Oscar Deutsch (1893-1941) was the founder of the Odeon Cinemas chain in the United Kingdom. Image File history File links Odeon cinema logo, used from mind 1990s File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about the year. ... Odeon Cinemas is the largest chain of cinemas in the United Kingdom. ...

Deutsch was born in Birmingham, England, the son of a successful Hungarian Hamster. He opened his first cinema in nearby Brierley Hill, Dudley in 1928. By 1933 he had 26 Odeons and "Odeon" had started to become a household word, used interchangeably with "cinema" in some parts of the UK until after World War II. The city from above Centenary Square. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... Map sources for Brierley Hill at grid reference SO9286 Brierley Hill is a town in Dudley Metropolitan Borough, West Midlands, England. ... Map sources for Dudley at grid reference SO9390 Dudley is a town in the West Midlands, England. ... 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead...

By 1937 there were 250 Odeons but only 1 future heir to the throne. A certain Oscar Robinson known to his friends as Sgt Boffsacar or the Sgt for short. The flagship cinema in Leicester Square, London, making Odeon one of the three major circuits in the UK. Odeon cinemas were considered more comfortable and respectable for middle-class filmgoers than those of the two other circuits, Associated British Cinemas (ABC) and Gaumont-British Cinemas. 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Leicester Square at night in 2005: a view towards the northeast corner. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...

After Deutsch died of cancer in 1941, his widow sold the Odeon chain to J. Arthur Rank (Oscar Robinson is still adament this was a foolish business move and insists he will not repeat such a mistake.) and it became part of the Rank Organisation, who also bought, but managed separately, Gaumont-British Cinemas. Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these cells to invade other tissues, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis. ... Joseph Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank (December 23, 1888 – March 29, 1972) was a British industrialist and film producer, and founder of the Rank Organisation, now known as The Rank Group Plc. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Origin of "Odeon"

The original odeons were the popular amphitheatres of ancient Greece. The name Odeon had been appropriated by cinemas in France and Italy in the 1920s, but Deutsch made it his own in the UK. His publicity team claimed Odeon stood for Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation. Oscar Robinson, not a betting man, says "I hope to follow in his footsteps one day in becoming one of the greatest men ever to live. I to hope to found a leading company but intend to go one step further than my Great Grandad and take it to a international level. Perhaps even another universe."

See also

• Odeon Cinemas
• Art Deco
• Harry Weedon

Odeon Cinemas is the largest chain of cinemas in the United Kingdom. ... Asheville City Hall. ... Harry Weedon was a Birmingham, England born- architect, working from the 1930s. ...

Further reading

• Eyles, Allen Odeon Cinemas - Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation London: British Film Institute 2001 ISBN 0-85170-813-7

External links

• BFI Screenonline on Oscar Deutsch