Jacey Cinemas Ltd., News Theatre, Tatler, Princes,

Monseigneur, Jacey Cinemas

By John Neville Cohen

My dear Grandpa Joe (Joseph Cohen) was a prominent Birmingham solicitor, an important property developer, entrepreneur and a cinema proprietor.  From the early 1930's he created a number of limited companies, that all became part of the Jacey Group of companies.  He was extremely successful and his generosity was well known and much appreciated in so many circles. 

He owned the Lissiter's Royal restaurant and started in property with Jack Cotton, as his partner, in the early days and the first development undertaken together, was the creation of King Edward House in New Street, Birmingham. They continued with a few successful joint projects that included the building of the Kenilworth Court apartments  and Somerset House in Birmingham.  

Note: Jack Cotton went on to continue, as chairman, to create 'City Centre' the biggest property development company in the world, with a valuation in 1961, on the stock market of �65 million!

Joe continued to develop large blocks of apartments, mainly within the Calthorpe estates area.  These included Calthorpe Mansions at five Ways, Norfolk Court at Hagley Road and Moorland Court in Melville Road.  He also built houses and had two roads named after him, Jacey Road in Edgbaston and Jacey Road in Shirley. 

He built 72 Woodbourne Road, Edgbaston as his own family home and was involved in Bournemouth with the Jacey House offices in the centre and Tollard Court at West Cliff where he had a ground floor apartment.

72 Woodbourne road, Edgbaston

 

He continued with his property development interests with the formation of the Jacey Gillis Properties Ltd in Scotland with Harold Gillis.

Grandpa was fascinated with cinemas and film.  He began in 1915 (aged 26) together with Sol Levy, when they acquired the screen rights of Ethel M. Dell a popular novelist, but their film company was bought out 2 years later. 

During his career he was involved with over 50 cinemas and he built The Wylde Green and the Stirchley Pavilion in Birmingham. 

He was also a pioneer of the News Theatres and he built up a chain of cinemas, having bought out the Monseigneur group.  

Jacey Cinemas then controlled the largest group of specialised city centre cinemas in the UK, ranging from Edinburgh to Brighton with several in London's West End. 

My father George Cohen (also a solicitor) joined Grandpa and ran the company with more cartoons, comedy and short travel/general interest films, later, introducing continental feature films, as TV took over providing the news.  Also our Baker St, London cinema was changed to Jaceyland for the best of Walt Disney films.  

The Company diversified by also running cigarette, ice cream and confectionery Kiosks, Restaurants and Coffee Bars. Later a specialised shopping Art and Antique Gallery at Marble Arch London, a Riding School Centre and Farm at Pathlow, near Stratford upon Avon.  The last venture was for modern postage stamp collectors, by Dealing in Modern UK Stamps with printing errors.  

I too joined the company in 1957 starting off as a projectionist and learning about cinema management under our general manager Mr Tonks.

Later, I started my own department, that was to design and control the front of house publicity, as well as the marketing and advertising.  This was when we decided on a new look and logo to publicise the Jacey name.  

I employed, a graphic designer and a PR lady to assist and we really enjoyed a number of our special promotions.  This was when Aisha, who worked for us as an usherette, came to our attention, she had been chosen for the University front cover (and had done well in a beauty queen competition) just at the time when we needed someone to promote the Jacey name.

When we met her, we were all dazzled by her smile and so 'Miss Jacey' was created.  Grandpa was often fondly referred to simply as Mr. JC and it was from this, that the business name was created.

My publicity department ended up designing the film publicity for some of the film distributors too.  So often the film promotion used abroad would not have appealed to the UK public. 

My Uncle Stanley (George's younger brother) started manufacturing jersey ladies fashion with Kurt Rosenburg as his partner under the name 'Lerose'. This company traded from the late 1940's to the early 1970's.  

He then joined Grandpa in the Jacey property department managing the various properties.  

Later as a keen postage stamp collector, he controlled the Jacey Stamp Centre (formerly the Jacey in the Strand cinema) which was converted to provide small units for various postage stamp dealers.  I was asked to help him run a new business based on selling modern postage stamps, with printing faults, to collectors from our offices in Temple Street, Birmingham.   

Just over a year after Grandpa had passed away on his birthday in 1980, aged 91, (various cinema leases were running out and the proposed new rentals were far too high for our cinemas to continue), so we all decided the time had come to sell them on. 

Also Dad and I were disenchanted with the films that provided the best box office results.  In addition both Dad and Uncle Stanley wanted to retire, so we agreed to sell out.  Saville Gordon bought all the remaining properties and our cinemas had gradually been sold to various others.  

So the Jacey Group of companies went into voluntary liquidation at the end of 1981.     
        
John Neville Cohen

Verification References

Below a published report about the type of films we were unhappy to be involved in
by Pearson Phillips

'The Routledge Companion To British Cinema History'


About Jack Cotton



About the Early Properties



About Peeping Tom