More Houdini

I've written about Houdini's appearance at the Palace Theatre in Union Street several times before but, as I've been compiling my book about Houdini's tours of Britain, I've discovered other pictures and newspaper articles about his appearance in Plymouth. I think the following article, taken from a newspaper of the day, captures what it was like to be at his show:

HOUDINI AT PLYMOUTH.

AN INEXPLICABLE TRICK.

Harry Houdini, expert prison breaker and handcuff manipulator, who has been mystifying the Plymouth public at the Palace Theatre of Varieties this week, gave a marvellous exhibition of his wonderful powers last evening. The test arose from a challenge issued by five mechanics and joiners of the Devonport Dockyard that they could make a box from which Houdini could not escape. The 'handcuff king' accepted the challenge, which was decided at the second house at the Palace yesterday. The challenge excited great interest and every seat was booked and the building packed to overflowing. Many hundreds were unable to gain admission. The mechanics filed onto the stage with the box, which was of inch thick wood, and fastened together with 2½ inch wire nails. As it has been exhibited at the Palace for some days, the challengers, to preclude any suggestion of it having been tampered with, went around every edge and inserted handfuls of fresh nails. Houdini, who was received with tremendous applause, soon stepped into the box, and was, after it was seen by the audience that he was really inside, securely nailed in. Previously, ventilation holes were drilled in two of the sides. A strong rope was then passed around the box with half hitches, and was itself then nailed to the wood. The performer was then heard to ask if everything was all right, and, on being assured that that was the case, the curtain was placed around the box. The latter had also been thoroughly examined by the Dockyardmen and a committee of the audience, who were on the stage. Houdini was also searched, but no tools were found on him.
During the interval of waiting, the orchestra played several well known songs, which the audience sang to pass away the time. After twelve minutes, the band suddenly stopped and the 'house' was in uproar. Houdini had appeared, perspiring profusely, while during his confinement he had also discarded his dress coat. Cheer upon cheer greeted the performer and everyone, the challengers, committee and audience, admitted themselves to be thoroughly at a loss how to explain the trick. The box was in exactly the same condition as when Houdini was nailed in. There was no sign of an opening anywhere. The nails, rope and cover were also as securely fastened as they were previously. The box, during the test, was at the request of the challengers, placed on a carpet and not on the stage flooring. The Dockyardmen accepted their defeat and each heartily congratulated Houdini on his success. The box was subsequently inspected by the audience.
At the first house, a gentleman offered Houdini £10 if he could escape from the strait jacket after being fastened in it by a number of sailors. The challenge was accepted but Houdini got free in a little over seven minutes. The ten pounds will today br handed over to the Mayor with the suggestion that £5 shall be sent to the Variety Artistes' Benevolent Fund and £5 to a local charity.

THE DIVE FROM STONEHOUSE BRIDGE.

Rain did not deter an immense crowd from assembling at Stonehouse Bridge last evening to witness Houdini, 'the handcuff king', doubly manacled, dive from that structure. Punctually at six o'clock, the intrepid American appeared on the bridge, nude accept for a pair of white knickers. He seemed anxious to make the plunge but for a few seconds, he was prevented by the presence of boats below. Mr. Field, the manager of the Palace and Houdini's men, who were also in boats, shouted to the occupants of the obstructing craft and they tardily cleared the course.
Houdini was speedily shackled by his chief assistant. An arm-iron was placed around the upper part of his arms and fastened at his back, after which his hands were secured with handcuffs. Without betraying the slightest sign of trepidation, fettered and hampered as he was by 18lbs. weight of iron and his hands bound behind his back, he stood for a few seconds in an upright posture, drew several deep inhalations until his lungs were visibly distended and then hurled his body forward into space. In falling, he gave a backward kick in order to balance his body. His head cleaved the placid waters and Houdini disappeared from view.
Then followed a period of suspense and to alter slightly Macaulay's 'Horatius' :-
'The spectators in dumb surprise,
With parting lips and straining eyes.
Stood gazing where he sank.'
Houdini's head reappeared above the surface in the space of forty-five seconds amid the plaudits of the multitude. He had succeeded in releasing himself from his fetters and at once swam ashore, jumped into the cab in which he had driven out and assumed his clothes on the way back to the New Palace Theatre.

This story and many more are featured in my book, 'Houdini : The British Tours' which will be available from 30th September 2011. It's on Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Houdini-British-Tours-Derek-Tait/dp/0956078176/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314910812&sr=8-1

Victoria Road, St Budeaux

Here's a very rare and interesting photo showing Victoria Road in St Budeaux (please click on the photo to see a larger version).
At first glance, it might not seem obvious where this photo was taken. However, it becomes clear when you realise that the patch of ground on the left would later become the location of the State Cinema.
The Masonic Hall, on the corner of Kathleaven Street, is situated half way up, on the right.
At the top of the photo is Normandy Way (then named Vicarage Road) which led eventually down to Saltash Passage.
Much has changed over the years. The road appears much narrower and is devoid of any traffic. It looks a very different scene today with constant roadworks and a steady stream of cars, buses and lorries.

John F Kennedy at Millbay Docks?

On the Plymouth council website, it says that John F Kennedy once disembarked at Millbay Docks in Plymouth. I've never seen this mentioned anywhere else and I'm sure that if a historical figure as important as John F Kennedy had visited Plymouth, it would be mentioned elsewhere. Also, I have never seen any photos of JFK at Plymouth. The site doesn't say when the incident was meant to have happened and I wonder if it's an error? Does anyone know of any information regarding his visit to Plymouth?
Kennedy made his first trip to England in September 1935 when he travelled with his parents and his sister, Kathleen. He also sailed to France in July 1937 and in June 1938, he travelled to London with his father and his brother, Joe. His father was Roosevelt's U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James, at the American embassy in London. In August of the same year, the family stayed in a villa near Cannes. Later, in 1939, Kennedy toured Europe, the Soviet Union, the Balkans, and the Middle East before travelling to Czechoslovakia and Germany before returning to London on the 1st September , 1939 which was the day Germany invaded Poland. On 3rd September of the same year, the family attended speeches at the House of Commons which endorsed the United Kingdom's declaration of war on Germany. Kennedy was sent as his father's representative to help with arrangements for American survivors of the SS Athenia, before flying back to the U.S. from Foynes, Ireland to Port Washington, New York on his first transatlantic flight.
I intend to investigate his trip to Plymouth further so check for later blog posts to see what I discover. Perhaps, while on one of the trips mentioned, he landed at Millbay. The council's web page can be found here:
http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/millbay_docks_25-32.pdf
Other celebrities mentioned on the site that diembarked at Milbay include General Allenby, Charlie Chaplin, Maurice Chevalier, Winston Churchill,
Clemenceau, Bebe Daniels, Marlene Dietrich,Walt Disney, Douglas Fairbanks, Helen Keller, Pierre Laval,Vivian Leigh, Lloyd George, Ben Lyon, Anna Pavlova, General Pershing, Mary Pickford, Cecil Rhodes, Bernard Shaw, General Smuts and  HG Wells.
I hope to write about some of these visitors in later posts.

Patsy Scantlebury

Recently, the film 'The Way We Live' was shown outside at the Lido in Plymouth. It tells the tale of Alice Copperwheat and her family whose house is destroyed in the Blitz and who are then billeted to Horrabridge before becoming the owners of a brand new pre-fab. There are various scenes of the city as it was in 1945. The film also tells of the plans to rebuild Plymouth. 

Patsy Scantlebury, who lived in St Budeaux, was chosen for the role after being seen on Plymouth Hoe jitterbugging with an American sailor. At the time, she was just 17. She had previously worked in a post office. The cuttings on this page come from various newspapers and magazines of the day. Patsy went on to sign a seven year contract with the J Arthur Rank Organization and appeared as an air hostess in the film 'Blind Goddess' as Patsy Drake (her stage name). The cuttings show various publicity shots and also cover the wedding of Patsy's sister, Sheila. 

 

Coincidentally, on the same day that the film was shown at the Lido, Patsy's cousin wrote to me. She told me that Patsy's parents had both lived at Normandy Way in St Budeaux and Patsy herself now lives in British Columbia, Canada.

Glenn Miller

On 28th August, 1944, Major Glenn Miller and his American Band of Allied Expeditionary Force appeared at tthe Odeon Cinema in Frankfort Street, Plymouth. It was reported that Bing Crosby would also be appearing and large queues started forming at 9 pm in readiness for the concert at 10.15 pm. Crosby was unable to attend because of other commitments but Glenn Miller appeared and played to a packed house of military and naval personnel (civilians weren't permitted). The police and military police controlled the crowds outside. Miller and his 52 piece orchestra played all the music that he had become famous for. Sergeant Johnny Desmond was the lead vocalist and the Crew Chiefs also appeared on stage. Previous to his appearance, Miller had been given a tour of the city.

The top photo shows Miller meeting Sam Donohue. This photo wasn't taken in Plymouth although these two did meet up in the city. Sam led the Artie Shaw Naval Band based at the Vicarage Road USN Camp. Sam and several of the band members were in films and backed Frank Sinatra post war. The dance hall was next door to the Cornwall's Gate Inn.
Miller had arrived earlier by plane at Harrowbeer. He gave two other concerts, one at Shapter's Field in Cattedown (where there was a US base) and the other at the US Navy Field Hospital at Manadon.

On December 15, 1944, while flying to Paris from England to give a concert, Glenn Miller's plane, a single-engined UC-64 Norseman, disappeared over the English Channel. No trace of the plane, the crew or Glenn Miller were ever found. 

The Odeon was also used by Field-Marshall Montgomery who briefed officers prior to the D-Day landings.
The cinema survived the war and remained in the newly built New George Street until it was demolished in 1963 so that the Littlewoods store could be built. Today, Littlewoods has been replaced by TJ Hughes. It's interesting when walking by the building to think that the likes of Glenn Miller and Field Marshall Montgomery once passed this way.

Jack Cohen's Joke Shop

The town of today is a totally different one to the one in which I grew up in, in the 1970s. It's amazing that shops like Woolworth's, Littlewoods and the Co-op at the bottom of town are gone forever.
It seems sad seeing Jack Cohen's Joke Shop lying empty at the bottom of Frankfort Gate. On Saturday's, we would catch the bus into town, taking with us our old records to exchange for new ones in the market, our old books and comics to exchange in Bonus Books and, after we'd been to the cinema to see the latest blockbuster, we'd always pop into Jack Cohen's before returning home. Jack was a lovely bloke and always very friendly to kids. The popular jokes of the day included inky soap, itching powder, whoopee cushions and stink bombs. My friend, Nicky Rich, would buy them all and then try them out on the teachers at school when we went back on Monday. Teachers were a different breed back then and it never went down very well so he often got the cane or detention!
My mum once took me in the shop because they had Action Men in the window. They turned out not to be Action Men but cheap Chinese copies. I had one anyway and Jack said to me, 'Don't forget to feed him!'
The funny thing is, that real Action Men were kept but the cheap copies were thrown away and now they're very collectable.
The last time I saw Jack was in the late 1980s, still running the shop. It seemed to have lost some of its appeal. I suppose times had moved on. Even so, the shop was taken over by a new owner and traded for many years after.
It seems a shame seeing it today, empty, knowing that it will probably just be knocked down and be gone forever.
The photo shows the shop in the 1960s with King Street Arch in the foreground.

Entertainment in Plymouth in 1909

I have been writing a book about Houdini's tours of Britain in the early 1900s and Lorna Basham from the Plymouth Library kindly sent me some cuttings from 1909 which include reports of Houdini's visit to Plymouth.
The illustration shows a drawing made by a member of the audience during Houdini's appearance on stage at the Palace Theatre in Union Street.
An advert for the show was featured in the Western Morning News and read:

PALACE, PLYMOUTH

TWICE NIGHTLY 7 and 9

MONDAY, AUGUST 16TH, 1909, AND DURING THE WEEK

Performances commence 10 minutes earlier on Saturday only.

HOUDINI

The Original Handcuff King and Jail Breaker.

BILLY YOUNG.   JACKLEY TRIO.

MAY MAIDMENT.  STUART AND MORGAN.

TWO MOR BOYS.                               THE PALISCOPE.

BILLY WILLIAMS

The Man in the Velvet Suit.

Houdini is remembered for jumping in chains from Stonehouse Bridge and his escape from a wooden box constructed by workers from the nearby dockyard. All is revealed in my upcoming book together with many other stories of his shows, challenges and escapes around the country.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in nearby Devonport, 'Sexton Blake' was been performed at the Theatre Metropole in Devonport. The Theatre Royal in Plymouth was performing 'the musical success', Sergeant Brue.

Elsewhere, The Hippodrome in Devonport announced:

TONIGHT

 First appearance in Devonport of the celebrated MISS WHITTAKER (a personality) supported by MR F. WILBUR HILL, presenting a singing and instrumental novelty. Also featured OHINKO, the wonderful young juggler.
Names, unlike Houdini, now all long forgotten.

At the Pier Pavilion for Regatta Week were 'Leslie's Popular Comedy Cadets'.

Meanwhile, Leonard Teel's Pom-Poms appeared at the bandstand on the Hoe.

Also appearing in the town were, 'Bostock and Wombwell's Travelling Zoo' whose advert read:

VALUE

ONE WORD TO THE WISE IS SUFFICIENT

THE MOST COMPLETE ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTION

Apart from music hall entertainment, there were also many local auctions.Two names live on today in the auction world; Shobrook's and Rendell's. Their lots for auction consisted mainly of old furniture and bric-a-brac.

The town was alive with both indoor and outdoor entertainment. Imagine seeing Houdini jump off Stonehouse Bridge and then taking a stroll along the Pier before seeing 'Bostock and Wombwell's Travelling Zoo' and all for less than one shilling!