to achieve remarkably effective colour. It was this "new wonder of the day" that greeted the first patrons to The Electric on May 12th 1910 when they packed into the auditorium to see a film of the American west complete with "cowboys and genuine red Indians with magnificent head-dresses".

The combination of Kinemacolor, the subject matter and the plush surroundings of this first purpose-built cinema brought the crowds in by the thousand, many more than could be accommodated, with the management placing notices in newspapers apologising for having to turn people away.

The love affair with the movies which would eventually give Glasgow more cinemas per head of population than any city outside the United States and earn it the title "cinema city" had begun.

Although various buildings in Glasgow such as theatres and Corporation halls had been used to show films, the first purpose-built cinema in the city was the Charing Cross Electric Theatre which opened in May 1910 at the Charing Cross end of Sauchiehall Street.

Described by newspapers as "a dainty bijou hall decorated in an effective scheme of blue and white", patrons were offered the choice of upholstered benches or tip-up seats for the modest price of threepence.

For some time prior to opening, The Electric had advertised in the entertainment sections of local newspapers promoting Kinemacolor, a new colour process developed by American businessman Charles Urban and premiered in February 1909. Before the arrival of Kinemacolor the illusion was created by hand tinting every frame of film, a process capable of breathtaking results but naturally time consuming.

Kinemacolor did away with hand tinting by utilising a camera and projector fitted with alternating red and green filters and a projection speed of 32 frames per second

508 Sauchiehall Street, City Centre

Opened: May 12th 1910
Closed: April 1926

Designed by: George A Boswell

Number of screens: 1
Number of seats: 454