The time films had to be screened upside down

Crowds chattered excitedly outside Brighton’s historic Duke of York’s cinema as dusk settled on the bustling seaside town.

The doors opened, and the people poured in, excited to see Gary Cooper’s thrilling new Western High Noon.

They handed over their tickets, checked their coats in at the cloakroom and, finally, made there way into the main auditorium where they all hung upside down from bars fixed to the roof and waited for the film to start.

Between 1951 and 1954 was one of the strangest times for British film fans, because, by law, all films had to be screened upside down.

“Oh, I didn’t like it,” said Dolores Ratbag, a retired boil-lancer from West Sussex.

“You couldn’t wear a dress and eating popcorn was ever so difficult.”

During the war, the cinema became Britain’s most popular leisure pursuit, however the powers-that-be were concerned.

“We were concerned,” said Sir Jeremy Rumplestiltskin, a power-that-was.

“These so-called ‘films’ were full of attractive men and ladies.

“That sort of thing could prove terribly inflaming to the loins and, in those post-war years, the last thing Britain needed was inflamed loins.

“No one would ever get any work done.”

So began intensive scientific study in the field of loins in order to find some way to allow people to watch films starring attractive men and ladies, without suffering the side-effect of inflamed loins.

“Turns out hanging upside down was the way,” continued Sir Jeremy.

“If you’re upside down, then the loins are at the top of your body and, no matter how attractive the men and ladies are on film, the blood will always drain away from your loins, leaving them pleasingly unflamed.”

“Oh, I saw allsorts of films upside down,” remembers Mrs Ratbag

“Singing in the Rain, The Prisoner of Zenda, The Lusty Men – although, to be honest, I’m not sure if that one would have been any better the right way round.

“It wasn’t ideal, but you just got on with it. You did in those days, you know. Not like now.”

In 1955 the law was abandoned due to it being profoundly silly, but some old cinemas still have those bars on the ceiling. Why not try hanging there yourself?

You’ll be thrown out, and rightly so, but perhaps you’ll spare a thought for film fans of the early fifties and be a little grateful for the modern comfort of a film screened the right way up.