Page 10 - Palace Memories Gerald Jervis

Redditch Heritage Palace Theatre Memories

Stanford Robinson conducted one of the Operatic Society`s productions. This may
have been “Iolanthe” in which Mavis Bennett was Phyllis, with Charles Townsend as
Strephon, and Bert Bate and Jack smith (still happily with us) as Earls Tolloller and
Mountararat. Charles Townsend, a baritone with a fine presence was leading man for
several years, and was the Red Shadow in two separate productions of the” Desert
Song”. Kenneth and Wilfred Johnson, the tenor and baritone cousins, also came to
fore at this period. J. Marston Goulcher was in the local librettist, Stanley Guise’s “San
Marino”, with Mavis Bennett and Charles Townsend, and made a magnificent King
Louis in the “Vagabond King”. Arthur Warner, Richard Ellins, Mary Walton…The Names
come flooding back, and are too numerous to mention.

Talking films had arrived at the Palace by this time, and at the end of 1937 there came
the first attempt to re-establish live shows

I also had a telephone call from Miss Belle Lewis, who pointed out that the production
which Stanford Robinson conducted for the old Operatic society in the 1930`s was in
fact “ The Rebel Maid”. Miss Lewis, then a very young player in the second violins, was
promptly promoted to the first violins when the discerning visitor heard her play. Belle
must have been about eleven or twelve. She was at school with me (Gerald Jervis),
and left early, probably to have special training, she was ill though through spinal
problems or she might have gone far. Her mother was a violin teacher and led the
Operatic Society`s Orchestra.

At the end of 1937, the owning company, the Redditch Palace Theatre, Ltd., leased the
building to two partners who changed the policy from films to live shows, mostly twice
nightly variety. After each performance of the first week’s programme, of which I can
only remember the” strong man” who suffered an anvil to be beaten on his chest, a
member of the company gave a heartfelt appeal to the public to (in brief) keep their
money in the country instead of exporting it to American film makers. This received
warm support from a sympathetic proletariat.

Feedback

When this first instalment of my notes were published I received a charming letter of
appreciation from Mr. R.B. Marriot, the dramatic critic of “The Stage). Mr Marriott was
particularly pleased that I should have mentioned his great friend George Bullock, the
Redditch-born theatre and film critic and author. He often visited Mr. Bullock`s home
in Archer Road, and says that he was held back from reaching great heights only by ill
health and his untimely death a few years ago.

That must have been the week after Christmas, because the next week’s show was a
“panto”. Again, I cannot for the life of me remember the subject. I do remember the
dame getting the laugh of the evening (such as it was) by penetrating the demon
king’s lair (a nondescript snow scene) and saying “So this is Bromsgrove? It sounds
funnier than it reads, I assure you.

The weeks went on, mostly bringing, as I say, twice-nightly variety. I was in a position
to watch the company trailing down Alcester Street each Monday morning to “band
call”. (“We come last to our acrobatic act; we just want `Entry of the Gladiators` with
a chord every time Father says `Hoop-La!` - followed inevitably by half of the national

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