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Shows at the Granada Cinema, Bedford: the beat boom era
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Background
Built
in 1934, The Granada Cinema was a joint development by the Bernstein brothers of
London and the Blake Brothers of Bedford. From the outset, it was a venue
for live performances as well as films. It included a stage which although only
17ft, was large enough for live shows and could house a full orchestra.
The ‘Mighty Wurlitzer Organ’, transferred from the Tooting Granada Cinema, was
used for organ recitals by Reginald Dixon, a famous organist from The Tower,
Blackpool and others equally well known: Harold Betts, Reginald Foort and Harold
Ramsay. At the opening ceremony on Sunday
December 15th 1934, the Band of His Majesty’s Scots Guards played at the cinema.
The 1930s saw many stage shows - variety acts were booked to support film
programmes. A performance by ‘Les Apache Accordion Band’ for example, preceded the film ‘The Crusades’ starring Loretta Young.
During the war the cinema
was used for Sunday concerts - radio broadcasts and Holidays-at-Home concerts:
the first in July 1943 featured Cyril Fletcher, Harry Fryer and his Broadcasting
Orchestra, with a 10½ year old Petula Clark.
By the late 60s, Saturday morning children’s matinees included stage shows as
well as films for children. Children’s birthdays were celebrated with a card and
an ice cream cake up on the stage of the Granada. There were competitions such
as Easter egg painting and ‘Best Dressed Guys’. When the Mighty Wurlitzer came
up, the curtains would open and they would all stand up and sing, ‘All for one
and one for all. We are the Bedford Granadiers’ to the music of ‘The British
Grenadiers’. The words were up on the stage for all to join in. After
Cliff Richard came second in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1968 they all sang
‘Congratulations’.
In
the 1960s, Bedford was established as part of the ‘Beat Boom’ circuit and the
Granada was to become a popular venue for pop concerts. Groups promoted by
agents and managers such as Arthur Howes, Kennedy Street Enterprises, The George
Cooper Organisation, Stevie Productions Ltd. and Larry Parnes, appeared. Perhaps
the most well known was Brian Epstein who managed the Beatles as well as Cilla
Black, Gerry and the Pacemakers and Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas. All of these performed at The Granada. After
the ‘gigs’ many of the groups would congregate in The Bear, a very
popular pub in the High Street, where many local teenagers would go in order to
meet the ‘stars’ and to collect autographs.
| 1958 | |
| Feb 12th | Sid Phillips and his band |
| Mar 5th | Winifred Atwell |
| April 16th | Lonnie Donegan |
| May 22nd | Johnny Gray, Guy Mitchell |
| Oct 1st | Eddie Calvert, Russ Hamilton |
| Oct 22nd | Beryl Reid, Ken Platt, Malcolm Vaughan |
| Nov 11th | Craig Douglas, The Mudlarks, Bert Weedon, Tommy Steele |
| Dec 3rd | Archie Andrews and Peter Brough |
| 1959 | |
| Feb 18th | Michael Holliday, Kaye Sisters, Fraser Hayes Four |
| Mar 25th | Marino Marini Quartet |
| April 22nd | Hughie Green, Alma Cogan |
| June 17th | Cliff Richard and The Drifters, Cherry Wainer, Neville Taylor |
| Sept 30th | Humphrey Lyttleton and his band, Don Lang, Petula Clarke |
| 1960 | |
| Feb 24th | Adam Faith |
| March 30th | Ronnie Hilton |
| May 4th | Lonnie Donegan, Jon Pertwee |
| June 1st | Emile Ford and the Checkmates, Frank Ifield, Jimmy Lloyd |
| Sept 28th | Idols on Parade: 16 stars including Joe Brown, Billy Fury, Tommy Bruce |
| Nov 19th | Bob Monkhouse, Ricky Valance, Dr Crock and his Crackpots |
| 1961 | |
| Jan 11th | Bygraves |
| March 28th | Adam Faith, John Barry Seven |
| April 10th | Tommy Steel |
| April 26th | Frankie Howerd, Matt Munroe, Mudlarks |
| July 13th | Shadows, Danny Williams |
| Oct 16th | Jimmy Jewel and Ben Warriss, Craig Douglas, Ruby Murray |
| Nov 1st | Billy Fury, Eden Kane, Joe Brown |
| Nov 15th | Russ Conway, Lana Sisters |
| Nov 29th | Gene Vincent Johnny Kidd |
| Dec 22 | Helen Shapiro |
| 1962 | |
| June 6th | Bruce Channel, Johhny Kidd, Frank Ifield |
| Oct 17th | Jet Harris with Jet Blacks, Little Richard, Sam Cooke |
| Oct 23rd | Brown, Johnny Kidd |
| Nov 11th | All Britain Beat Championship: Midland Area Finals. Presented by Disc and George Cooper. Prize money of £2000 at National Grand Final. Joe Brown, Bert Weedon |
| Nov 14th | Bobby Vee, The Crickets |
| Nov 28th | Adam Faith, Gene Vincent, The Roulettes |
| Dec 14th | Norman Vaughan |
| 1963 | |
| Jan 21st | Johnny and The Hurricanes |
| Feb 6th | Helen Shapiro, The Beatles (third date of the Beatles' first nationwide tour headlined by Helen Shapiro) |
| March 12th | Chris Montez, The Beatles, Tommy Roe |
| April 12th | Frankie Vaughan |
| May 7th | Shannon |
| Sep 14th | Billy J. Kramer |
| Oct 2nd | Roy Orbison, Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, The Searchers, Freddie and The Dreamers |
| Dec 11th | Billy Fury, Freddie and The Dreamers, Karl Denver |
| 1964 | |
| Jan 15th | Rolling Stones, The Ronettes, Marty Wilde |
| Mar 12th | The Searchers, Dusty Springfield |
| May 4th | Roy Orbison. Freddie and The Dreamers |
| Oct 13th | Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, The Kinks, The Ronettes |
| Nov 2nd | The Honeycombs, Lulu and The Luvvers, Millie |
| Nov 17th | Gerry and The Pacemakers, Gene Pitney, Marianne Faithfull, Bobby Shafto, The Kinks |
| Dec 8th | Brenda Lee, Johnny Kidd and The Pirates, John Barry Seven, Marty Wilde |
| Dec/Jan 64 | 26 Dec 1964 – 2 Jan 1965, Pantomime Once Upon a Fairytale starring Millie, Jess Conrad, Mack and Kirk |
| 1965 | |
| Feb 22nd | Adam Faith, Sandie Shaw |
| March 10th | Roy Orbison, The Rockin’ Berries |
| May 13th | The Kinks, The Yardbirds |
| Oct 8th | EverlyBrothers, Cilla Black |
| Nov 9th | Herman’s Hermits, Wayne Fontana, Billy Fury |
| Dec 2nd | Manfred Mann, Paul and Barry Ryan, The Yardbirds |
| 1966 | |
| April 8th | The Small Faces. Martha and the Vandellas, Lou Christie |
| 1967 | |
| Feb 5th | Dave, Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Titch |
| Mar 16th | The Hollies, Spencer Davis Group, Tremeloes, Paul Jones |
| April 11th | Walker Brothers, Jimmy Hendrix, Cat Stevens |
| 1968 | |
| April 8th | The Kinks, The Tremeloes |
| April 30th | Gene Pitney |
| May 14th | Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins. |
| 1969 | |
| April | Herman's Hermits, Dave Berry |
| This was one of the final shows of the 'Beat Boom' era which was by this time in decline. |
Information from Barbara Power 2013
This is not a complete list. If you have any information to add we would be pleased to include it.
Sources
- Cinema posters, BARS reference: Z1365 at Bedfordshire Archives andRecords Service (BARS)
- Local Newspaper cuttings, Bedford: Cinemas, at Bedford Library
- Charles Rose. Hometown Tourist: it was 50 years ago today...., The Bedford Clanger, February 2013 p.2 [shows at the Granada]
- David Simpson. Granada management 2 – Bedford, Mercia Bioscope November 2006 pp.1-12
Images
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© Bedford Borough Council. Images are of cinema posters from the collection (Ref. Z1365) at Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service (BARS) and cannot be reproduced without permission.
Page last updated: 11th March 2014