Title
21st Birthday of the Palace Theatre
Subject
Music Hall and theatre in Leicester
Description
Memories of the 21st Birthday of the Palace Theatre, Leicester
Creator
Leicester Oral History Archive
Source
Leicester Oral History Archive
Publisher
East Midlands Oral History Archive
Rights
You may use this item in accordance with the licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/uk/
Format
.mp3
Language
English
Type
Oral history
Duration
1 min 22 sec
Bit Rate/Frequency
107 kbps
Transcription
In 1922 was the twenty first birthday and I was fortunate and privileged to be able to attend the last performance on the Saturday night. On entering the theatre you were given a free gratis replica of the original opening programme. The artists on the first night of the opening of Leicester Palace was Sandown? a strongman, a unique personality who once wrestled with a lion. Its claws of course were pared down but he did actually overcome a lion. It was a magnificent figure and a cast was made of his figure I think to give to one of the museums or hospitals in London, I don’t know whether its there now. But he was a wonderfully built man, Extraordinarily strong At the bottom of the bill was Charles Coborn, the man who walked along the boulevard with an independent air, you could hear the girls declare, it must be a millionaire, everyone knows it. The artists on the evening show, one was Miss Elsie Bower? Who sang My Sweet Hortense. ‘Oh my sweet Hortense, she ain’t good looking but she’s got some sense, every time I kiss Hortense always buy a penny worth of peppermint. Rain makes flowers so pretty I hear, wish would rain on her for a year, that would be immense. You never met a girl like my sweet Hortense.’
Interviewer
Unknown
Interviewee
Unknown
Location
Unknown
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