The first proprietor was Louis Silverman from Whipps Cross, London E17. Mr. Silverman, who would also serve on the Laindon Parish Council, ran it with the help of his wife Jenny and their son Sidney. In the late 1930s, possibly March 1938, it changed hands when Mr. Silverman had the licence transferred to Harry Bentley. It would soon change hands again around September 1941 when Mr. Basil E. Fortesque; of Radion (Laindon) Ltd.* took over from Frederick W. Allwood. The cinema's final private owner from around the early 1950s and into the 1960s (possibly to closure) was former Chairman of Basildon Council, Albert Phelps (App Theatres Ltd.)*, who was also one-time proprietor of the (now demolished) Ritz cinema in Chapel Street, Billericay. Mr. Phelps, known as Bert, may have sold the cinema to Basildon Development Corporation who, if so, would have been the final owner through to closure in 1969. In common with other small scale cinemas it became affectionately known by locals as the "fleapit."

The film programme ran from Monday to Saturday with both afternoon and evening screenings. A children's Saturday morning film show was also established. Sunday cinema was eventually added in 1938 after an unsuccessful attempt in 1933. In February 1938 the Legal Committee of Billericay Urban Council responding to owners Radion Ltd's request to open the Laindon Picture Theatre on Sundays recommended the application subject to a public meeting. Later that year on Monday 1st August, new owners Radion (Laindon) Ltd. had a private car decorated for an appearance in the annual Laindon Carnival. This may have been used to promote the change of name to Radion, which could have already occurred but wouldn't be officially confirmed until later the same week.

A typical 'Times of Opening' schedule from the late 1940s into the 1950s was:
Monday, Thursdays and Saturdays: 1.15 pm.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays: 4.15 pm.
Sunday: 4.45 pm.
Prices of admission for the same period - with decimal equivalent in brackets - were: 9d. (4p), 1/-. (5p), 1/3. (6p), 1/6. (7½p),
1/9. (9p) and 2/3. (11p), with reduced prices for children.

The building was also used to stage talent competitions, Remembrance Day services and on occasion "All-Star Wrestling" evenings and, briefly before closure, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday bingo sessions beginning on September 11th, 1968. One notable event from May 1952 saw the Laindon Carnival Queen, Brenda Buckenham, crowned at a special ceremony on the stage. Years earlier in May 1938, while still the Picture Theatre, the tap dancing child film star and Britain's answer to Shirley Temple, Hazel Ascot, 10, was the special guest at the carnival event where she crowned Elsie Sykes, 16, of High Road, Laindon, Carnival Queen. Later that same year on Thursday 4th August, Miss Sykes, along with her maids of honour, were the special guests at the official cinema renaming ceremony. That day, in an event put on by the cinemas manager J.P. Grindley and attended by the general manager of the circuit Frederick W. Allwood, she carried out the renaming from Picture Theatre to Radion.

On the night of closure the final evenings film show began with 'The Syndicate' starring June Richie and ended with the X rated thriller 'Wait Until Dark', starring Audrey Hepburn on Monday, February 3rd, 1969.

Following closure extra bingo sessions were added before the Radion Bingo Club relocated to the nearby community hall in Aston Road. The former cinema was then demolished as the area was needed as part of a road widening scheme, which saw the creation of two roundabouts and a duel carriageway section of the High Road between Laindon Link and St. Nicholas Lane. Opposite New Century Road and parallel with the High Road to Worthing Road from the 1970s until developed for housing in the 1990s was a large car park. Interestingly the bingo club kept the Radion name alive well into 1970.

On the site of the old cinema now stands the new Laindon Library which relocated from the shopping centre to a new purpose built building in March 2001. The cinema's seats were saved and used for many years in the Basildon Arts Centre (later Towngate Theatre) before ending up in the Grandstand at Basildon United's football ground at Gardiner's Close. The somewhat odd looking triangular structure sitting atop the entrance supporting an illumination, and erected following the name change to Radion, survived to demolition.

Five former managers of the Radion were Mr. H.C. Beale in 1940 followed later in the decade by Mr. G.E. Savage who handed over to Mr. H.W. Dixon in the early 1950s. In February 1954 Mr. Thomas William Starks succeeded Mr. Dixon and from the mid 1950s to the late 1960s and possibly closure Mr. Alf Hayes. A former projectionist was Michael Marchant from Laindon who worked there full-time from 1957 to 1964. The telephone number for the cinema from opening was listed as Laindon 90 though this had changed to Laindon 2190 during 1956 lasting into the 1960s finally becoming Basildon 44880 in November 1967 when the Laindon exchange at High Road/Vowler Road closed.

Acknowledgements

The photograph of the Picture Theatre circa 1929 and that of Mr. Louis Silverman with his wife and family were kindly supplied by Lesley Moss (nee Silverman), daughter of Jeffrey Silverman. Many of the other Radion photographs were taken by Alan Balding, who worked as assistant projectionist at the cinema in the 1960s.