Green’s Playhouse was the Dundee ‘super-cinema’ that dominated the city skyline with its 85-foot-tall steel and glass tower.
The Green family purchased the ground between Nethergate and Yeaman Shore.
They had become the most successful cinema proprietors in Scotland.
They were seeking to expand further.
The iconic art deco building in Nethergate was built during the golden age of cinema.
The auditorium could hold more than 2,500 people in the stalls.
There were 1,500 seats in the circle areas.
That was just 100 short of the capacity of the Glasgow Green’s Playhouse total, which was the largest cinema ever built in Europe.
Green’s Playhouse opened in 1936
John Fairweather had designed the Glasgow Playhouse.
He was architect for the Dundee project.
Fairweather was assisted by Joseph Emberton.
He was responsible for the design of the iconic 85-feet-high tower, the entrance vestibule and grand foyer, and the tea room, which also served as a ballroom.
Green’s Playhouse opened on March 4 1936 with the American romantic comedy We’re In The Money and Lady Tubbs featuring Alice Brady.
The Evening Telegraph took a look behind the scenes before the opening.
Our reporter was clearly impressed.
It read: “First impressions on viewing the interior of the Playhouse are of amazement that such a compact building should contain the tremendous number of 4,100 seats.
“Immediately the question arises, ‘How did they get them in?’
“Going on the analogy of the old saying that you can’t get a quart into a pint pot, one would imagine that for such accommodation a building of tremendous vastness was necessary.
“Yet the Playhouse interior is far from overpowering in its vastness.
“The only comparable building in Dundee in point of seating accommodation – the Caird Hall, with 3,300 seats – gives a far greater impression of distant immensity.
“The Playhouse is almost intimate in comparison with the Caird Hall.
“Yet it seats 800 more people.”
The Tele said the secret was “proportion”.
There was a perfect view of the silver screen
It continued: “There are no faraway recesses about the Playhouse.
“At the back of the balcony or the stalls one is still at reasonable distance from the screen, and the banks of seats are so arranged that there is an uninterrupted view for every part of the house.
“Another feature of the Playhouse is its decoration.
“The plaster is finished mainly in deep and light golds, which reflect the play of the concealed lighting in all its lovely colours.”
The seating of the stalls was arranged in four blocks, which were “curved so that spectators in each of them are at a true and comfortable angle to the screen”.
A welcome feature was the absence of pillars.
The main support of the balcony was a 30-ton girder.
The approach to the balcony was by way of an imposing white marble stairway.
It was flanked by mirror, and glass panels which were illuminated by neon tubing.
Green’s décor was luxurious throughout
There were two boxes on either side at balcony level and three on either side below.
A “perfect view of the screen could be obtained” from each box.
These were furnished with richly upholstered twin settees.
Brian King, author of Dundee in 50 Buildings, said the sheer scale of the 4,132-capacity Playhouse was “unlike anything seen in the city before”.
“Views of the screen were good throughout and a 30-ton girder supporting the balcony meant that there were no pillars,” he said.
“The facilities also included a 200-seat café and a make-up room for female visitors.
“The décor was luxurious throughout, as the vast terrazzo entrance foyer leading to a marble staircase immediately suggested to the visitor.
“Indeed, the Greens had hoped to replace the Nethergate pavement with an extension of the terrazzo but were refused permission.”
The Lone Ranger arrived in August 1958
The Playhouse enjoyed personal appearances by movie stars.
These included Anna Neagle, Charles Laughton and Bob Hope.
Hope took time out between performances at the Caird Hall in 1952 to make a surprise visit to Green’s where he was mobbed by boisterous teenagers.
He made a retreat with his suit ruined after doors in the foyer were damaged.
Lone Ranger star Clayton Moore appeared in August 1958.
It was part of a national tour.
He had to fight his way through hundreds of children to get to the Playhouse.
Live shows took place in the twilight period for the theatre in the 1960s.
These included the American singing group The Drifters who shared top billing with five members of Dundee FC who had formed a singing group.
Right-back Alex Hamilton became the frontman of Hammy and The Hamsters alongside Kenny Cameron, Alex Stuart, Hugh Robertson and Craig Brown.
Green’s also staged Miss Dundee contests.
The building became a bingo hall in 1968
You couldn’t miss the tower with the cinema’s name in neon letters.
The letter ‘u’ sat out of kilter: “We want ‘u’ in” being the Greens’ slogan.
Another slogan: ‘It’s Good – It’s Green’s’ was woven into the building’s carpets.
At the peak of film-going there were 25 cinemas in Dundee, which meant the city had more cinemas and seats per head than anywhere else in the UK.
The brief boom was brought to a shuddering halt by the rise of television and the silver screens suffered widespread closures.
Like many cinemas, Green’s Playhouse turned to bingo in January 1968.
And people loved it.
The Mecca Bingo was packed to capacity.
Every bit of space was utilised by focused players.
It held 2,850 at this time.
A brand new high-tech machine arrived in June 1981 to upgrade the game.
Regulars were dab-happy throughout the 1980s.
It also hosted the British International Darts Championship in February 1983.
The good times kept coming.
The Nethergate venue welcomed a special guest in March 1992.
Roy Walker arrived at the club as part of the Catchphrase Roadshow.
New building rose from ashes of 1995 fire
A devastating fire in August 1995 destroyed the former cinema building.
The fire was said to have been started by a carelessly discarded cigarette.
It was completely rebuilt.
Historic Scotland called for the reinstatement of the famous art deco tower as part of the new £8.4 million development.
Bingo returned and it remained very popular.
Until February 2024.
Mecca Bingo shut the doors following a review of the chain’s sites.
The building has now been transformed into a state-of-the-art music venue.
LiveHouse is the third largest in Scotland.
It’s the latest chapter to a venue with a colourful past.
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