n attempt to list all the shows ever performed at our Hippodromes, beginning with the temporary circus buildings, which from 1884 were specially erected on Pool Meadow for each visit - then, in 1903, to the first permanent, but short-lived, 'Tin' Hippodrome on the Priory Street side of Pool Meadow facing the old Swimming Baths. The popularity of these shows created the demand for a theatre worthy of our city, and so in 1906 began the construction in Hales Street, next to Swanswell Gate, of what we now regard as the Old Hippodrome.
Again, the success of this theatre meant that barely three decades later a greater capacity was required, and so we come to our lovely art-deco New Hippodrome in Hales Street, once known as the Showplace of the Midlands. Opening on the 1st November 1937, it was renamed Coventry Theatre in 1955, then from 1979 became The Apollo, giving its final performance in June 1985. After a short spell as a bingo hall it was eventually realised that such a building could not be put to any practical use, so, sadly, it was demolished in 2002. If anyone still has any tickets or programmes and would like to see them used to illustrate a show, please contact me.
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1934 | Old Hippodrome, Hales Street | ||
Date(s) | Show | Notes | Images |
---|---|---|---|
Mon 8th Jan until Sat 13th Jan 1934 | Chapman's Great Continental Zoo-Circus | Lions! Polar Bears! Elephants! Tigers! Clowns! Clowns! Clowns! | |
Mon 15th Jan until Sat 20th Jan 1934 | Crazy Show | The second edition of the London Palladium show. | |
Mon 22nd Jan until Sat 27th Jan 1934 | Big Variety Programme | Including the 'Stars of the Future' contest, with £50 cash prizes. Including Norman Long, Sam Mayo and Betty Fields. | |
Mon 29th Jan until Sat 3rd Feb 1934 | Queenie May & Her Gang | New revue, with Dan Young and James Hunter. | |
Mon 5th Feb until Sat 10th Feb 1934 | The Quaker Girl | By the Coventry Amateur Operatic Society. | |
Mon 12th Feb until Sat 17th Feb 1934 | So This Is Maskelyne | Mystery comedy revue, with a great crazy auction. | |
Mon 19th Feb until Sat 24th Feb 1934 | Alexander & Mose | Plus, Billy Bennett, The Charladies, The New Tryx Sisters, and more variety. | |
Mon 26th Feb until Sat 3rd Mar 1934 | George, Gertie & Ted | New comedy revue with George Elliott, Gertie Gitana & Ted Ray | |
Mon 5th Mar until Sat 10th Mar 1934 | The Student Prince | 'The greatest musical success of the present decade'. | |
Mon 12th Mar until Sat 17th Mar 1934 | Garner, Wolf, & Hakins | American comedy, with Jack Egan and Rosemarie. Plus Robb Wilton, and more. | |
Mon 19th Mar until Sat 24th Mar 1934 | Smith's Wives | Farce, starring comedian, Ernie Lotinga. | |
Mon 26th Mar until Sat 31st Mar 1934 | Sandy Powell's Road Show | Variety, with The Act Superb, Roy Jefferies, Billy Matchett, Florence Irving, and many others. | |
Mon 2nd Apr until Sat 7th Apr 1934 | Paris Fantaisie | Non-stop French revue, direct from its London run. | |
Mon 9th Apr until Sat 14th Apr 1934 | Layton & Johnstone | Plus, Tex McLeod and Jean Kennedy. | |
Mon 16th Apr until Sat 21st Apr 1934 | Ca C'est Paris | 'The greatest French revue of all time'. | |
Mon 23rd Apr until Sat 28th Apr 1934 | Mrs. Jack Hylton and her Boys | Plus, Eddie Pola's BBC success' America Calling'. | |
Mon 30th Apr until Sat 5th May 1934 | Beauty On Parade | Scintillating new revue with Joey Porter and Henry Lytton Jnr. | |
Mon 7th May until Sat 12th May 1934 | The Desert Song | Musical, with Ivan Wilmot as the 'Red Shadow'. | |
Mon 14th May until Sat 19th May 1934 | This Way Please | Musical revue, with Nat Mills and Bobbie. | |
Mon 21st May until Sat 26th May 1934 | Women of the World | Revue, starring international star Janice Hart, and 60 artistes. | |
Mon 28th May until Sat 2nd Jun 1934 | Step By Step | Revue, with Stanford & Taylor, The 3 Rascals & Paul Rupert. | |
Mon 4th Jun until Sat 9th Jun 1934 | The Show's The Thing | Revue, with Peter Fannan and The Leg Theory Girls. | |
Mon 11th Jun until Sat 16th Jun 1934 | Will Hay | In a new episode of St. Michael's. Plus, Al & Bob Harvey, Lucille Benstead, and many more. (Will Hay stood in for Louis Armstrong, who was indisposed with a swollen lip.) | |
Mon 18th Jun until Sat 23rd Jun 1934 | Razzle | Swift, smart and sophisticated revue, with Len Jackson and his Young Ladies. | |
Mon 25th Jun until Sat 30th Jun 1934 | Stepping Out | Comedy revue, with Joe Poynton and a large cast. | |
Mon 2nd Jul until Sat 7th Jul 1934 | Une Nuit A Paris (One Night In Paris) | French revue, with Hilda Leonard, Alan Bailey and Jack Clifford. | |
Mon 9th Jul until Sat 14th Jul 1934 | Howzat | 'A revue with a theme', starring Scott Sanders, Walter Niblo and Edna Cecil. | |
Mon 16th Jul until Sat 21st Jul 1934 | Les Punchinellos | Written, staged and produced by Frank E. Franks. | |
Mon 23rd Jul until Sat 28th Jul 1934 | 11.30 Saturday Night | With Teddy Morris and his Boys, Joe Stein, Our Girls, and more. | |
Mon 30th Jul until Sat 4th Aug 1934 | Samples of 1934 | Comedy, featuring Manny & Roberts. | |
Mon 6th Aug until Sat 11th Aug 1934 | Mr. Cinders | Special holiday musical show. | |
Mon 13th Aug until Sat 18th Aug 1934 | Alf's Button | Hilarious musical farce, with Jerry Verno. | |
Mon 20th Aug until Sat 25th Aug 1934 | Meet Us To-Night | New revue - 'Very swift, extremely smart - and a wee bit saucy.' | |
Mon 27th Aug until Sat 1st Sep 1934 | Teddy Brown | The world's greatest xylophonist. Plus, Charlie Higgins, Eddie Windsor, Gaston & Andree, and many others. | |
Mon 3rd Sep until Sat 8th Sep 1934 | Beer Is Best | Unusual revue, starring ex-Arsenal and England football centre-forward, Harold Walden. | |
Mon 10th Sep until Sat 15th Sep 1934 | The Kind Of Show That Father Used To See | Old time music hall, with Charles Austin, and large cast. | |
Mon 17th Sep until Sat 22nd Sep 1934 | Here We Go Round | Revue, starring George Clarke. | |
Mon 24th Sep until Sat 29th Sep 1934 | Paris En Fete | French show, with Sid Field, Jane Ayr and Eddie Leslie. | |
Mon 1st Oct until Sat 6th Oct 1934 | See You To-Night | Roy Broadhead revue, starring Jennie Howard. | |
Mon 8th Oct until Sat 13th Oct 1934 | The Golden West | 'A rollicking revue of the great open spaces'. | |
Mon 15th Oct until Sat 20th Oct 1934 | Ladies Night | Musical comedy, with Dulcie Davenport & Jack Williams. | |
Mon 22nd Oct until Sat 27th Oct 1934 | Plaisirs de la Nuit | French revue, with Tom Gamble. | |
Mon 29th Oct until Sat 3rd Nov 1934 | Sporting Love | Musical comedy, still running at the Gaiety Theatre, London. | |
Mon 5th Nov until Sat 10th Nov 1934 | Nice Goings On | Musical farce, with Leslie Henson. | |
Mon 12th Nov until Sat 17th Nov 1934 | Variety | With Hughie Green and his Gang, plus, Six Zio Girls, Kafka Stanley & Mae Four, and many more. | |
Mon 19th Nov until Sat 24th Nov 1934 | Albert Sandler | The celebrated violinist. Plus, Six Zio Girls, Tom D. Newell, Vine Moore & Nevard, and others. | |
Mon 26th Nov until Sat 1st Dec 1934 | Herschel Henlere | The mirthful music master. Plus, 10 Gordon Ray Girls, The 5 Magnets, and many more. | |
Mon 3rd Dec until Sat 8th Dec 1934 | Macari and his Dutch Accordion Band | More variety, with 10 Gordon Ray Girls, Randolph Sutton, Wal Langtry, and others. | |
Mon 10th Dec until Sat 15th Dec 1934 | London Scandals | New revue, featuring Sam Mayo and Stanelli. | |
Mon 17th Dec until Sat 22nd Dec 1934 | West End Scandals | Starring Tommy Trinder and Henry Lytton Jnr. | |
Wed 26th Dec 1934 until Sat 12th Jan 1935 | Aladdin | Pantomime produced specially for Coventry, once nightly at 7. |
Prev year: 1933Showing 1934Next year: 1935
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Also of interest might be A short history of Coventry's Theatres and Cinemas, by Bill Birch.
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