Blackpool Wonderful Blackpool

By Donald Auty

Jimmy Brennan bought Feldman's Theatre in late 1951. Blackpool was in the boom time after the war years and the visitor's appetite for variety and spectacular revue was insatiable. He wisely decided to put on a top notch summer show each year for 16 weeks and to play out the rest of the year with touring revues variety and pantomime. Jimmy was in every respect a self made man. He originated from Barrow in Furness and was originally a scrap metal merchant. He bought a battle ship off the navy when the first world war ended that was sunk in Barrow harbour for twopence and salvaged it, and that set Jimmy on the road to becoming a millionaire. By 1951 he was one of the richest men in the area and lived in St Annes. (See right). He also owned a chain of around twenty Cinemas, and the Hippodrome Wigan, The Pavilion Liverpool, and the Hulme Hippodrome Manchester were his other theatres. He did not hire shows on a percentage of the box office but paid them a salary because business was good at all his theatres in those days. He also strengthened the show by adding a name to the top of the bill to ensure quality. He was notoriously mean, so much so that it caused great amusement, and he cultivated this image. He was very tall, wore a dark suit, always with a sombre tie with a gold pin, and homburg hat which he rarely took off. He and my Uncle Jack were great friends and legendary practical jokers. He ran his empire from offices in the Deansgate Cinema in Manchester which he owned and was there around four days a week. He spent the rest of his time in Blackpool.

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