Opera House Sunday Night Programmes 1945 – 1952

1 September 2011

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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