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By Royal command
The Gazette's front page said it all – Blackpool had done itself proud in front of the Queen. The headline simply read "IT'S WONDERFUL"
Nerves were on show ahead of curtain up on Wednesday April 13, 1955, as, for the first time in its history The Royal Command
Performance was staged outside of London.
And Blackpool came up trumps with a show which not only put a wide smile on the face of the Queen, but an entire town.
"It was very beautiful and wonderful," the Queen reportedly told the Mayor of
Blackpool Will Ogden.
250,000 people lined the streets as the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh made their way to the Opera House.
And there were 12,000 outside the theatre itself – some having waited 11 hours to
secure their positions at the front.
Stepping into the new Royal Box the royals were treated to an evening of Britain's finest talent including George Formby, the
stunning singer Joan Regan and Blackpool's own king of clowns Charlie Cairoli.
Morecambe and Wise were way down the bill, young comics long
before they won their
comedy genius tags, while the dancers of the Tower Ballet – including now
councillor Maxine Callow – wowed the crowds.
Formby belted out his new song Sitting On Top Of The Tower while comic turn Albert Modley got the biggest laugh of the night after walking onto stage and bowing to the wrong side of the theatre.
His jaw dropped when he saw the Royal Box (pictured in our 1955 front page, right) was not there – and then realised it was on the opposite side, where he bowed, grinned and said in his pronounced Yorkshire accent: "Flippin' 'eck, I thowt yer'd gone 'ome."
Laughter was certainly the theme of the night and The Duke was seen rocking in his chair during Cairoli's act.
"His deep laugh could be heard above the rest," The Gazette's review said.
Local historian and writer Terry Regan said he remembered a special toilet being built for the Queen at the Opera House.
He said: "I had just left school and was an apprentice plumber. They put in a special loo for the Queen at the Opera House, next to the Royal Box.
"There were rumours that it was diamond studded although I'm sure it wasn't. But
afterwards everyone groaned that after all the effort to install this special toilet suite, she never went in!"
But it was not just bathroom facilities which were provided. Mr Regan remembers the Illuminations also pulled out all the stops to create a warm welcome.
He said: "They put in an enormous
Illuminations tableau which ran all the way up Church Street to the square opposite where the Syndicate nightclub is now. It was decorated with royal motifs and crowns.
"At that time the Illuminations had rarely moved out into the streets.
"The Royal Variety performance was a big deal and brought a lot of people into town, ironically at a time when Blackpool was
really busy anyway.
"That period of time in 1955, was what I often refer to as when Blackpool was Blackpool. It was at the height of its popularity.
"All the cinemas were up and running, there was The Palace and The Hippodrome, so everything was buzzing.
"We still had in those days 15 million
staying visitors and as a holiday resort Blackpool was at its zenith. Hopefully this Royal Variety Performance will be a
precursor to Blackpool's revival."
This year's show – under the event's new name of the Royal Variety Performance – will be held on Monday December 7 and
televised on December 13.
Rosemary Leggat, 79, from Bispham, said she will never forget the 1955 show and has kept her programme from the prestigious event.
She said: "You never forget a night like that. Everyone was in their evening dress and there was a special service for ticket holders in the restaurant beforehand. It was fantastic.
"My father bought my mother and me
tickets in the stalls – we had gorgeous seats, we were right in the middle at the front. We could see the Queen in the Royal Box, it was lovely. She was so young then."
Mrs Leggat remembers being amazed by Arthur Askey, Morecambe and Wise and the Tiller Girls' high kicks.
She added: "They were
brilliant. I hope to go this year – It's absolutely terrific that it's coming back."
Brian Williams, of Newton Drive, remembers peeping through the curtains on the stage as a 23-year-old
stagehandler to get a glimpse of the Queen.
The 77-year-old said: "I was working on the stage electrics at the Opera House. There was a huge buzz.
"Peeping through the curtains on the stage you could see the Royal Box. The one thing that I remember most is seeing the Queen's long gloves that went half way up her arm and didn't crease when she moved her arm. In those days you couldn't take your eyes off her, she was a lovely looking young woman."
Mr Williams recalls the stars rehearsing on the afternoon before the big event.
He said: "The top of the bill was Eddie Fisher – an American singer. He was a big star in those days. I'm very pleased it's being held in Blackpool again but I couldn't afford the tickets now."
Coun Callow, cabinet member for tourism and regeneration at Blackpool Council,
appeared in the chorus line in the show the last time it was held in the resort.
And she still has the certificate to prove it.
She said: "I got asked to do it as a late
replacement stand-in for someone who couldn't make it.
"They gave me a certificate to say I had
appeared in the show and my mother put it in a frame and dusted it everyday.
"She was very proud of it and I was too,
although I probably don't look after it as well as she did."
It was a night on which memories were made. And it is one best summed up by the Gazette's leader writer of the day.
"What a grand night it was. Even
Blackpool, so accustomed to wonders that it takes them for granted, has never seen
anything like it."
December 7, 2009 and the show's glorious return certainly has a lot to live up to.
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Weather for Blackpool
Wednesday 30 May 2012
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