Oscar Deutsch
Oscar Deutsch (1893-1941) of Odeon Cinemas and Odeon Theatres
Born in Balsall Heath, Birmingham, Warwickshire, the son of Leopold Deutsch, a successful Hungarian Jewish scrap metal merchant
1928 He opened his first cinema in nearby Brierley Hill, Dudley
1933 He had 26 Odeons
1937 There were 250 Odeons, including the flagship Leicester Square Odeon. Odeon cinemas were considered more up-market than those of the two other circuits, Associated British Cinemas (ABC) and Gaumont-British Cinemas.
1941 His home was bombed and he was blown out of bed and never recovered. He died of cancer in 1941, and his widow sold the Odeon chain to J. Arthur Rank which later became part of the Rank Organisation, who also bought, but managed separately, Gaumont-British Cinemas.