Page 19 - Colin Wheeler's Memories

My Palace Theatre and other Memories Redditch Heritage

When Benson Dulay came, he called the same “volunteers“, up from the audience

that I had seen at the Hippodrome, they were obviously part of the Company.

In later years, Norman Vaughan topped a bill presented by Birmingham comedian

Johnny Carroll, there were 24 of us in the stalls, I counted them, Norman came
on stage and said “ I started my first professional engagement here in 1950, did

a few steps of tap dance, and then said “I shan’t ever bloody come here again”.
It was reported that the same show appeared at the Alvechurch Social Club a
week later to a packed audience. The Palace cafe was in a small room off the

stairway. He was introduced in a small room off the stairway to the circle. It
was run by Bert Maries, who had a sweet shop directly across the road from

where Rileys now stands.

It was during this period show presented by comedian Tubby Bennett came and
was so successful that he stayed for six weeks and did a different show every

week, I sat in the café and was witness to the business arrangements between
Jack and himself, I can remember the smell of this pipe tobacco now it was lovely.

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