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Shows at the Granada Cinema, Bedford: the beat boom era

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Granada Cinema, Bedford Poster. Not to be reproduced without permission from BLARS 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, precededthe 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’.

Granada Cinema, Bedford Poster. Not to be reproduced without permission from BLARS 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. Allof 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	MarinoMarini Quartet
April 22nd	Hughie Green, Alma Cogan
June 17th	Cliff Richards 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.

	This is not a complete list. If you have any information to add we would be pleased to include it.

Information from Barbara Power 2013

Sources

Cinema posters, BLARS reference: Z1365 at Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service (BLARS)
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