Look back: Archive photos of Bradford cinemas over years

Pictured above are hundreds of fans queueing outside the Odeon in 1983 for a marathon screening of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

It was a case of ‘Sorry, we’re outer space’ for some fans, who were turned away as the House Full sign went up. Were you there?

Also pictured is the Arcadian Cinema, which was on the corner of Legrams Lane and Ingleby Road. It opened in 1940 and closed in 1964, with a screening of Jason and the Argonauts

We remember Bradford’s much-loved Odeon, with a photo of Screen 2 back in 1969, and Shipley’s Unit Four cinema, which opened in 1911. It’s pictured in 1972, when it was modernised, with four auditoriums, and 1980.

 The cinema was demolished in 2001 and the site became flats.

Cinema was in its heyday in the Thirties, and we've got a photo of the old Ritz Cinema on Broadway, Bradford, back in 1939.

In 1969 the Odeon was divided into twin cinemas and the Top Rank Bingo hall opened in the building. In keeping with the 'twin' theme, twin sisters were invited to the opening promote the occasion.  

We also remember the Marlboro in Manningham, which opened in 1921 with a screening of Love’s Harvest. In the 1960s it became a bingo club then re-opened as a cinema. It closed in 2009.

The long queue to see Star Wars in 1978 (Image: Newsquest)

Shipley's Unit Four cinema pictured in 1980 (Image: Newsquest)

The Arcadian Cinema in 1979 (Image: Newsquest)

Buying sweets and tickets at the kiosk at the ABC Canon (Image: Newsquest)

The Ritz Cinema on Broadway, Bradford, in 1939 (Image: Newsquest)

The Marlboro in Manningham (Image: Newsquest)

Shipley's Unit Four Cinema in 1972 (Image: Newsquest)

Screen 2 at the Odeon in Bradford in 1969 (Image: Newsquest)These twins promoted the re-opening of the Odeon in 1969 (Image: Newsquest)