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Battle epic at the pictures
Sep 9 2005
By Tony Collins, Evening Mail
SCORES of cinema fans are battling to stop the curtain coming down for the last time on their beloved suburban picture house.
The landmark Odeon in Hagley Road West, Quinton, is up for grabs after being put on the market earlier this year amid fears it will be demolished by developers.
The historic cinema is for sale along with Sutton Coldfield Odeon after the UCI cinema chain was told by the Office of Fair Trading to sell the two picture houses.
The OFT claims they are too close to existing UCI multiplexes at Merry Hill, Five Ways and Tamworth.
But the planned sell-off of Quinton Odeon has sparked outrage from local people who have used their picture house since it opened in 1939 as the Danilo.
Bernard Taylor, of Quinton Local History Society, who organised the petition, said: "This cinema is particularly popular with the elderly and young people who need something on the doorstep.
"Like many couples, my wife and I went there when we were courting in the 1960s."
Mr Taylor added: "Merry Hill or Five Ways is a long way to go to the cenema if you don't drive or don't want to use public transport."
Andrew Dowler, of Terra Firma, parent company of UCI, said: "There has been a lot of interest in the Quinton cinema. I am confident that both picture houses will be sold and will remain as cinemas."
