Leeds nostalgia: Cinema bosses blame television for suburban picture house closures

Two Leeds cinemas were forced to close this month - The Clock at Harehills and the Rex in Dewsbury Road. Managers from both blamed television for the closures.
Leeds cinemas.  The rex, February 1976.Leeds cinemas.  The rex, February 1976.
Leeds cinemas. The rex, February 1976.

The announcement came after a meeting of the directors of West Leeds Amusements Ltd, who also owned the Lyrie Cinema, Armley, which was also forced to close.

The story appeared in the YEP in February 1976.

A spokesman said: “The real enemy of the suburban cinema is television. It has become impossible to run them economically.

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“It is lack of public support which is the problem, caused by television but also because big films always go to the city centre cinemas before they come to the suburbs.”

That week The Clock was showing Earthquake, while the Rex was showing Godfather Part II.

Also this week, councillors in Leeds voted to refer price increases to the annual water bill to the Price Commission watchdog after a £2.5m hike.

Yorkshire Water Authority issued the £9.7m estimated bill to councillors, a significant increase on the city’s £7.3m bill for the previous year.

For residents, it meant a hike of 3.2p rates increase, taking Yorkhisre Water’s share from 9.7p in the pound to 12.9p.