Official Opening of the Classic Hammersmith including Hammersmith Regatta News Reel

Who needs the Boat Race? Not Hammersmith, with its own regatta - complete with greasy pole competition. Nearby, the Classic Cinema reopens to fanfare.

Bored by the Boat Race? Wondering who comes third? The Hammersmith Regatta declares itself the everyman's rowing event in this local newsreel, and makes a strong case with the addition of a greasy pole competition. Away from the riverbank, the reopening of the Classic as a repertory cinema gathers much interest - and not just because of the free sherry on offer.

An opening double bill of American B-movie thriller The Brute Man (1946) and Silvana Mangano in the Italian Bitter Rice (1949) suggests a somewhat eclectic programming strategy. Unfortunately the cinema was closed before the decade was out, and the building was later demolished.