Firm closing

[Albert Tatlock]

We were booked to see Tommy Cooper in the 80s but he didn't turn up because he was ill.

Poor fella died a couple of days later. Just like that.

[Jarndyce]

9 hours ago, Kopek said:

Whether you liked their comedy or not, one has to admire their well rehearsed / acted delivery? Shakespearian?

I remember sitting in the front row of a comedy spot in the bottom of Broadway hotel, I couldn't raise a smile or a chuckle, I felt sorry for him!!!

.....and the Kaliber didn't help?

Who are you talking about?   Ken Dodd, Roy “Chubby” Brown - or someone else entirely?

[display name]

3 hours ago, Albert Tatlock said:

We were booked to see Tommy Cooper in the 80s but he didn't turn up because he was ill.

Poor fella died a couple of days later. Just like that.

Not like that

[Fred the shred]

Ken Dodd would not have been performing at any Broadway Hotel he could get two full houses at the Villa Marina on a Sunday.

[Albert Tatlock]

14 minutes ago, Fred the shred said:

Ken Dodd would not have been performing at any Broadway Hotel he could get two full houses at the Villa Marina on a Sunday.

I took my kids to see him there...guessing 1998/99?

Loooooong show. Went well over time and lots of people missed busses.

[Fred the shred]

I loved him Mervyn who was manager at the Gaiety walked on the stage one night I was in the audience and handed him some keys and said he was off and told Ken to lock up when he had finished.    Obviously a put up job but the audience loved it.

[John Wright]

40 minutes ago, Fred the shred said:

Ken Dodd would not have been performing at any Broadway Hotel he could get two full houses at the Villa Marina on a Sunday.

Roy Chubby Brown has performed in both the Gaiety and the Villa Royal Hall.

The first ever night he was on at the Gaiety I was working the fly floor in control of the Act Drop and front of house tabs.

I was issued with a walkie talkie and told I had to drop in the act drop if the manager messaged. Can’t remember if it was Mervyn or Bob Wilkie.

[Non-Believer]

20 minutes ago, John Wright said:

Roy Chubby Brown has performed in both the Gaiety and the Villa Royal Hall.

The first ever night he was on at the Gaiety I was working the fly floor in control of the Act Drop and front of house tabs.

I was issued with a walkie talkie and told I had to drop in the act drop if the manager messaged. Can’t remember if it was Mervyn or Bob Wilkie.

I went to see him at the Villa as part of coach party from a local pub, that would have been @ 1991.

[John Wright]

8 minutes ago, Non-Believer said:

I went to see him at the Villa as part of coach party from a local pub, that would have been @ 1991.

We had similar standby instructions for Bernard Manning, also.

[quilp]

I worked the spotlights in the Villa for years. Always looked forward to Ken Dodd, even though his second show would sometimes run from 9pm till past midnight. This would be 1974/75.At the end of the season, stage and lighting staff were told to line up on the stage after his last show because Doddy liked to give everyone a tip. One particular night there we were all stood in line and Doddy would say thanks, shake everyone's hand and slip you an small envelope with cash in it. He got to me and slipped me an envelope saying, "there you go lad, put that in your pocket and have drink on me, thanks for all the work." The envelope felt satisfyingly thick, a wad, surely? Well, talk about having a drink on Doddy, on the way home I opened the envelope, to find...

A Tetley T-bag!!

When I arrived home, my old man, who was in charge of stage-lighting and PA, was in fits of laughter at Doddy's prank but then produced another envelope with 2 of the big green pound notes in it, which Doddy had given him, he being in on the prank. A nice touch.

 

Edited February 28 by quilp

[John Wright]

1 hour ago, Fred the shred said:

I loved him Mervyn who was manager at the Gaiety walked on the stage one night I was in the audience and handed him some keys and said he was off and told Ken to lock up when he had finished.    Obviously a put up job but the audience loved it.

I used to spend part summers with my grandparents in Cleveleys when I was a child. Was always taken to see most of the Blackpool Summer Shows.

Whenever Doddy did a summer season there were two houses. 18.00 and 20.30. It was common to go past the Opera House at 21.30 and see the second house audience waiting for the first house to finish.

[Barlow]

Local accountant Will Tickle (who died 2019) was brought up in Liverpool and as a young child his mother carried him into a local hall where a young Ken Dodd was in the middle of his act. He asked for the lads name and then made up a bit of a joke routine "how tickled I am to meet Will Tickle" etc. It got a laugh and it forever became part of his routine.

[Barlow]

Roy Chubby Brown at a packed Gaiety, one TT Week, before refurbishment.

To get the audience onside his opening was "Bikers eh . . . right lads, let's fookin' wreck the place" then he paused, looked around the theatre and with a disdainful look "oh, I see you already have".

[The Voice of Reason]

Whilst reminiscing I am minded of going to see Ronricco the hypnotist at the Villa ( no doubt this has been covered before).

Anyway there was a a very small audience, covering the first few rows of the venue.

Mr Ronricco asked for volunteers willing to be hypnotized. He didn’t  get the requisite number and frustratedly said he wasn’t “ going to beg”for volunteers.

If I remember correctly he had to accept a number of young chaps obviously under the age of which he said you had to be, to take part to be hypnotized, due to the lack of appropriately aged volunteers.

These young lads obviously weren’t hypnotized and sat on the chairs on the stage obviously taking the piss out of him.

It was all very sad.

Re Will Tickle, years  ( decades) ago we used to drink in the same hostelry. He had a wicked sense of humour and referred to his wife as Tess. He said it with such sincerity that you always wondered if it it was actually true!
 

 

Edited February 28 by The Voice of Reason

[John Wright]

6 minutes ago, The Voice of Reason said:

Whilst reminiscing I am minded of going to see Ronricco the hypnotist at the Villa ( no doubt this has been covered before).

Anyway there was a a very small audience, covering the first few rows of the venue.

Mr Ronricco asked for volunteers willing to be hypnotized. He didn’t  get the requisite number and frustratedly said he wasn’t “ going to beg”for volunteers.

If I remember correctly he had to accept a number of young chaps obviously under the age of which he said you had to be, to take part to be hypnotized, due to the lack of appropriately aged volunteers.

These young lads obviously weren’t hypnotized and sat on the chairs on the stage obviously taking the piss out of him.

It was all very sad.

Re Will Tickle, years  ( decades) ago we used to drink in the same hostelry. He had a wicked sense of humour and referred to his wife as Tess. He said it with such sincerity that you always wondered if it it was actually true!
 

 

Are you remembering Ronrico or Josef Karma?

Her name was Jane.