Portsmouth music scene


The Portsmouth Music Scene


The Hippodrome Performances

Commercial Road, Portsmouth

Known Performances

20th May 1908, First Grand Anniversay night.
1908 December 7th Marie Lloyd

1909 January 18th Miss Jenny Reeves, The Hiatts, MARGT. ISMAY & COONS OLIVER MARTYN EVIE GREENE DUTCH DALY THE GILBERTS
1909 February 15th Phillips & Merritt, Bros Rowland, ALEC KENDAL LIEUT. TRAVIS FREIRE TROUPE MADAME MAUD SANTLEY PHILLIPS & MERRITT BROS. ROLAND ALEC KENDAL THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD
1909 February 22nd, MR. JAS. BASNETT HILLMAN & RUSSELL FRED TERRY SIX ALBYNS MADAME ALICE ESTY FRISKEY ERNEST REES ALFRED LESTER
1909 March 8th Mr Mark Sheridan, Karr & Kooney
1909 October 18th "La Milo" (La Milo was an Australian performer, Pansy Montague, and her act was hugely successful despite some criticism on the grounds of decency.)

Edward Marr Dick Whittington Hippodrome Portsmouth 1910x
1916 June 1st Grand Special Matinee Tom Parker Dorothy Fosdick Herbert Cave
1923 September 3rd Pot Luck Jack Hulbert Cicely Courtneige
1925 May 28th Arthur Prince, Gladys Sewell, Joe Boganny
3rd January 1927, Lyricals, Gorman Brothers, 12 Oslo Girls, The Wild Man
1927 December 19th The Prince and the Beggar Maid, Terrence Maxwell, Milly Tyler
18th February 1929, A Variety Round-up, Harry Lester
1930 November 26th Swish ! Bros Hanaway, Clifford Barclay
September 1932, Lew Lake Presents His Stars, Harry Champion, Florence Smithson
October 10th 1932, Sensations of Paris, A Spectacular Parisian Revue

4th January 1933, Peter Pan
25th September 1933, Variety, Eddie Gray, Jimmy Nervo, Teddy Knox, Sven & Helga.

1934 March 18th King Folly Anton Dolin
1934 March 25th Teddy Joyce and his band
1934 April 23rd Neil McKay Ara & Zetta
1934 April 30th The Modern FolliesEvelyn Hardy and her Band
1934 July 16th Roy Fox and his band
1934 December 10th Teddy Brown Xylophonist

1935 July 8th Parker's Jubill, Charles Austin, Washboard Serenaders
1935 August 26th Max Miller
1935 September 28 Arthur Tracy the Street Singer
1935 September 9th Stanley Holloway Joe Jackson
1935 September 16th Will Fyffe Tommy Trinder
1935 September 23rd 1939 Road Show George Formby
1935 November 4th Radio Stars on Parade, Len Bermon, Tessie O'Shea, Stainless Stephen
1935 November 11th Lou Preager and his Broadcasting Band
1935 November 18th, Les Allen, George Betton, Mamie Soutter
1935 December 30th Will Mahoney

1936 January 6th Here comes the Circus
1936 Janusry 20th Ramon Novarro
1936 June 29th Elsie Carlisle Anona Wynn
1936 August 24th Will Mahoney
1936 August 31st Nat Gonella and the Georgians
1936 September 7th Harry Roy and his Band
1936 September 14th george Ahoy George Clarke
1936 September 21st Elsie and Doris Waters
1936 September 28th Arthur Tracy the Street Singer
1936 October 5th Larry Adler
1936 October 12th Dante and Company
1936 October 19th Lou Preagher and his Band
1936 October 26th Here Here, Mrs Jack Hylton and her Boys
1936 November 9th Jimmy Jewel and Ben Warris Mantovani
1936 November 16th Lupino Lane
1936 November 23rd , Les Allen & Kitty Masters, Silvestry
1936 November 30th Splinters Hal Jones George Ellishia

24th May 1937, Arthur Tracy, Ernie Dillon
31st May 1937, The Rocky Moiuntaineers and Big Bill Campbell
1937 July 4th The Spice of Paris
1937 September 5th Roy Fox and his Band variety
1937 September 12th Florence Desmond and variety
1937 September 19th Nat Gonella and his Georgians, Teddy Brown, Phyllis Robbions
1937 September 26th Sir Harry Lauder, variety
1937 October 11th Tommy Trinder Max Wall Larry Adler
1937 October 18th Carroll Levis and his Discoveries
1937 November 8th Ride em Cowboy Will Mahoney

21st February 1938, Tommy Handley, Les Allen
30th May 1938 Teddy Brown, Flotsam and Jetsam
4th July 1938, The Donna Sisters
25th July 1938, Roy Fox and his Band
1st August 1938, Florence Desmond, Geogie Wood
8th August Variety, Elsie Carlisle & Sam Browne, Murray and Mooney
15th August Harry Roy and his Band, Dick Henderson, Nellie Wallace, Syd Seymour & his Mad Hatters Band
12th September 1938 Variety Douglas Byng, Tommy Field & Nino Rossini
19th September 1938 Ted Ray

13th February 1939 Tom Mix and his horse Tony, Reg Redcliffe the dancing xylophonist, The Four Astounders aerial acrobats, Robert Beniand with his performing pidgeons
1st May 1939, Sylvestre, Al Burnett
8th May 1939, Whats's going on here? Ethel Revnell and Gracie West
23rd October 1939, The Longton Troup, Kathleen Stanley
13th November 1939 Visions of 1940 Eddie Leslie Jean Adrienne
20th November 1939 Billy Cotton and his Band, Renee Houston & Donald Stewart

4th March 1940, Laughter Cavalcade, Eddie Price, Charles Henry and his Musical Rascals
11th March 1940, It's a boy, George Lacy, Bertram Dench
25th March 1940, Bal Tabarin Revue
8th April 1940, One good turn deserves another, Ethel Revnell and Gracie West, Austrlian Motor Air Aces
6th August 1940, Black Velvet, Ronald Frankau, Ted Ray.
19th August 1940 Eva May Wong, Chris Gill
26th August 1940 Fumed Oak, Fay Compton, Edward Chapman, Wilson Keppel and Betty

Claude Marner. He was general Manager of the Hippodrome & was found dead in his office at the theatre in 1936. He had slashed both his wrists & throat. He had been associated with portsmouth theatres since 1908 & was initially general manager of the Kings theatre before taking up his post at the Hippodrome. The reason given at the inquest for having committed suicide was his fear of getting old.
He was 53. He was a very popular figure in the theatre world throughout the country & his funeral was attended by about 200 people.
In the Kings archive we have a large autograph book containing about 1,000 photographs & autographs of stars that appeared at the Hippodrome from 1908 until just before his death. They include Charlie Chaplin & Laurel & Hardy.

The Theatre was destroyed in the Blitz on the 10th January 1941, resulting in its eventual demolition

hippowreck


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