Opera House Sunday Night Programmes 1945 – 1952
These are the Sunday Night Programmes with ‘New Opera House’ in the title
On the 8th of July 1945, the curtain rose at the Blackpool Opera House on the first of Harold Fielding’s famous series of Sunday concerts. The ‘top of the bill’ was one of best loved singers of all time, Richard Tauber. With him on the programme were Malsa, Nancy Evans and Weingarten.
Within the first twenty-one years of these concerts, the list of big name stars included, Julie Andrews, The Beatles, Harry Belafonte, Webster Booth and Anne Ziegler, Max Bygraves, Hoagy Carmichael, Nat King Cole, Peter Dawson, Marlene Dietrich, Duke Ellington, Gigli, Gracie Fields, Judy Garland, Jose Iturbi, Eartha Kitt, Frankie Laine, Vera Lynn, Jeanette Macdonald, Mantovani, Chico Marx, Grace Moore, Anthony Newley, Paul Robeson, Peter Sellers, Frank Sinatra, Tommy Steele and Sophie Tucker !
Sunday 23rd September 1945
Ronald Chesney, Rawicz & Landauer, Western Brothers, Josie Fearson, Charles Gillespie
Sunday 7th October 1945
Richard Tauber, Stanford Robinson, Lorely Dyer, Melsa, Percy Kahn
Sunday 23 June 1946
Jeanette MacDonald
Sunday 30 June 1946
Richard Tauber
Sunday 7th July 1946
Melsa, Charlie Kunz, Dennis Noble, Ronald Chesney
Sunday 28th July 1946
Rawicz & Landauer, Robert Easton, Freddy
Sunday 18th August 1946
Dennis Noble, Albert Sandler, Victoria Sladen
Sunday 25th August 1946
Rawicz & Landauer, Robert Easton, Mary Denise, Mr Flotsam
Sunday 8th September 1946
Webster Booth & Anne Ziegler, Felix Vandyl, Adela Kotowska
Sunday 22nd September 1946
Donald Peers, Kay Cavendish, Gwen Catley, Freddy
Sunday 29th September 1946
Carroll Gibbons, Vincent Raff Trio, Sylvia Cecil
Sunday 6th October 1946
Rawicz & Landauer, Frank Titterson, Ronald Chesney
Sunday 13th October 1946
Grace Moore, Ivor Newton
Sunday 1st December 1946
Beniamino Gigli, Rainaldo Zamboni
Sunday 15th June 1947
Richard Tauber and Rina Gigli
Sunday 3rd August 1947
For one night only, in August 1947, Chico Marx of the Marx Brothers topped the bill in a variety concert at the New Opera House, Blackpool. Also on the bill were Racwicz and Laudauer, Stanelli, Marjorie Thomas and George James
Sunday 10th August 1947
Vivian Blaine,Ronald Chesney, Frank Titterton, Flotsam, Kay Cavendish
Sunday 17th August 1947
Albert Sandler, Donald Peers, Sheena Harvey, Robert Easton, Bonar Colleano
Sunday 18th July 1948
Peter Sellers, Vera Lynn, Jan Muzurus and Monia Liter
Sunday 1st August
Sophie Tucker Tour – Summer 1948
Monia Liter, Margeret Eaves, Western Brothers, Herman Simberg
Sunday 29th August 1948
Wilfred Pickles, Peter Dawson, Ribton & Richards
Sunday 19th September 1948
Turner Layton, Kyra Vayne, Reginald Kilbey, Donald Peers, Rudy Starita
Sunday 26th September 1948
Vera Lynn, Peggy Cochrane, The Four Aces, Jules Adrian and Grace Spero
Sunday 17th July 1949
Vera Lynn, Monia Liter, Anna Mac, Dennis Noble
Sunday July 31st 1949
Tessie O’Shea, Bob and Alf Pearson, Eric James & George Middleton
Sunday 7th August 1949
The Five Smith Brothers, Douglas Maynard, La Esterella, Carroll Gibbons
Sunday 18th September 1949
Vera Lynn, Douglas Maynard, Janet Howe, Alfred Swain
Sunday 16th July 1950
Frank Sinatra, The Skyrockets
Frank Sinatra performed two concerts at the Opera House, on Sunday July the 16th, with music provided by Woolf Phillips and the Skyrockets. Blackpool’s Sunday performance laws allowed him to perform, and these laws made Blackpool the only place outside London to allow Sunday Entertainment. This new freedom began a new era for Blackpool shows.
Sunday 23rd July 1950
Webster Booth, Ann Ziegler, Semprini and Lee Lawrence
Yma Sumac Concert Tour
Sunday 22nd June 1952
Sunday 6th July 1952
Lena Horne Concert Tour
Sunday 20th July 1952
Petula Clark, Wandy Tworek, Eric James, La Esterella, The Five Smith Brothers
Sunday 3rd August 1952
Guy Mitchell
