Category: 1955

Elvis Costello and His Father Were Blackpool Favourites

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Elvis Costello has graced Blackpool with his performances on multiple occasions. On 13 June 2013, he appeared at the Blackpool Opera House as part of his “Revolver Tour.” This distinctive tour featured a giant spinning wheel that determined the setlist, allowing audience members to influence the selection of songs performed each night. He returned to the same venue on 9 March 2020, this time accompanied by The Imposters for their “Just Trust” tour, which highlighted tracks from their 2018 album Look Now, alongside timeless favourites from Costello’s expansive repertoire. Looking ahead, Costello and The Imposters are set to perform at… Read more »

Bunny May was off to a Good Start with Enid Blyton

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Bunny May was born ‘Bernard Lawrence May’ in 1940 in Blackpool. He was an actor, perhaps best known for EastEnders (1985), Up Pompeii! (1969), Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em (1973) and for the first episode of Going Straight (1985) (see full episode below). He was also in Coronation Street from September to October 1963 and played Ethel Tyson’s nephew Jim Pickup. He began his career as a teenager on BBC children’s television in the early to mid-1950s, but later moved into adult roles in series such as Emergency-Ward 10, The Chem. Lab. Mystery, The Liver Birds, Crown Court, Some Mothers Do ‘Ave… Read more »

Marlene Dietrich at Opera House

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On 7 July 1955, legendary actress Marlene Dietrich flew into Blackpool to perform two shows at the Opera House. Shortly after her arrival at Squires Gate Airport, she requested a tour of the town and was photographed in front of the iconic Big Dipper at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. However, this wasn’t her first visit to the town; Dietrich had been there two decades earlier, in the summer of 1934, when she experienced an amusing and somewhat frustrating incident—she lost an antique pearl earring while visiting the Pleasure Beach. Interestingly, more than 70 years later in 2007, a construction team draining… Read more »

Queen Elizabeth II’s First visit to the Fylde Coast

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Queen Elizabeth II visited the Fylde Coast several times during her 70-year reign, and people in Blackpool always gave her a warm welcome. Her first visit was in 1955 when she attended the Royal Variety Performance. She came back in 2009 for another performance. During these visits, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh also checked out The Grand Theatre and Blackpool Tower for the first time. In the photo: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh meet singer Alma Cogan and show presenter Jack Hylton after the Royal Variety Performance at the Opera House in 14 April 1955. Inset… Read more »