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Published:
July 15, 2006
Burnham-On-Sea Cinema celebrates its 70th anniversay with party!
Supporters
of Burnham-On-Sea's Ritz Cinema gathered to celebrate the building's
70th birthday this week when an evening of special events was
held.
 Over
100 people, including current and former staff, projectionists
and local VIPs, gathered in the Victoria Street cinema on Thursday
night (July 13th) to mark the historic milestone.
After
a drinks reception, the visitors were treated to a screening of
Noel Coward's 1945 classic Brief Encounter, which was nominated
for three Oscars and was a hugely popular film at the Ritz.
Aftewards,
current and former staff lined up at the front of the cinema's
second screen to hear owner Pat Scott (pictured below) look back
at the last 70 years and thank everyone for their "incredible
support."
 A
special birthday cake was brought into the cinema and a single
candle blown out by Robert Truman Dickin, whose grandfather Walter
built the cinema.
Talking
to Burnham-On-Sea.com, Robert said: "I fondly remember coming
here as a boy. It's always been a very special place."
"My
grandfather's motto was 'only the best is good enough' and that's
still very much the case today under Patt's ownership."
He
added: "My grandfather converted eight cinemas across Somerset
but built only one from scratch - Burnham's - so this building
is very unique."
 A
collection of memorabilia,
including posters and programmes from the 1930s, was on display
during the evening.
And
a film recounting the history of the Ritz, made by The Engine
Room in Bridgwater, was played.
Later,
a comedian entertained the audience with a lively mixture of comedy
and music - bringing the evening to a close.
A
collection was made during the evening for the Cinema And Television
Benevolent Fund, a trade charity for the cinema, film and television
industries.
 Mr
Scott spent more than £120,000 renovating the building after
the cinema closed in summer 2002.
He
re-opened the cinema on Friday, September 17th 2004 with two new
large screens, state-of-the-art projectors plus air conditioning
and seating for up to 230 people.
Since
then, the facility has become a well-used, popular part of Burnham's
social life.
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Burnham-On-Sea cinema re-opens after £120k revamp
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