Old photo collection shows stars in years gone-by

Gerald Bryce and a companion, from his photo collection

In his younger years, living in Blackpool, actor, entertainer and producer Gerald Bryce, took many roles in musical theatre.It was through this he came to the attention of ITV and Granada.In the 1960s, he was an entertainer on cruise ships and used his chance to travel around the Mediterranean, meeting the stars of the day – including Grace Fields at her home in Capri.Born in July 1930, in Withington, Manchester, Mr Bryce had a reputation among friends as being a joker and according to a good friend and fellow entertainer, he was a “real ladies man”. After his death from cancer in 2015, at the age of 85, his friend David Willits unearthed hundreds of photographs from Mr Bryce’s collection over the years – pictures of his younger years in Blackpool and of the many celebrities and stars he met and called friends over the years.He performed in a multitude of TV plays, such as Shadow Squad and Armchair Theatre, many of which were performed live and later went on to work alongside Des O’Connor at Butlins, in Pwllheli, North Wales, where he tutored holiday-makers in tennis and ballroom dancing.He also worked alongside Little and Large, Harry Worth and Ronnie Barker over the course of his acting career – appearing in the The Two Ronnies, Bread, Mansfield Park and Tales of the Unexpected.His most famous advert was for a CD player and was a spoof of the famous Torvill and Dean Bolero ice skating routine.The ad featured a smart middle-aged man returning from work, removing his tie, hanging up his coat and then whisking his wife around the polished parquet flooring in an extravagant version of the Torvill and Dean routine, accompanied by the Bolero music.He later moved to Bournemouth, but kept all his photo albums from his decades in entertainment.Among the pictures found, are some of what it is believed to be a young Owen Oyston – businessman and former Blackpool FC owner.Actress Kim Novak features, in a picture which looks like it was taken on Blackpool Tower, looking out over the resort.