What was the first film you ever saw in a cinema?

All those mentioning Bambi bring back memories of my brother when we went to see it with my mum, aunt and cousins. The cinema was full so we were split into two groups as there was not room for us all to sit together. My brother was in a different part of the cinema. He was well known for giving running commentaries and suddenly, at the vital moment, his stentorian tones were heard throughout the cinema as he informed us all that: “this is the bit where Bambi’s mother dies.” Cue an onslaught of sobbing from many of the other children there.

Another Bambi! I was in the care of my older brother who was about 7/8. Presumably we walked or took the bus to get to the cinema. My brother was so embarrassed when I started crying when Bambi’s mother died. He climbed under the seats and sat three rows back, abandoning me!

and yes, you must be right. Probably Bambi- traumatising!

Bambi and National Velvet both came out in the early 1940s. I saw Bambi in about 1947 when I was about 4. Never having been in a cinema before, I can remember my confusion when we went through some doors into this huge dark space, with flichering kight at the front and then as we sat down realising that I what I was watching was a film.

kissin' cousins -elvis/double bill,with the pawnbroker
mom would not letme watch the second one
drive-in so she made me sleepin the back of the car
1964 was strange
next week at the palace was mary poppin with my best friend

After the ABC Minors my first 'grown up' film was South Pacific as well. I've loved musicals ever since then.

Pollyanna, with Hayley Mills

Ben Hur with my dad in Newcastle

The Hundred and One Dalmatians. My elder sister took me when she came home from America to see us all.

I don't know if it was my first film in the cinema but Whistle Down the Wind is the one that stands out in my memory.

Were Disney films shown at cinemas after their first release on a cycle, like every 5 years or similar? So many of us saw Bambi as our first film, but I’m guessing we are all different ages, so maybe it was shown every few years?

There was something called the Children’s Film Foundation or similar, and they were the only films my mother thought suitable. They were shown in the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool, so I suppose that’s not really a cinema. Oh, and I did see Fantasia, which was considered OK because it had classical music. Later I went to the Red Shoes, which obsessed me for a while. I was taken to theatre and ballet rather than films.

When I was about fourteen I went with a friend to Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. I thought it was awful, and said so, which did not endear me to that particular (ex-) friend.

Rosie51

I don't know if it was my first film in the cinema but Whistle Down the Wind is the one that stands out in my memory.

Oh I love that film. My favourite of all time I think.
I've watch it years ago on the tele and we've got the dvd. All my family love it.

Although I grew up in the slums of Birmingham we had a wonderful cinema called The Palladium nearby and mum used to take me there. I can still remember the pink curtains that used to roll up before the film started. I can remember seeing an Elvis film and Tommy the Toreador. We saw The Sleeping Beauty and I thought Malificent was beautiful. But seeing How the West was Won at a new cinema with CinemaScope made me realise that some films have to be seen at a cinema. My favourite film as a child was The Jungle Book with Sabu but I must have seen that on the tv.

I was taken to the cinema by a neighbour as my brother was born that evening _ so I had to watch a black and white "whodunit" which I think was called "The Moss Rose" and had a character wielding a swordstick (I think).
Later on I remember "Bambi" and "Song of the South"

I remember going to see The Beatles film Help with my much older brother.
I was very little, certainly pre infant school.
One of my sisters reckoned he probably only took me because no one else would go😁
Another I remember with another older sister was That Darned Cat which was the title song also😸

Jungle Book with my dad, in the Odeon cinema in Norwich. I loved it and still do, although my DGS was most unimpressed when I tried to watch it with him.

Gagajo give the more recent live action version a go -we saw it at the cinema it went down well with ours then they went on to watch the “proper one” when they were both being aired on tv.
Just love “King of the Swingers” and appreciate the music even more now I’m older. It was top quality entertainment👌🏻

I think it must have been Mandy, with Mandy Miller in about 1952.

My brothers, who were older than me, used to go to Saturday morning cinema most weeks.
Later on in my teens I went with friends and saw Summer Holiday, Elvis films, oddly enough Norman Wisdom films and any Doctor films with Dirk Bogarde, whom we thought was the best looking man we'd ever seen. 🙂

GagaJo

Jungle Book with my dad, in the Odeon cinema in Norwich. I loved it and still do, although my DGS was most unimpressed when I tried to watch it with him.

Is that the Sabu one?

Just to clarify I love the 1967 animated version but took some grandchildren to watch the most recent live action I think it was 2016 or 2018. Enjoyed both.

sharon103

Rosie51

I don't know if it was my first film in the cinema but Whistle Down the Wind is the one that stands out in my memory.

Oh I love that film. My favourite of all time I think.
I've watch it years ago on the tele and we've got the dvd. All my family love it.

Even as a young child it made me cry. I've seen it once since and still choked up at the ending. The 3 children were fantastic in it, not just Hayley Mills.

JaneJudge

We were never taken to the cinema

Neither were we.

But I remember the first film DH took my son to, it was the first "ghostbusters"

he was terrified for ages afterwards, it was not repeated!

When we were kids we used to go to the Woolton picture house to watch Saturday cinema in black and white. The first big movie I ever saw was The Greatest story ever told I think that was the title. It was a school trip to the Abbey cinema in Liverpool I thought it was totally boring.

Mary Poppins was the first one I remember seeing.