Comedy star Bob Hope performed at Blackpool Opera House at the height of stardom and Sir Lenny Henry was a bill-topper

Solicitors? No. Architects? No. They were, of course, in practice as comedians and earn places in the letter H list of artists seen in Blackpool's theatres in the 20th Century.

Stanley Holloway (1890-1882) was famous for voicing Marriott Edgar's comic monologues about young Albert Ramsbottom, who was swallowed by a lion in the menagerie of Blackpool Tower.

Stanley appeared many times at the resort's old Palace Theatre in the 1930s and was one of the stars in the 1938 summer season show at the Opera House.

In a golden career he made scores of films, appeared in Royal Variety Shows and at the age of 66 came the role for which he is best remembered, the roisterous dustman Alfred P. Dolittle in the musical My Fair Lady on stage in London and New York and on film.

But Stanley had one more Blackpool visit to make. Shortly before his death he was invited to unveil a plaque on the site of the Tower menagerie, where young Albert Ramsbottom had his fictional encounter with the lion.

Another star who topped variety bills at the old Palace, in the 1930s, was Liverpool-born comedian Tommy Handley (1894-1949) who had up to 30 million radio followers in the 1940s with his ITMA show. The initials stood for It's That Man Again.

Blackpool was one of the few towns to see the stage version, at the old Palace in June, 1940.

A later generation included impressionist Lenny Henry (1958 -) whose career began on ITV's New Faces in 1975.

Within weeks the youngster from Dudley had a spot on the Easter Sunday concert bill at the Blackpool Opera House.

He was a supporting act in the 1980 summer show at the North Pier and four years later he shared top billing at the pier.

Lenny's future local appearances would be as bill-topper in Opera House concerts. And later still he became Sir Lenny.

Let's swing the attention to the Blackpool appearances of, arguably, the biggest American comedy star of his day.

Bob Hope (1903-2003) was at the peak of his film stardom when he came to Britain to star at the London Palladium. His London agent, Lew Grade, had arranged a nice warm-up of two concerts at the Opera House on Saturday, April 21., 1961.

A Gazette scribe said the insouciant manner of the prince of patter concealed the precision of a stop-watch and the polish of chromium.

Bob breezed into the resort with Marilyn Maxwell, his co-star in his new film The Lemon Drop Kid, and his British straight man, Jerry Desmond.

Bob made a second visit to the Opera House on Sunday, October 28, 1962, the night before he appeared in the Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium.

His comedy "feed" this time was Hollywood comedy gal Edie Adams.

Next week Tony Hancock, Benny Hill and Arthur Haynes join the Century of Stars who have performed in Blackpool.