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Blackpool Wonderful Blackpool By Donald Auty The Tower Circus was a top attraction with a matinee and evening show Monday to Saturday for more than twenty weeks. Top Aerial acts acrobats and jugglers were there but the animals, who were very well looked after, reigned supreme. There were Lions, Tigers, Bears, Horses and the elephants, who were taken for a long walk along the sands early every morning. Two fabulous Clowns, Charlie Carrioli and Paul were resident there for many years. The circus ring was able to be lowered and replaced with a water tank and a water ballet always finished the first half of the show. When First leisure took over they refused to come up with the money to have the filters regularly cleaned and for a number of years the ringmaster Norman Barrett undertook the job without payment but it was the end of the water spectacles, although the tank is still there.
Above - The Tower Circus from the 1938 Blackpool Programme Lawrence Wright who was also a music publisher and popular song writer presented On With The Show at the North Pier. This was a sophisticated Concert party type of entertainment in the style of the Fol De Rols but had a full orchestra, a large company, and a star name, and was extremely popular. In addition Toni and the North Pier Light Orchestra played in the Sun Lounge twice a day and Jack Taylor presented a children's entertainment in the little theatre at the Pier entrance starring Charlie Parsons until the very end of his life.
Above - Gallery entrance to the Tower Circus in 2003 - D.A. Uncle Peter Webster who became an integral part of Blackpool did his first summer on the Central Pier in 1951 playing to an audience of 1000 twice a day in the open air and in the theatre if wet. I used to stooge for him in the children's talent contest. Up on the North Shore were the Derby Baths, an international size event swimming pool. For a number of years they produced an aqua spectacular here with thirty bathing beauties and Johny Weismuller, the star of many Tarzan Films. There was the Ice show at the pleasure beach that still runs to this day and a repertory season at the Royal Pavilion Theatre across Lytham Road from the Manchester Hotel. This was presented by Jack Rose with hard working jobbing actors such as John Irvine and Herbert Ramskell. The fare was Northern comedies such as 'My Wife's Lodger' and thrillers like 'The Shop at Sly Corner'. Every season a terrible pot boiler called 'Reefer Girl' popped up and played to packed houses. The theatre is still there but is now an amusement arcade.
Above - The Royal Pavilion Theatre, now an amusement arcade in 2003 - D.A. Finally up in Cleveleys, Mildred Crossly presented a concert party called 'Happiness Ahead' at the little Queen's Theatre, one of the young performers there in 1953 was called Roy Castle. Blackpool was 'Wonderful Blackpool' indeed to a teenager in the early fifties, training to work in the profession that he loved. Donald Auty - 2003 I do hope you have enjoyed the Special
Feature this month. Also by Donald Auty on this
site: Please note that although it is often said that the Blackpool Opera House burnt down in 1939 and was subsequently rebuilt, in fact the Blackpool Tower company, at the end of the 1938 season, knocked down the second 1911 Opera House themselves because it was old fashioned and inadequate, and rebuilt the one which is still there today. (The first Opera House in Blackpool was built in 1889.) Although the second Opera House didn't actually burn down the North Pier Theatre did burn down in 1939. |
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