Jimmy Nairn (1900-1982) is perhaps best remembered in Inverness as manager of the Playhouse Cinema. He began his working life in 1915 as a part-time projectionist at a cinema in Pollokshields, Glasgow. His first managerial appointment was to the Savoy Cinema, Edinburgh in 1925, followed by the Regal in Stirling, in 1934, and the Playhouse, Inverness in 1941 where he remained until his retirement in 1972.
Cinematography was also his hobby and, in 1931, he claimed to be the first amateur filmmaker to produce a ‘talkie’ (a film with spoken dialogue). A decade later he was commissioned to make a film of George VI and the Duchess of York at Balmoral Castle. He also advised Disney on a film about the Loch Ness Monster!
In addition to producing over 40 films on local topics, many of which were used by the Scottish Tourist Board and the Caledonian Society, Nairn set up his own photography business. He took many thousands of photographs in and around the Inverness area, particularly during the 1950s and 1960s. His collection of negatives, glass plates and prints was donated to the Highland Photographic Archive, which is now part of the museum collections.
