Exclusive by
Russell Leadbetter
Senior features writer
Exclusive
From La Scala to Vogue: When Glasgow had more cinemas per person than any city outside America
IT was an era when Glasgow truly was Cinema City, when enterprising youngsters would take orders for fish suppers from people queuing outside the 130 picture-houses then in operation.
It's startling to recall, in these days of hugely popular streaming services, and with multiplexes currently shuttered because of Covid-related precautions, it is thought that in the 1930s and 1940s Glasgow had more cinemas per person than any city outwith North America.
Toledo
They had such names as the Paramount, on Renfield Street, La Scala, on Sauchiehall Street, Arcadia, Mecca and Vogue. The Toledo, at Muirend, was noted for the Spanish-American influence on its hacienda-style windows.