Plymouth, Cinemas | Hale's Tours of the World

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The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History

CINEMAS

HALE'S TOURS OF THE WORLD

Updated: 04 September 2011

Mr George Hale was a former chief fire officer at Kansas City. He invented a rather idiosyncratic form of cinema entertainment, which he first introduced at the St Louis Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904. It was so successful that he was soon selling copies of his show all over America. In 1906 it was brought to England and soon various versions were to be seen in all the major cities.

In Plymouth, premises at 83 Old Town Street, were modified and the seating arranged in a simulated railway carriage. Travel films, taken either from the front of a railway locomotive or perhaps a river steamer, were then projected onto a screen cunningly disguised as a window at the front of the carriage. Unseen attendants then rocked the structure from side to side to give the illusion of movement. There was even a uniformed ticket collector to punch the tickets and wave his flag or blow the whistle from time to time.

It was advertised as 'The well known popular educational and high-class entertainment as shown at Oxford Street, London' and the first show in Plymouth took place on Saturday April 18th 1908. The tours were of Victoria Falls, New South Wales and one through either Holland or Norway. In keeping with the theme, a fare was charged rather than a price, it being 6d until 6pm and 2d thereafter.

However, this 'Novel Exhibition', as the local press called it, must have been an instant success because on the following Thursday the advertised evening fare had risen to 3d and the more expensive time had been lengthened by an hour to 7pm. During the second week the tours were to be Malaga (Spain), Borneo and the Swiss Alps.

There is no indication as to when these displays ceased.

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