Looks like the Rothbury cinema in Franklin Road, Portslade.

Could be the old Rothbury cinema in Franklin Road, Portslade, now Southern FM Radio.

I also think it's The Rothbury. Does anyone remember the perfumey smell in there?

Thanks for the suggestions. I remember it from only about 20 years ago, by which time it was Southern Sound. It doesn't look much like that now however I'm trying to find a photo of when it was a cinema.

Yes that's definitely The Rothbury. I have a family picture taken in 1956 right outside of the cinema.  It was taken on the day of my brother's wedding. The movie, Battle of the V1 was filmed at Shoreham airport, I was one of the 'extras'. I met Michael Rennie. I was only about 8 or 9. He seemed like a giant to me as he was so tall!!

Thanks, Christine. What a great memory! I'd wondered where the rather utilitarian factory buildings were. Now I know. Have you ever seen yourself in the film?

Didn't they shoot some scenes in the old gas works for that film? Oh yes Maggie, I remember the girl going round with the spray in the Rothbury and sitting outside waiting for an adult to take us in if it was an 'A' film. I always seemed to come out with a headache as I remember.

Re: Battle of the V1. The Polish cinema depicted is actually the Pavilion in North St. Portslade. Not only did they film the outside but filmed inside too in early November 1957. The cinema closed for good in February 1958.

I work at Heart (Was Southern FM). I have been looking for a photo of the old Rothbury cinema for a long time. Christine, You say you have a photo taken outside on your brothers wedding day. Is it possible to have a copy of this photo please, even if just to confirm that the photo above is the same building. Above the ceilings there are some old fittings from the cinema/nightclub days.

The street is most definitely Sussex Terrace, now known as John Street, Brighton. In 1958 when the film was made, the houses in the photo were empty and awaiting demolition. For confirmation see "The James Gray Collection", photographic archives - volume 27, image 43.

Re: Battle of the V1. Although the front of the building has been totally reclad you can still make out the outline of the 4 distinctive vertical columns on the front at 100 North Street Portslade. It is clearly the Pavilion and not the Rothbury. Probaby no longer suitable for wedding photos though! The woman in the photo is opposite the southern end of Albion Street. The camera is looking NW.

My Grandmother worked at the Rothbury as an usherette when Mr Gordan owned it and Mr Hayes was the manager. Her name was Maud; does anyone remember her ?

Battle of the V1 was shown at the Brighton Fringe Film Festival last year and the review notice states that the cinema used in the film was The Rothbury in Franklin Road, Portslade.

I was an extra in the film playing a French (?) partisan. The parts I was in were filmed at the entrance to Bramber Castle and on the Adur river bank about a half mile up stream from the Bramber Bridge.

The picture of the unknown cinema is definitely not the Rothbury. I don't remember that advert pillar and I used to go to the Rothbury three times a week if there were good films on. Not only that, but my mother was an usherette at said cinema along with Mrs Betty Rogers and her two sisters.

In addition to my last comment, that cinema sure looks like the Pavillion, or the Bug Hutch as we used to call it.

My brother-law worked as a bingo caller at The Rothbury when it changed to a bingo club in the early 1960s and he said it is The Rothbury, and that "advert pillar" is just a film prop placed there by the film company.

Re the great Rothbury v Pavilion debate: It's interesting that most people with personal memories believe it is the Rothbury. Maybe this is because it was the more popular and classier of the two. The Pavilion went into a steep decline when people were moved from South Portslade to Mile Oak during the mid-50s' slum clearance, which is why it closed in February 1958. North Street used to be full of shops, and there were lots of houses in the vicinity but the whole area became full of industrial units. Coming back to the debate, I can say categorically that filming for Battle of the V1 took place at the Pavilion Cinema, 100 North Street, during the week ending 9th November 1957. The film crew arrived early one morning and stayed until the afternoon matinee had begun. Arc lamps were used for interior shots to enhance the lighting. The cinema was made to look like a Polish cinema with Polish ads replacing posters and stills from British films and the ticket kiosk showed prices in Polish currency. As Teresa Burgess's brother-in-law said, the advert pillar on the left was put there by the film company. Most of the shooting at Old Salts Farm in Lancing, at Shoreham Harbour, Portslade gas works and Upper Beeding had already taken place by this stage.

Having read all the various comments it would be nice to finally clear up the debate as to exactly what cinema was used, with some real evidence (photos etc). John Nihill seems quite specific on many points, I'm interested to know on what basis, did you watch the actual filming? Or do you have any photos of it? P.S. A coloured version of Battle of the V1 was recently shown on True Movies.

The information is easily verifiable. It was reported in the local press at the time i.e. Nov 1957. You can check if you go to the Local History Centre in Brighton, or the Worthing Library. If you can't get down there and still doubt it, look at a photo of the Pavilion building now and compare it. There is a small photo of the same view of 100 North Street on the London & Brighton Plating Company website. Look at the 4 vertical columns beneath the cladding and the building's width. You might also like to consider how wide the pavement outside the Rothbury is. The pavement in North Street is pretty narrow. Interesting to hear of the colour version. Re Ron Charlton's Rennie in Nazi uniform comment, perhaps it was Christopher Lee Ron saw. Mr Lee did wear a Nazi uniform during filming, appered in a Shoreham scene and is also way above six feet in height and he wouldn't have been famous enough to recognise in 57. Interesting to hear of the colour version.

Yes, There is a badly coloured copy of Battle of the V1, it was on TV last week, the B/W version is often shown in the afternoons, on Movies4Men2 Channel 325, checkout their listing site.

I remember filming some of the scenes on Shoreham Beach, and was the 'gofor' with tea and biscuits for the crew. Micheal Rennie was a delightful man, but he realised quite soon that the film was never ever going to win any Oscars, and just wanted to get the whole film over as quickly as possible. I was also in the film as a German soldier in the background in some of the scenes. I remember there was a wise-cracking local lad called Jack Carr who was also on the set with us, mincing around dresssed up as a German too. He was very handsome, had a rugged jawbone and sable hair and was just so damn funny. I heard Micheal Rennie once ask the director, Vernon Sewell, pointing towards Jack, 'Who is that extra dressed up as a German soldier and why is he marching that way?'. Jack was prancing across the scene towards one of the armoured carriers in the background grinning all the while towards the cameras like a village idiot. 'That's Jack Carr,' replied Vernon Sewell. 'And why is he marching and grinning like a village idiot?'  'He is a village idiot!'  I often wonder whatever became of Jack.

The first photo is, as Suzie said in May 2010, Sussex Terrace, now known as John Street, Brighton. The James Gray Collection photo (vol 27 image 43) was taken at the same period as the film was shot. Well spotted Suzie.

Jack Carr lives! He's alive and living still in Hove. After the screening of Battle of the V-1, both MGM and Warner Bros. realised the cinematic talents of the German soldier and both sent teams of searchers to hunt him down, and offer him leading film roles. The director Cecil B. De Mille and Ava Gardner who had both seen the film considered Jack had more presence than Dirk Bogarde, then the up-and-coming British star, and they wanted Jack to play the lead in the B movie Creature from the Black Lagoon but Jack had moved out of the Brighton area and was never found despite intense manhunts. Cecil B. De Mille, they say, never got over it and died heartbroken and Ava Gardner never recovered. Jack, unaware of the quest to locate him, settled down and married not so long afterwards, he became the loving father of three wayward hell-raising notorious daughters, who were the scandalous talk of Brighton for many years and by contrast a quiet respectable unassuming son. Jack loved everything and anything American, and to this day can name all 50 United States. He can also recall the names of all the territories currently under U.S. jurisdiction and will do so at the drop of a hat. Jack to this day still doesn't realise just how close he came to being a superstar of the silver screen and perhaps its best after all this time he doesn't know.

During the filming of The Battle of the V-1 the extras dressed up as German soldiers during lunch breaks would sit eating their packed lunches provided by the film companies on the Shoreham sea wall. On more than one occasion, to break the drudgery and boredom, Jack Carr and his very close friend Julian, would drag a HALT sign from the beach to the main road and single out and stop a solitary car by standing in the middle of the road their arms raised like a policeman stopping the traffic (cars were few and far between in those days) and demand ' I vont to zee your papers!'. Jack Carr added to and developed this scenario over the days by improvising further elements into the role-play, by clicking his heels, banging a baton into his gloved hand for dramatic effect, and then demanding to 'Look in zee boot in case you have a spy in in there!' Can you imagine! Wonderful. This only stopped when the police were alerted after a number of complaints, and the film company employed real security guards to pen the German soldiers onto the beach during lunch breaks. You can see why Cecil B. De Mille wanted so much to use the sable haired Jack Carr in his films.

Just been catching up after a long absence. I can confirm that the cinema used in the film was the Pavilion, North Street, Portslade. My late aunt recounted her experience as an extra in the film, I believe that she was a member of the audience.

Talking about cinemas, I used to live at 5 St Georges Place, just opposite St Peter's church, but sadly we moved from Brighton in 1952 . Does anyone remember a cinema which was just a few doors down from Gloucester Road (Place or Street). I can remember them having a big cage in the foyer which had several monkeys in it. I think it was something to do with a film they were showing at the time. I can also remember a huge wurlitzer organ would rise up just in front of the stage with the organist on a seat and he would play popular music until the film started. Is the cinema still there and does anyone remember the organist or the monkeys and why they were there?

When I was younger I must have gone to the Rothbury cinema in Franklin Road at least a couple of hundred times (every Saturday morning as a child just for starters). The cinema in the photo is not the Rothbury. It is the Pavilion in North Street. As John Nihill quite rightly states, the area outside the Rothbury was much wider and was more of a forecourt than a pavement.

Delighted to come across this discussion on the internet. Bernard Newman (author of 'They Saved London', which led to the film) was my grandfather. I've been to a little research into my grandfather and bought the DVD for the film. Me and my 81year old Dad watched it yesterday. My parents went to the premier at Leicester Square all those years ago. There might be more info in his autobiography that I am re-reading at the moment.

John Nihill is right about the cinema picture, before reading any comments it looked just like the North St Pavillion. Although living in upper Portslade as a child I would visit the cinema especially on Saturday mornings. In 1955 we held our wedding reception in the hall above the Rothbury cinema- ham salad twelve and six a head, so I would recognise the exterior of this location as well. Happy days. I have lived in Yorkshire now for 53 years but still visit Portslade quite often.

Jack Carr and my dad were friends in the merchant navy together and they were both in this film together one of my family has a photo of them both together in german uniform. My father dieD in August this year and it is great to see the stories about the making of this film.

Great to read all these first hand reminiscences of Battle of the V1. Anyone interested in the shooting of another fifties film 'The Tall Headlines' in Portslade should look at the comments under Alan Phillips's amazingly detailed article on Belgrave Square slum clearance.