Blackpool Wonderful Blackpool

By Donald Auty

The next season he presented 'Thanks For The Memory', a co production with Don Ross. It starred legendary names from the Music Hall, such as Ella Sheils, Talbot O'Farrell, Gertie Gitana, GH Elliott and Randoph Sutton. This was my first season in Blackpool and I was given the job of call boy backstage. It was a wonderful introduction to the business for a twelve year old and they all spoilt me terribly. The next season was the final one for Jack both at the Central Pier and with a show starring Frank Randle. There was just too much trouble that summer and they finally parted company after the Hippodrome incident. The next year the Pier presented its own show and a new young comedian called Ken Dodd did his first starring role in a Blackpool Summer Season.

Right - Variety Bill for The Palace Blackpool 1938

The down turn in touring variety and revue caused by the advent of television and many other factors took its toll on Jack. He refused to let the quality of the shows go down and would not introduce nudes as many other managers did into is shows. During the years 1954 to 1956 he lost a great deal of money. In 1955 he went on a final holiday with Jimmy Brennan and they decided to go to Hong Kong. Jack decided to have a suit made at one of the twenty four hour tailors but decided to give the tailor three days to make it in order to get a better fit. He went in to be measured in the morning and the first fitting was due in the afternoon. He and Jimmy - who was tall and thin, and Jack, short and fat, were sitting in a restaurant opposite the tailors shop - noticed that the staff changed shifts at lunchtime. So Jimmy went in to have Jack's fitting in the afternoon and the Tailor was to say the least perplexed. This continued over a period of three days by which time the poor tailors were suicidal. I understand the suit was never completed.

Jack had a stroke in 1958 from which he never recovered. He died a financially ruined man a year later. He is still remembered by many older people as Mr Blackpool including me.

George and Alfred Black were big London Producers and were responsible for the Tower Companies' shows for a period of twenty years after the war. They were brothers and wonderful men who knew the theatre backwards. The Opera house was one of the best equipped theatres in the country at the time with a large stage that had lifts in it . They are still there today. Spectacle and big names were the fare twice nightly for seventeen weeks. Ship wrecks, train crashes bursting dams and the San Francisco earth quake were all staged there. They were the most spectacular shows in the country and usually transferred to the London Palladium at the End of the season with star names such as Terry Thomas, Jewell and Warris and George Formby. The production budget in 1950 was £17000 a fortune in those days.

 

Above - Winter Gardens Floral Hall and Grand Pavilion Blackpool

To see more images of the Winter Gardens from the 1938 Programme Click here...

Arthur Lloyd is known to have performed at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool Oct 20 - 21st 1879

They also presented the shows at the Winter Gardens Pavilion (Shown above right) that were a little less spectacular because the stage was big and not quite so well equipped, with names such as Hylda Baker and Vic Oliver.

Left - Entrance to the Winter Gardens Pavilion Blackpool 2003 D.A.

To see more images of the Winter Gardens from the 1938 Programme Click here...

 

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