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Hippodrome / Coventry Theatre / Apollo show archive

An 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.



1884 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 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

1939

New Hippodrome, Hales Street

Date(s)ShowNotesImages
Mon 6th Feb until Sat 11th Feb 1939Carroll Levis and his latest BBC DiscoveriesWith Alec Halls & Page, Kimberley & Page, the Newman Twins.
Mon 13th Feb until Sat 18th Feb 1939Variety ShowTom Walls, Ivor Moreton & Dave Kaye, Tessie O'Shea, Cecil Lyle and others.
Mon 20th Feb until Sat 25th Feb 1939Variety ShowBobbie Hind, the Western Brothers, Eve Becke, Senator Murphy, and others.
Mon 27th Feb until Sat 4th Mar 1939The Desert SongThe Coventry Amateur Operatic Society. Music by Sigmund Romburg.
Mon 6th Mar until Sat 11th Mar 1939The Hungarian Gipsy Boys' OrchestraWith Stanley Proffitt and Norman Evans (table tennis show) and others.
Mon 13th Mar until Sat 18th Mar 1939All The BestNew Revuew, starring Bebe Daniels & Ben Lyon, Sid Field, Tommy Kaye, Al Devito & Co. and others.
Mon 20th Mar until Sat 25th Mar 1939The Student PrinceStarring Harry Welchman, with Doris Francis and the full London Company of Principals and Chorus.
Mon 27th Mar until Sat 1st Apr 1939London Casino Show "Folies Superbes"Featuring stars from the Folies Bergere and Moulin Rouge.
Mon 3rd Apr until Sat 8th Apr 1939Hawaiin ParadiseWith 3 Peters Sisters, Maurice Colleano and others.
Mon 10th Apr until Sat 15th Apr 1939Variety ShowHoliday Programme with Evelyn Dall, Max Bacon, Vera Lynn, and the Ambrose Octet, plus others
Mon 17th Apr until Sat 22nd Apr 1939Billy Cotton and his BandPlus Giovanni, the 7 Fredysons, Betty Jumel, Morton Fraser and Stanford & McNaughton.
Mon 24th Apr until Sat 6th May 1939Doorlay's Wonder RocketWith 100 international artists. (An extra week added due to popularity.)
Mon 8th May until Sat 13th May 1939Me and My GirlThe show that made all Britain do the Lambeth Walk.
Mon 15th May until Sat 20th May 1939The Carl Rosa Opera CompanyA different opera each night.
Mon 22nd May until Sat 27th May 1939Max MillerWith Anona Winn, Chester Fredericks, Gloria Lane, and others.
Mon 29th May until Sat 3rd Jun 1939Tommy TrinderWith Hutch, Owen McGiveney, Maisie Weldon, Shaw and Weston, Paddy Drew, and others.
Mon 5th Jun until Sat 10th Jun 1939BBC Band WaggonWith Arthur Askey, Richard Murdoch, and many others.
Mon 12th Jun until Sat 17th Jun 1939Harry Roy and his BandWith Bill & Len Loew, the Dehl Trio, Dave & Joe O'Gorman, and others.
Mon 19th Jun until Sat 24th Jun 1939Lightning Variety ShowWith Arthur Prince, Jack Wilson, Freddie Forbes, and others.
Mon 26th Jun until Sat 1st Jul 1939Jack Jackson and his BandVariety with Archie Glen, Billy O'Connor, Jass & Jessie, Freddie, Phyllis & Anne, Betty Driver, and others.
Mon 3rd Jul until Sat 8th Jul 1939Radio ClubThe show devised by Lewis Marks. Includes Stanley Holloway, Gipsy Nina, Ted Ray and many more.
Mon 10th Jul until Sat 15th Jul 1939Variety ShowBilly Bennett (Almost a Gentleman), Ada Brown, Bobbie May, Al & Bob Harvey, and more.
Mon 17th Jul until Sat 22nd Jul 1939Reginald FoortPlaying the World's Mightiest Theatre Organ. With many guests.
Mon 24th Jul until Sat 29th Jul 1939Canada CallingAnother Novelty Variety Ensemble, with The Famous Vancouver Boys' Band, and others.
Mon 31st Jul until Sat 5th Aug 1939Variety ShowWith Teddy Brown, The Famous Darmora Dancers, Gene Sheldon & Loretta Fischer, and others.
Mon 7th Aug until Sat 12th Aug 1939Holiday Variety ShowSam Browne with the Crooners College, Gaston Palmer, Jimmy Plant, and many others.
Mon 14th Aug until Sat 19th Aug 1939Variety ShowScott & Whalley, Jack Daly, Phyllis Robins, Archie and his Juvenile Band, Jimmy Plant, and others.
Mon 21st Aug until Sat 26th Aug 1939Variety ShowJack Harris and his Famous Band, with Pat Taylor and Hughie Diamond, Sereno & June, Len Young, Terry Thomas, and others.
Mon 28th Aug until Sat 2nd Sep 1939Variety ShowStarring Ralph Reader the BBC & Radio Gang Show Star, the Dandridge Sisters, Howard Rogers, and others. (All shows for the next fortnight cancelled due to the outbreak of war.)
Sat 16th Sep 1939Variety ConcertArranged by W. E. "Bill" Pethers with the new Hippodrome Orchestra, for one night only. All members of the Armed Forces invited free of charge.
Mon 18th Sep until Sat 23rd Sep 1939Me and My GirlShow returned by public demand.
Mon 25th Sep until Sat 30th Sep 1939Variety ShowRawicz & Landauer, Douglas Byng, Oliver Wakefield, Randolph Sutton, Suzette Tarri, and others.
Mon 2nd Oct until Sat 7th Oct 1939White Horse InnMusical Play, with Jack Barty, Nita Croft, Bernard Clifton and Eddie Childs.
Mon 9th Oct until Sat 14th Oct 1939This'll Make You LaughStupendous All-Laughter Variety Show, with Ethel Revnell & Gracie West, Billy Caryll & Hilda Mundy, and others.
Mon 16th Oct until Sat 21st Oct 1939Variety ShowCharlie Kunz, The Two Leslies, Albert Whelan, and others.
Mon 23rd Oct until Sat 28th Oct 1939Visions of 1940Douglas Wakefield and his Gang in a Joyous New Revue, with Eddie Leslie, Jean Adrienne and Walter Williams.
Mon 30th Oct until Sat 4th Nov 1939Variety ShowMantovani and his Orchestra, Clifford & Marion, Norman Evans, and others.
Mon 6th Nov until Sat 11th Nov 1939Variety ShowSyd Seymour and his Mad Hatters Band, Maurice Colleano, Jack Edge, Campbell & Wise, and others.
Mon 13th Nov until Sat 18th Nov 1939Ambrose and his OrchestraBritain's foremost Dance Band, with Evelyn Dall, Max Bacon, Jack Cooper, Normal Long, Vera Lynn, and others.
Mon 20th Nov until Sat 25th Nov 1939Carroll Levis and his latest BBC DiscoveriesCompered by Leonard Urry. With George Lacy, Bobby Kimber, and others.
Mon 27th Nov until Sat 2nd Dec 1939Variety ShowWith Afrique, Hutch, Leon Cortez, and others.
Mon 4th Dec until Sat 9th Dec 1939"Folies Superbes" The Actual London Casino ShowWith a continental cast of over 70 artists, including Andre Randall and Sherkot.
Mon 11th Dec until Sat 16th Dec 1939Come out To PlayLondon Show, starring Jessie Matthews & Sonnie Hale, with Robert Hale, Peggy Rawlins, and others.
Mon 18th Dec until Sat 23rd Dec 1939Variety ShowTurner Layton and Ronald Frankau, Macari & his Dutch Accordion, Clapham & Dwyer, and others.
Tue 26th Dec 1939 until Sat 27th Jan 1940Babes In The WoodPantomime, starring Sandy Powell, Marjery Wyn and George Bolton.

Prev year: 1938   Next year: 1940

1884 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 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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