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Oak Lane / Oriental Cinema Oak Lane, Manningham, Bradford.
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 Location Building "Oak Lane represents the transformation of a tramshed into a cinema house. The old stone frontage has been painted to simulate marble, while the interior is a triumph of the decorators art. This is a single deck hall with gradual slope." Opening "The Pseudo Sultan" - 1912 USA B/w Silent.The proprietor was Tom Kuner and his new "Palatial Electric Theatre" seated 519 people. T. Kenner was the manager. The Bradford Daily Argus advertised . . . Oak Lane CinemaThe Bradford Daily Argus enthused after the opening . . . " . . . is a striking example of architectural compatibility. The hall, which is 114 feet in length, has been judiciously arranged in its accommodation and an attendance of some 600 (officially 519) can be comfortably seated." Music and the War "A delightful ladies orchestra under the direction of Miss Agnes M. Robertson LRAM has been engaged for the Oak Lane Cinema and will commence duties on Monday 4th August 1913. The musical programme has been arranged so that each film will have its own appropriate music."In January 1914 after redecoration and fitting of new screen and new heating plus a new management and proudly advertised . . . "The Management cordially invites the public of Bradford & District to visit the Oak Lane Cinema. Redecorated, re-heated, new screen, new management. Run on West End lines."It reopened as the New Oak Lane Cinema on Monday 19th January 1914 with . . . The Film of the CenturyIn 1914 William Edgar (Ted) Holland was to take over as manager and he met his wife-to-be at the Oak Lane. He later moved to the Pavilion de Luxe in Shipley thence to the new Saltaire Picture House. Holland's experience in the Bradford and Shipley area was to pave the way for his later rise with Odeon circuit and later North of England regional controller for Rank. With the start of the First World War in August 1914, the cinema patriotically advertised in October 1914 . . . "Great Britain for PluckFilms from the war front were to be shown regularly and became an important item in all cinema programmes - this was the start of the newsreels. Name Change to Oriental Music continued to be an accompaniment to silent films and by 1925 it boasted an "Augmented Orchestra". Percy Richardson had become resident manager. In January 1928 as a special event . . . " . . . also gigantic attraction on the stage - personal visit of Herbert Langley, the British National Operatic Baritone from the Albert Hall, Covent Garden Opera House, London; also with Beecham's Opera Company."In May 1930 with 'talkies' becoming popular it was "Freedman and his Orchestra" who continued to accompany any silent films. The Western Electric sound set had already been installed and on 3rd August 1931 advertised . . . "Just installed the latest Westone Screen. The clearness is amazing. The most perfect talkies in Bradford." Closure for rebuilding "The House of Rothchild" - 1924 USA B/w + colour seq. 87 mins. "Closed from Monday 12th October 1936 for extensive alterations, watch for opening date." In fact, the cinema was to be almost rebuilt. Rebuilding as New Oriental The building was limited by its site and still provided a long narrow auditorium. The rebuilt frontage of brick and faience tile had a central stepped entrance with canopy over and large advertising panels at each side. The upper part art-deco with stepped façade and a large vertical fin down the centre carried the Oriental name on both sides. The angled front corners of the façade had large vertical similarly angled windows. The New Oriental stood out from the surrounding soot-darkened Victorian properties of the densely populated neighbourhood. This became even more so after dark when it was ablaze with neon and other spectacular lighting effects and could be clearly seen from Manningham Lane (a major thoroughfare) 300 yards away. Contractors Main Contractor - Alfred Robinson, Idle, Bradford. New Interior The stalls had a single central entrance at the rear to its 543 seats in two blocks with centre aisle. At the front another 50+ could be accommodated on wooden forms set just 12 feet 10 inches from the screen. The total capacity was circa 750. At the time it was described as . . . "Decoration is carried out in warm tones to harmonise with the new seating. A warm and cosy atmosphere pervades the hall and large electric fans in the ceiling ensure a constant flow of clean air."It is not surprising that will all these features it was described by the Telegraph & Argus as "Bradford's Wonder Cinema". Holophane Lighting "An ingenious apparatus which blends, harmonises and contrasts three primary colours (red, green and blue) to produce with scientific exactitude some wonderfully effective rainbow and more colour combinations. Delicate shades appear like magic on the walls and beams shading gradually through a range of fairy-like tones - over 300 changes can be produced in a few moments. The effect on the silver satin festooned curtain in front of the screen is superb." Grand Reopening "Captain January" - 1936 USA B/w 74 mins.Shown for three days, for the remainder of the week . . . "The Prisoner of Shark Island" - 1936 USA B/w 95 mins.The proprietors were now registered as Manningham Kinematograph Theatres Ltd headed by Percy Richardson. Hammond Organ Searchlight on Roof Although the New Oriental used the town 230v AC supply it also had a generator to supply DC for the projector carbon arcs and the searchlight. Unfortunately the searchlight could only be used before, after or between performances as the generator could not supply enough current for both searchlight and projectors to work together. The searchlight was switched off in 1939 and later removed following the outbreak of the Second World War. Anecdotal Story "When I started work at age 14 it was as apprentice mechanic at Oak Lane garage, next door to the Oriental cinema, it was owned at that time by a man named (Percy) Richardson, he had a big car and I used to fill it with petrol for him. When the war came in 1939 we had to do fire watching, it was worked out that one night the garage would look after both buildings, and in rotation the cinema would watch for us, it was asking a lot of a young lad to be all on his own in a big empty building but they put a camp bed for me up in little room with the fridge full of ice cream and drinks. Of course I never sampled any."Cinema and theatre buildings often do produce strange phenomena in the dead of night. Gordon Clark continues his reminiscences . . . "The projectionist was a chap by the name of Jack Slingsby who also worked the searchlight (on the roof) before starting the performance; he also came mornings to do his rewinding. CinemaScope Only three Bradford cinemas had the full system installed - Essoldo in Manningham Lane for first-run Fox releases and Carlton in Manchester Road and Oriental both for second runs. The new system opened with much publicity on Monday 14th March 1955 with . . . C i n e m a S c o p eMost Fox releases were to play here, many for the full week instead of the usual two changes per week. Closure and Demolition "The Vikings" - 1958 USA Technirama 116 mins.The building was subsequently demolished and a mini-supermarket built on the site which still functions today in 2010. May not be copied or reproduced without permission.
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For nearly four months the huge rebuilding project was to enlarge the cinema and provide the latest facilities - some unique to the city. The old corrugated roof of the former tramshed building was removed - it used to rattle during winds and rain; the side walls were raised and topped by a pitched roof.
Extensive alterations were made in 1955 to accommodate a new curved CinemaScope widescreen with adjustable masking together with the full stereophonic sound system as required by 20th Century Fox. The four-track magnetic stripe system included the ambient (surround) track with speakers around the hall.