Catalogue

This is an accout phenomenal success, Rock around the Clock, released in 1954 and show first in the Potteries at the Gaumont Cinema in Hanley. To packed houses, dancing is the isles, it was like a musical revolution never seen since the 1920s.  Bill Haley and the Comets recorded Rock around the Clock and created nothing less than a cultural revolution in the USA and Europe. This film and its music will go down in history as the one song that gave total freedom to the art of dancing.

At the height of cinema growth in 1914, and with luck the area in Campbell Place had been cleared from the old pottery pot-bank and vacant for commercial development. And so, the thought of a brand-new purpose luxury cinema in the middle of Stoke town became a reality and opened on Monday 13^th April 1914.

The new Majestic in the town of Stoke was one of the most popular of the four cinemas in the town. Designed with the best architecture and facilities of the time, even had its own orchestra not just a solo piano as most picture houses to accompany silent movies. It also boosted ‘upturn seats’ and the best ventilation system available (remember people smoked a lot in those days)

As such it was a success from the day of opening, the staff all in uniforms and a welcoming steward at the door. In fact, they all formed a kind of a second family if you were to attend twice a week as films changed on a Monday and Thursday. This article of two pages will no doubt bring back many memories of early cinema days. Contains four pahes of information on the advancement of cinema history with first talkies then in the mid-1950s the re-opening of the Majestic by the Lady Mayoress and many civic dignatories of CinemaScope in June 1955 which was sadly closed only a few years later as a result of many former patrons turing to television.

The Empire situated in Longton has for many decades been just a memory, destroyed by fire whilst up for sale. One of the most interesting items to come my way was an unpublished work by the late Rev. V.G. Aston who, during his curacy at a nearby parish became the local Actor’s Church Union Chaplain.

On one such occasion visiting the theatre he decided to catch the main attraction which was when wrestling challenges were offered to anyone in the audience live on stage, with a financial reward of £5 if they wone the fight – which in those days was an established form of entertainment, similar to what frequently happened at fairgrounds. The events turned out to be an audience punch-up – a great read in early music hall  entertainment.

Buffalo Bills Wils West visited twice to Stoke on Trent. Potteries folk came in their thousnds to see one of the worlds most amazing events of the time, ever to be witnessed in a poor, hardworking towns like Stoke untill Buffalo Bills Wild West Extravaganza  arrived at the County Cricket Ground, Shelton in August 1891 for six days. It travelled the city in its pre-show exhibition with all the razzermataz expected and probably attracted tens of thousands over its six day run. For those who have seen the film Annie Get Your Gun the title roll of Annie Oakley was to to be seen in action at the old County Cricket Ground. And yet it’s from this background and just the name of Col. Bill Cody that brought thousands from the far-flung corners of North Staffordshire to the first event in the Potteries. When the Deadwood coach was finally brought into the arena, first there was uproar from the crowd as the story of this part of the performance had been circulated previously. The coach was drawn by four mules, and a feature in the afternoon’s entertainment was an attack upon it by Indians, and in the rescue by no less than Buffalo Bill.

In addition, which enriching the potteries folk there was a buffalo hunt, a representation of the attack on a settled cabin by Indians, and Indian settlement and illustration of the old post express being attacked. The last suing and riding of the bucking horses by the Cowboys was an exciting scene which the applause of which could have shaken the very foundations of the cricket ground. Here Buffalo Bill took part and showed himself as an expert in shooting. The skill and pluck of the Cowboys was truly surprising. Altogether the entertainment was most satisfactory. In the evening there was another big gathering, of Indians around a campfire bringing the day to a triumphant end enriching people of the Potteries and raising their inner-being as never before.