The Ritz Cinema
The art deco Ritz Cinema, Athlone (1940) was an early commission by Michael Scott (1905-1988), who later designed the Abbey Theatre and Busaras in Dublin, and who is considered the most important architect of the twentieth century in Ireland.
Michael Scott's main works and projects
County Hospital, Portlaoise, County Laois 1933-36 County Hospital, Tullamore, County Offaly 1934-37 'Geragh', Sandycove, County Dublin 1937-38 The Irish Pavilion, New York World's Fair 1938-39 Ritz Cinema, Athlone, County Westmeath 1938-39 Chassis Factory, Inchicore, Dublin 1946-48 Donnybrook Bus Garage, Dublin 1946-51 Busáras (Áras Mhic Diarmada), Store Street, Dublin 1946-53 Radio Telefís Éireann Studios, Donnybrook Dublin 1959-61
During the Second World War, or the “Emergency” as it was called in neutral Ireland, Scott's practice survived on small commissions such as cinemas and interiors of public bars, as building materials and money were in short supply and architects were hard hit. Scott tended to pass on work and commissions that he had received to young graduate architects whose work he admired. Although usually attributed to Scott, Athlone's Ritz Cinema was in fact designed by Bill O'Dwyer, who was working and studying in Scott's office at that time. While it is impossible for a successful architect to fully design all the buildings that come into his practice, Scott seems to have produced only rough sketches for the project, leaving O'Dwyer to design the building. O'Dwyer was to be responsiblefor many of the cinema commissions undertaken by the firm in these years, including two other Ritz cinemas at Carlow (1937) and Clonmel (1940).
The Ritz was constructed on pilotas on a riverside site. The original perspective drawings include large areas of glazing on the facade as well as between the pilotas on the side elevation, where a riverside restaurant was to be sited. Most of this was never completed as the budget did not allow it.The interior was dominated by a double height public space lit by a large expanse of glass on the front facade. This can be seen as a predecessor to the entrance foyer of the Government offices in Busáras, with its fully glazed facade. The foyer was painted in a colour scheme incorporating a pale duck egg blue ceiling, with beige and pale grey walls. Again incorporating the work of artists, the interior of the theatre had carved figures designed by Louis le Brocquy. With its large areas of white plaster, glazing, porthole windows and flat roofs, the building reflected the maritime imagery of the time and still seems quite alien in this traditional country market town. It is clearly of the same lineage as Geragh and the World Fair Pavilion.
Source: www.archeire.com
The Ritz continued to be a highly successful cinema despite the introduction of television to Ireland in 1962, but the numbers of cinema goers had begun to drop considerably by the mid-70s. The stalls area on the ground floor was converted into a sleazy amusement arcade around then, leaving the balcony as the cinema area,but the Ritz finally lost out to the home video revolution in the early 80s and closed its doors for the last time in 1984. (I wonder if anyone knows what the last ever film shown there was?) The building lay derelict and dilapidated for another fifteen years, changing ownership several times, and was demolished in 1999.
MICHAEL SCOTT (1905 - 1989) architect, artist, actor
Born in Drogheda of Kerry parents; educated at Belvedere College, Dublin. At eighteen he was apprenticed to Jones and Kelly, architects. Attracted to acting, he joined the Abbey School and spent six months in America, acting in a season of O'Casey plays and studying hospital design. Then, under an assumed name, he took a leading part at the Apollo Theatre in London in The New Gossoon by George Sheils. After rave notices, his real name was revealed, he threw up the part, and never again acted professionally.In his career as architect he had an early success in 1939 with his design for the Irish pavilion at the New York World's Fair, which was selected by an international jury as the best in the Fair. The mayor, Fiorello la Guardia, had him made an honorary citizen of New York. In 1944 his design for Busaras, Dublin, involved him in long-lasting controversy in which the merits of his design became peripheral to a row over the cost and use of the building. It became offices for the Department of Social Welfare in 1948 but was eventually completed and opened in 1953. In 1959 he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland for his design and in 1975 the Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of British Architects, the only Irish architect so honoured. Other work included new studios and offices for RTE and, in association with the French architect Pierre Sonrel, the design of the new Abbey Theatre. Scott had a major and lasting influence on the promotion and appreciation of modern art in Ireland of the fifties and sixties. He was founder and chairman of Rosc, thePoetry of Vision. In 1967 its first exhibition of the works of fifty international artists madea stunning impact on the Irish art scene. With all this activity he still found timetodraw and paint and to serve on the Arts Council and as chairman of Dublin Theatre Festival for a number of years. He received an honorary DLitt from the University of Dublin in 1970. He died at home in Sandycove, County Dublin, on 24 January 1989, survived by his sons Anthony, Michael, Brian and Niall and his daughter, Ciarin.Source: A Dictionary of Irish Biography, Henry Boylan (ed.), Gill & Macmillan, Dublin, 1998.
Ritz Cinema Programme for April 1969Distribution and exhibition practices in the film industry have changed out of all recognition since then
Wednesday 2nd April at 8.15 pm.
Farley Granger* Ann Bancroft* Anthony QuinnTHE NAKED STREETDan Vaois* Helga LineDAY OF VENGEANCE
* - SHOP AT OUR KIOSK - ** Ices, Cigarettes, Minerals, ChocolatesPopcorn, Peanuts, Sweets etc. *
* Thurs. Fri. Sat. 3rd 4th 5thCINEMA CLOSED *
Sunday 6th 8.15 pm Matinee 3 pmMacdonald Carey *Shirley Anne FieldTHE DAMNEDFabian* Tab HunterRIDE THE WILD SURF
Monday,Tuesday 7th. 8th.John Payne*Agnes MoorheadBLAZING FORESTTHE LITTLE PRINCE AND THE 8 HEADED DRAGON
Wednesday, Thursday 9th 10thWaLt Disney's THE LADY AND THE TRAMPFess ParkerDAVY CROCKETT, KING OF THE WILD FRONTIER
Friday, Saturday 11th & 12thCecil Parker*George Cole*Joyce Grenfell*THE PURE HELL OF ST. TRINIANSTerry Thomas*Alistair Sim*SabrinaBLUE MURDER AT ST. TRINIANS
QUICK REPAIRSSOS SHOE REPAIR SERVICENORTHGATE STREET, ATHLONE
Sunday 13th Matinee 3 pmChristopher Lee*Yvonne MonlaurYHE TERROR OF THE TONGSAnthony Quayle*Sylvia SimEAST OF SUDAN
Monday Tuesday 14th 15thMore Shocking - More Savage than "Africa Addio"MAL D'AFRICAPersons under 18 years not admitted
OUR GIRL FRIDAY Wednesday Thursday 16th. 17th.Yves Montand*Candice Bergen*Annie GirardotLIVE FOR LIFEPersons under 18 years not admitted
Friday Saturday 18th 19th Matinee Sat. 3p.m.James Coburn*Lee J. Cobb* Jean HaleIN LIKE FLINT
Sunday 20th Matinee 3 p.m.Horst Bucholz* Sylva KoscinaTHAT MAN IN ISTANBULGeorge MoonBREATH OF LIFE
Monday Tuesday 21st 22ndHorst Taddert* Hans CossyTHE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERYDan MartinA MAN CALLED GRINGO
Wednesday Thursday 23rd 24thJames Coburn*James Mason*James FoxDUFFYVince Edwards*Judy GeesonHAMMERHEADPersons under 16 years not admitted
Friday Saturday 26th 27thLana Turner*Anthony Quinn* Sandra DeePORTRAIT IN BLACKMexican Ballet Co.GRADUATION BALL
Sunday 28th Matinee 3 p.m.
Audie Murphy *Colleen MillerGUNFIGHT AT COMANCHE CREEKMatt Munro*Susan Maughan*The AnimalsPOP GEAR
Monday Tuesday 29th 30thAnn Bancroft* Dustin Hoffman*Katherine RossTHE GRADUATEPersons under 18 years not admitted
A link to another webpage about the Ritz:
http://www.geocities.com/barrybyrne.geo/ritz
Two more views of terminal dilapidation
The original glazed facade of the Ritz
The original architect's drawing of the Ritz (note the riverside terrace, unrealised until the building of Custume Pier)
A great staple of the B-movie slots at the Ritz Cinema as late as the early 70s were the very dated "Old Mother Riley" films, starring Arthur Lucan as the irascible Irish washerwoman.
Irish cinemas blog: http://thissortofthing.wordpress.com/
More on the Ritz: http://www.athlonelive.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=108&whichpage=1
