A Globe Theatre programme presenting the great musical success of Guys and Dolls. The programme is priced at 6d c1955.
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A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
A Globe Theatre programme presenting the great musical success of Guys and Dolls. The programme is priced at 6d c1955.
The commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the RAF’s “Dam Buster” raid reminds me of an incident at The Globe in September 1955. The auditorium was quite full and the film “The Dam Busters” had just started, when the manager asked some members of the public to move from the balcony as he wanted a group of local air cadets to have some good seats. Unfortunately for the manager, the people he asked to move included Henry (Doc) Watson and his family. Flight-Lieutenant Watson had served in 617 Squadron and been the Chief Armament Officer for the Dam Buster raid. It was several years before he saw the film, – when it was shown on BBC television.
I remember Morton Frasers Harmonica Gang appearing at the Malleable Workingmens Club, after the show, my father Jimmy Parkin was given a miniture harmonica by the smallest player in the Harmonica Gang, I still have it.
Although I was only eight (nearly nine) years old I do remember my mother taking me to see this panto featuring ken plat. I remember him doing his comedy spot with the Dear Son letter his mother wrote him! I also remember the harmonica gang I’m sure at the time you could buy from the theatre a miniture mouth organ which I think had three notes. I think my trip to the panto may have been the yearly kids treat paid for by Head Wrightson who my father worked for at the time.
Surely Ken Platt’s catchphrase was ‘I won’t take my coat off, I’m not stopping’. I seem to remember the ‘Dear Son’ letters was the feature of Ted Lune’s act. One example of the rambling letter was ‘your grandmother has had all her teeth out and a new gas oven put in’
Yes, I stand corrected I must have seen Ted Lune on some other show it was a long time ago.
Suddenly, I feel very old! I was taken to that Robinson Crusoe pantomime by my Mum and can recall being riveted by the Morton Fraser\s Harmonica Gang, with their array of miniscule to monster-sized harmonicas. I was aged just 8 years old. Some 7 years later, after seeing the Cyril Davies R&B All Stars at the Outlook Club in Middlesbrough, I was soon playing blues-harmonica in a band myself!