Grays - the State Cinema

The State Cinema is one of the few remaining examples of the picture palaces that were built all over the country. It opened on 5th September 1938 with Dorothy Lamour and Jon Hall in The Hurricane.The organ was still in working order when the cinema closed, but but has since been vandalised. It would rise gracefully into the auditorium to entertain the film goers from the late 1930s to the 1970s. An update on the State was given by Mike Ostler at the society's September 2002 meeting - click here.