Premier Bingo, Mill Street, Alloa - March 2022
The La Scala Cinema was opened on the Mill Street, Alloa site on the 22nd of January 1916. It was bought by Thomas Ormiston of Motherwell in 1920. Ormiston's Cinemas were acquired by Denman Picture Houses, a subsidiary of Gaumont British Theatres in March 1928, and the Alloa cinema was soon operated by Gaumont British Theatre/Provincial Cinematograph Theatres (PCT). By 1935, they proposed plans to build a new, larger cinema on the site, and the La Scala Cinema was closed on the 2nd of July 1938 and demolished.
A new 1,000-seat Gaumont Cinema was built on the site, which was the last purpose built Gaumont cinema theatre to be built by the Gaumont British Theatres chain. This example in Alloa was the only one built in Scotland.
The Gaumont, Mill Street, Alloa, back in the day - Facebook
The new Gaumont cinema opened on 29th April 1939. The Mill Street facade is clad with cream coloured faience tiles, a cladding medium also used in the London Underground which is now coming back into fashion for modern buildings. Inside the theatre, seating was in a stadium plan, with a raised stepped section at the rear, rather than an overhanging balcony.
It was re-named Odeon in October 1964 and in November 1967 it was one of a large group of cinemas which was sold by the Rank Organisation to the Classic Cinemas chain, who renamed it Classic. Within a year it had been taken over by an independent operator and was re-named De Luxe Cinema.
By July 1971 films had all but ceased and the De Luxe was operating as a bingo club, with children's matinee film performances on Saturday mornings. These ceased on the 13th of June 1977. From then onwards the site was for Bingo only, firstly as the independent De Luxe Bingo Club, later run by Premier Bingo, the venue closed in August 2023.
References
Facebook Old Alloa Pictures Group
Cinematreasures.org
Scottishcinemas.org.uk