n attempt to list all the shows ever performed at our Hippodromes, beginning with the temporary circus buildings, which from 1884 were specially erected on Pool Meadow for each visit - then, in 1903, to the first permanent, but short-lived, 'Tin' Hippodrome on the Priory Street side of Pool Meadow facing the old Swimming Baths. The popularity of these shows created the demand for a theatre worthy of our city, and so in 1906 began the construction in Hales Street, next to Swanswell Gate, of what we now regard as the Old Hippodrome.
Again, the success of this theatre meant that barely three decades later a greater capacity was required, and so we come to our lovely art-deco New Hippodrome in Hales Street, once known as the Showplace of the Midlands. Opening on the 1st November 1937, it was renamed Coventry Theatre in 1955, then from 1979 became The Apollo, giving its final performance in June 1985. After a short spell as a bingo hall it was eventually realised that such a building could not be put to any practical use, so, sadly, it was demolished in 2002. If anyone still has any tickets or programmes and would like to see them used to illustrate a show, please contact me.
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1935 | Old Hippodrome, Hales Street | ||
Date(s) | Show | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|
Mon 14th Jan until Sat 19th Jan 1935 | Billy Merrin and his Commanders | Variety, including 6 Zio Girls, Keith Clarke, Eddie Earle & Babette, and many more. | |
Mon 21st Jan until Sat 26th Jan 1935 | Chapman's Great Continental Zoo-Circus | Lions! Tigers! Elephants! Kangaroos! & Clowns! Clowns! Clowns! | |
Mon 28th Jan until Sat 2nd Feb 1935 | 1,001 Marvels | Jack Taylor's gigantic revue, with 60 artistes. | |
Mon 4th Feb until Sat 9th Feb 1935 | Joie de Paris | A French revue in English. | |
Mon 11th Feb until Sat 16th Feb 1935 | Billy Caryll and Hilda Mundy | Variety, including The Three Bonos, 8 Gordon Ray Acrobatic Girls, Helen Binnie, Howard Rogers, and more. | |
Mon 18th Feb until Sat 23rd Feb 1935 | A Waltz Dream | Strauss opera, by the Coventry Amatuer Operatic Society. | |
Mon 25th Feb until Sat 2nd Mar 1935 | Laughter Zone | With the one and only Nellie Wallace. | |
Mon 4th Mar until Sat 9th Mar 1935 | Hello Prosperity | Tom Moss presents his £20,000 revue. | |
Mon 11th Mar until Sat 16th Mar 1935 | 1935 Road Show | Starring Sandy Powell. | |
Mon 18th Mar until Sat 23rd Mar 1935 | Mercenary Mary | Musical play from the London Hippodrome. | |
Mon 25th Mar until Sat 30th Mar 1935 | Archie's Juvenile Band | The world's youngest band. Plus, Billy Danvers, Norah Williams, and many more. | |
Mon 1st Apr until Sat 6th Apr 1935 | Les Allen and his Melody Four | Plus Billy Russell, Six Zio Girls, The Ben Behee Arabs, and much more. | |
Mon 8th Apr until Sat 13th Apr 1935 | The Sou Yei Troupe | Oriental pageant. Plus, Hal Bryan, the O'Gorman Bros., Fields & Shalson, and others. | |
Mon 15th Apr until Sat 20th Apr 1935 | Harry Welchman | Radio and screen star. Plus, The 7 Fredysons, Dezso Retter and Polly Day, and many others. | |
Mon 22nd Apr until Sat 27th Apr 1935 | Fred Sylvester and his Midget Nephews | Plus, Harry & Burton Lester, the Four Herzogs, Burt Weston, and more. | |
Mon 29th Apr until Sat 4th May 1935 | The Desert Song | With Sandy Warren as the 'Red Shadow'. | |
Mon 6th May until Sat 11th May 1935 | Douglas Wakefield & Billy Nelson | Plus, The Three Virginians, Olsen's Crazy Sea Lions, The Mariajanos, and more. | |
Mon 13th May until Sat 18th May 1935 | Our Show | For a special summer season, devised and produced in Coventry. | |
Mon 20th May until Sat 25th May 1935 | Leslie Sarony &am,p; Leslie Holmes | Plus, Elsie Prince and Harry Angers, and more. | |
Mon 27th May until Sat 1st Jun 1935 | Nora Williams | America's whistling songstress. Plus, Elsie Prince and Harry Angers, Max and his Gang, and many others. | |
Mon 3rd Jun until Sat 8th Jun 1935 | Billy Merson | Plus, Elsie Prince and Harry Angers, Karina, Vadio & Hertz, and more. | |
Mon 10th Jun until Sat 15th Jun 1935 | Ken Harvey | The world's greatest banjoist. Plus, Kimberley & Page, the Three Manley Brothers, and many more. | |
Mon 17th Jun until Sat 22nd Jun 1935 | Harry Welchman | In songs old and new. Plus, The Lorandos, Eddie Henderson & Fred Kitchen Jnr., and more. | |
Mon 24th Jun until Sat 29th Jun 1935 | Arnaut Brothers | Musical comedians. Plus, Gaston & Andree, Mona Grey, Archie Glen, and many others. | |
Mon 1st Jul until Sat 6th Jul 1935 | Jack Payne's Radio Party | With Jimmy James & Co., Garland Wilson, Donald Stuart, Janet Joye, and more. | |
Mon 8th Jul until Sat 13th Jul 1935 | Joseph Griffin | Irish-American tenor. Plus, Browning & Starr, Varney & Butt, and many others. | |
Mon 15th Jul until Sat 20th Jul 1935 | Lily Morris | With comedy songs. Plus, Dick Henderson, Stanley & Young, and many more. | |
Mon 22nd Jul until Sat 27th Jul 1935 | Larry Adler | Virtuoso mouth organ player. Plus Wilson, Keppel & Betty, Tom Payne & Vera Hilliard, and more. | |
Mon 29th Jul until Sat 3rd Aug 1935 | Jose Collins | Queen of musical comedy. Plus, Les Pierrotys, Chick Elliott, and many more. | |
Mon 5th Aug until Sat 10th Aug 1935 | G. H. Elliott | The original chocolate coloured c**n. Plus, Jenny Howard, Beryl Orde, and much more. | |
Mon 12th Aug until Sat 17th Aug 1935 | The Charladies | A riot of fun. Plus, Russell Marconi & Vernon, Trixie, Neil McKay, Hylda Baker, and more. | |
Mon 19th Aug until Sat 24th Aug 1935 | La Revue d'Amour | Direct from the Prince of Wales Theatre, London, starring Nat Mills & Bobbie. | |
Mon 26th Aug until Sat 31st Aug 1935 | This Year of Carnival | With George Doonan, Lalla Dodd, Laurie Howe, and many others. | |
Mon 2nd Sep until Sat 7th Sep 1935 | Gala Variety is here again | Featuring, Gaston Palmer, Kitty Masters, Bower & Rutherford, Percy Manchester, and many more. | |
Mon 9th Sep until Sat 14th Sep 1935 | Second Week of Gala Variety | With Gene Sheldon, Revnell & West, The Rodney Hudson Girls, and much more. | |
Mon 16th Sep until Sat 21st Sep 1935 | Third Week of Gala Variety | With Carlyle Cousins, Brookins & Van, Okito, and much more. | |
Mon 23rd Sep until Sat 28th Sep 1935 | Fourth and Finest Week of Gala Variety | Starring Syd Seymour and his Mad Hatters Band, Chick Farr & George Hughes, and many more. | |
Mon 30th Sep until Sat 5th Oct 1935 | Pleasure Bound | Summer show, featuring Jan Ralfini, Barry Lupino, Mona Vivien, and more. | |
Mon 7th Oct until Sat 12th Oct 1935 | Happy & Glorious | Revue, with Dave Morris in his latest continental show. | |
Mon 14th Oct until Sat 19th Oct 1935 | Scott and Whaley | The BBC 'Kentucky Minstrels'. Plus, Eric Randolph, 7 Elliotts, Afrique, and much more. | |
Mon 21st Oct until Sat 26th Oct 1935 | 1935 Road Show | With George Formby, and many more. | |
Mon 28th Oct until Sat 2nd Nov 1935 | Waltzes from Vienna | A love story of music. | |
Mon 4th Nov until Sat 9th Nov 1935 | Mr. Tower of London | With Norman Evans, Betty Driver (in Gracie Fields' original part). | |
Mon 11th Nov until Sat 16th Nov 1935 | Lew Stone and his Radio Band of Artistes | With Helen McKay and full variety bill. | |
Mon 18th Nov until Sat 23rd Nov 1935 | Gala Variety is here again | Featuring Fred Duprez, 8 Frillis, Patricia Rossborough, and many others. | |
Mon 25th Nov until Sat 30th Nov 1935 | Gala Variety | With Lucan & McShane, Wong Choi Tsching Co., Peggy Cochrane, Clarkson Rose, and many more. | |
Mon 2nd Dec until Sat 7th Dec 1935 | Gala Variety | Including Rudy Starita, Gautier's Bricklayers, Billy Danvers, Max Wall, Ten Zio Angels, and many others. | |
Mon 9th Dec until Sat 14th Dec 1935 | Gala Variety | With Nat Gonella and his Georgians, Bob & Alf Pearson, Clifford & Rhode, Billy Matchett, and many others. (Closed the following week in preparation for Cinderella.) | |
Thu 26th Dec 1935 until Sat 25th Jan 1936 | Cinderella | The biggest pantomime ever seen in Coventry, with a cast of 60. (Was allowed to run while still being well attended, so ended up playing for a month!) |
Prev year: 1934Showing 1935Next year: 1936
1884 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985
Also of interest might be A short history of Coventry's Theatres and Cinemas, by Bill Birch.
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