NextBackThe Select Cinema was situated down Alcester Street next to the bus station. Otherwise known as the 'Flea Pit' or the 'Bug House' I am sure that by now you have clocked that it was not exactly salubrious, in fact it was what we in Redditch called 'A Dive'. First impressions were not good, with peeling paintwork and a general air of dereliction. A couple of glass cases on the outside wall contained advertising material for the films showing for your delectation. The Select was where you went to see gruesome Horror Pictures. Curse of the Mummy, I was Frankenstein's Wife, Curse of the Wherewolf, and other similar films, including the odd Blue Movie. Upstairs was the most desirable seat for us urchins. The balcony was probably totally unsafe. The rail stopping you from falling over the balcony was loose and could be pushed back and forth with a little effort. Used as a handy shelf on which to place an ice cream, many a downstairs patron found themselves wearing an upturned tub on their head. Needless to say we were ejected on more than one occasion.
In later years it changed it's name to The Regal Cinema. Just as the old saying goes 'You can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear' so the Regal was still a 'Dive' until it met it's final end under the front bucket of Earnie Cater's Chaseside excavator!
