worlds of entertainment, transport, and retailing. He is available for talks on Black Country topics and regularly leads several WEA Local History classes in the region.