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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1940 | New Hippodrome, Hales Street | ||
| Date(s) | Show | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 29th Jan until Sat 3rd Feb 1940 | Variety Show | Troise and his Mandoliers, Gaston & Andree, Noni, Eddie Leslie & Fred Gratton, Fred Brezin, Agar & Young, Wilbur Hall, and others. | |
| Mon 5th Feb until Sat 10th Feb 1940 | Variety Show | Les Allen, Ivor Moreton & Dave Kaye, Willy Pantzer and his World Famous Midgets, Eddie Leslie & Fred Gratton, and others. | |
| Mon 12th Feb until Sat 17th Feb 1940 | Variety Show | Jimmy James, George Scott-Wood, Sam Browne, and others. | |
| Mon 19th Feb until Sat 24th Feb 1940 | Variety Show | Harold Ramsay, the Ace Organist of the Air, Hetty King, Anona Winn, George Bolton, and others. | |
| Mon 26th Feb until Sat 2nd Mar 1940 | Variety Show | Ted Ray, Will Hay Junior, Stanley Holloway, Five Sherry Brothers, Ernest Shannon, and others. | |
| Mon 4th Mar until Sat 9th Mar 1940 | Variety Show | Harry Welchman, George Clarke, Billy Thorburn, Stanley King, and others. | |
| Mon 11th Mar until Sat 16th Mar 1940 | Variety Show | Jack Payne and his Band, Al Devito, and others. | |
| Mon 18th Mar until Sat 23rd Mar 1940 | Eve on Parade | Revue, with Albert Burdon, Harry Lester, Tubby Turner and others. | |
| Mon 25th Mar until Sat 30th Mar 1940 | Jack Jackson and his Band | With Heather Gayle, the Two Cromwells, the Bega Three, Kitty Masters, Dick Henderson, Tex McCleod and the 12 Adorables. | |
| Mon 1st Apr until Sat 6th Apr 1940 | Variety Show | Elsie & Doris Waters, Webster Booth & Ann Ziegler, and others. | |
| Mon 8th Apr until Sat 13th Apr 1940 | The Famous Bal Tabarin Revue | Includes Billy Caryll, Hilda Mundy and Jack Daly. | |
| Mon 15th Apr until Sat 20th Apr 1940 | D'Oyly Carte Opera Company | A different Gilbert & Sullivan Opera each night. | |
| Mon 22nd Apr until Sat 27th Apr 1940 | Reginald Foort | World Famous Organist, plus George Harold, The Four Co-Harmonists, The Gordon ay Girls, Jack Le Dair, Freddie Forbes, and others. | |
| Mon 29th Apr until Sat 4th May 1940 | George Formby | First appearance since his return from France. Plus the Four Aces, Beryl, Terry Wilson, Tommy Jover, and others. | |
| Mon 6th May until Sat 11th May 1940 | Black And Blue | George Black's Intimate Rag. With Judy Shirley, Cyril Fletcher, Cairoli Bros., Jack Stanford, and others. | |
| Mon 13th May until Sat 18th May 1940 | Henry Hall and his Orchestra | With Billy Russell, Iris Sadler, Newman Twins and the Whirling Tornadoes. | |
| Mon 20th May until Sat 25th May 1940 | Chu Chin Chow | Actual London Company of 90 Artistes. | |
| Mon 27th May until Sat 1st Jun 1940 | Radio Club | With Scott & Whalley, Dave & Joe O'Gorman, Albert Sandler, Billy Danvers, and others. | |
| Mon 3rd Jun until Sat 8th Jun 1940 | Tropical Express | A Revue of Sparkle and Speed featuring 80 artistes. | |
| Mon 10th Jun until Sat 15th Jun 1940 | Joe Loss and his Band | With Henri Vadden & Girls, Sirdani, Bert, Bert & Bert, and others. | |
| Mon 17th Jun until Sat 22nd Jun 1940 | Variety Show | Starring Tommy Trinder, with Nat Mills & Bobbie, and others. | |
| Mon 24th Jun until Sat 29th Jun 1940 | ITMA (It's That Man Again) | Starring Tommy Handley, also Jack Train and June Malo. | |
| Mon 1st Jul until Sat 6th Jul 1940 | Star Variety | Sydney Lipton and his Orchestra, Forsythe, Seamon & Farrell, Richard Hassett, Vera Lynn and others. | |
| Mon 8th Jul until Sat 13th Jul 1940 | Roll Out The Barrel | Starring Nat Jackley, Jack Clifford and Eddie Gray. | |
| Mon 15th Jul until Sat 20th Jul 1940 | Variety Show | Oscar Rabin's Romany Band, Murray & Mooney, Edna Squire-Brown, and others. | |
| Mon 22nd Jul until Sat 27th Jul 1940 | Dorchester Follies | With Maurice Winnick and his Broadcasting Band, Jack Francois, Archie Glen, and others. | |
| Mon 29th Jul until Sat 3rd Aug 1940 | "Folies Superbes" The London Casino Show | With a cast of over 70 artists, including Andre Randall and Sherkot. | |
| Mon 5th Aug until Sat 10th Aug 1940 | Carroll Gibbons and his Savoy Hotel Orpheans | With Freddie Bamberger, Low & Webster, The Rapid Four, Robb Wilton, and others. | |
| Mon 12th Aug until Sat 17th Aug 1940 | Black Velvet | George Black's Intimate Rag, with Ted Ray and Ronald Frankau. | |
| Mon 19th Aug until Sat 24th Aug 1940 | Flash! | The Great Anglo-American Revue, with Moore Marriott, Graham Moffatt, Harry Tate Jnr., Eddie Leslie & Jean Adrienne, and others. | |
| Mon 26th Aug until Sat 31st Aug 1940 | Variety Show | With Ken Johnson, Herschel "Jizz" Henlere, Albert Whelan, George Elrick, and others. | |
| Mon 2nd Sep until Sat 7th Sep 1940 | Roll Out The Barrel | Starring Nat Jackley, Jack Clifford and Eddie Gray. | |
| Mon 9th Sep until Sat 14th Sep 1940 | Variety Show | With Syd Seymour, Martyn Green & Sylvia Cecil, Arthur Prince, and others. | |
| Mon 16th Sep until Sat 21st Sep 1940 | Flying High | With Maurice Colleano, Al Bowlly & Jimmy Mesene, Elsie Bower, Archie Glen, and others. | |
| Mon 23rd Sep until Sat 28th Sep 1940 | Variety Show | With Will Fyffe, the Western Brothers, Adelaide Hall, and others. | |
| Mon 30th Sep until Sat 5th Oct 1940 | Variety Show | With Douglas Wakefield, Turner Layton, Stainless Stephen, and others. | |
| Mon 7th Oct until Sat 12th Oct 1940 | Variety Show | Nat Gonella, Naughton & Gold, Gaston Palmer, and others. | |
| Mon 14th Oct until Sat 19th Oct 1940 | The Land of Smiles | Starring Richard Turner. | |
| Mon 21st Oct until Sat 26th Oct 1940 | Variety Show | With Joe Davis, Billy Bennett and Inga Anderson. | |
| Mon 28th Oct until Sat 2nd Nov 1940 | Variety Show | With Tommy Trinder, Afrique, the Norman Thomas Trio, and others. | |
| Mon 4th Nov until Sat 9th Nov 1940 | Huge Birthday Celebration Bill | Variety with Evelyn Laye, The Two Leslies, Nat Jackley & Jack Clifford, Norman Evans, Wilson Keppel & Betty, and others. | |
| Mon 11th Nov until Thu 14th Nov 1940 | Continuous Variety | With Macari, Georgie Wood, Randolph Sutton, and others. (The show's run was cut short by the Blitz on the 14th.) | |
| Sat 7th Dec 1940 | Colossal Variety Show | One-off show at 2pm in aid of the Mayor's Distress Fund. | |
| Mon 9th Dec until Sat 14th Dec 1940 | Grand Re-Opening - Continuous Star Variety | Starring Teddy Joyce and his Famous Band, Tex McLeod, Dorothy Gray, Jack Grayson, Betty Driver, George Bolton, and others. | |
| Mon 16th Dec until Sat 21st Dec 1940 | Continuous Variety | With Revnell & West, Clifford & Marion, Hal Swain and his Swing Sistas, and others. | |
| Mon 23rd Dec until Sat 28th Dec 1940 | Revue D'Elegance | The Latest London Casino Show, with Freddie Forbes and 60 international artistes. | |
| Mon 30th Dec 1940 until Sat 4th Jan 1941 | Continuous Variety | With Jack Doyle, Max Wall, Kimberley & Page, and others. | |
Prev year: 1939Showing 1940Next year: 1941
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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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