Memories of the State Cinema
We used to go to the pictures. We would be in the front rows every Sunday night in Grays. We used to say, "One row and four behind please", for our tickets.
You go to the pictures in Grays in the State, and you'd hear someone shout, "'En-er-y!", and then you'd here somebody else go, "Ull-lo!", in a big deep voice. That was Henry Black. He was over 6 foot. He had big long sideboards, big drape jacket, big brothel-creeper shoes. Someone would always shout out, "En-er-y!", and he'd be in there. Where my mum's plaque is, up in Chadwell Cemetery - two plaques along is 'En-er-y's.
Anyone who went to the State in them days would also know Old Smiley. He'd say to all the biker crowd that I was one of, "No leather jackets on Sunday nights, or you ain't coming in the door". We went on holiday to Cornwall one time, and he was down there, Smiley was. I don't know his name, we'll just used to call him Smiley. And there was a lady who used to sit in the ticket box, I remember her.
They used to play the organ in the State in the '70s. Big Compton organ. I've heard it's still there, but with bits missing. Someone wanted to steal the pipes, didn't they? It's all being done up now, going to be a Wetherspoon's.
From stories told at Aveley History Society.
You go to the pictures in Grays in the State, and you'd hear someone shout, "'En-er-y!", and then you'd here somebody else go, "Ull-lo!", in a big deep voice. That was Henry Black. He was over 6 foot. He had big long sideboards, big drape jacket, big brothel-creeper shoes. Someone would always shout out, "En-er-y!", and he'd be in there. Where my mum's plaque is, up in Chadwell Cemetery - two plaques along is 'En-er-y's.
Anyone who went to the State in them days would also know Old Smiley. He'd say to all the biker crowd that I was one of, "No leather jackets on Sunday nights, or you ain't coming in the door". We went on holiday to Cornwall one time, and he was down there, Smiley was. I don't know his name, we'll just used to call him Smiley. And there was a lady who used to sit in the ticket box, I remember her.
They used to play the organ in the State in the '70s. Big Compton organ. I've heard it's still there, but with bits missing. Someone wanted to steal the pipes, didn't they? It's all being done up now, going to be a Wetherspoon's.
From stories told at Aveley History Society.
