hiː hɐdbɪn ɪn tʃˈɑːɹdʒ ʌv tˈuː ʌvðə fˈæmɪliz sˈɪnəməz ɪn ˌæbɚdˈiːn bᵻfˌoːɹ ðə sˈɛkənd wˈɜːld wˈɔːɹ, ænd ˈæftɚɹ ɐ pˈoʊstɪŋ æz ˈɑːɹmi ˌɛntɚtˈeɪnmənts ˈɑːfɪsɚɹ ɪnðə mˈɪdəl ˈiːst, wˈɔntᵻd tʊ ˈoʊpən ɐ vˈɛnjuː ɪn ˈɛdɪnbʌɹə wˌɛɹ hiː kʊd ʃˈoʊ fˈɔːɹən fˈɪlmz.
He had been in charge of two of the family's cinemas in Aberdeen before the Second World War, and after a posting as army entertainments officer in the Middle East, wanted to open a venue in Edinburgh where he could show foreign films.