JIMMY Logan had a soft spot in his memoirs for the Five Past Eight summer revue at Glasgow’s Alhambra Theatre, for years one of the most reliable lures for theatre audiences in the city.
By the time he did his first such show, in Edinburgh,in 1954, he wrote, “they had become the top shows around. They were magnificent, glamorous affairs full of great comedy, and lively signing and dancing ... The cost of producing the shows was phenomenal but the standard was superb. People came from London to see what on earth this wonderful spectacle was about.”
He did Five Past Eight every year until 1961, he added, “and I had a ball.”
During his time he built up strong friendships and working relationships with such people as Jack Radcliffe and Stanley Baxter.
The picture above shows Logan with Radcliffe in the Five Past Eight show at the Alhambra, in May 1955. The first night was billed, as was its custom, as “the Fast-Moving Song, Dance and Theatre show,” but also, on this occasion - May 26 - as a “Grand Election Night Opening.” (The election resulted in a commanding majority for Sir Anthony Eden’s Conservatives).
The show also starred Olga Gwynne and Kenneth McKellar; the picture shows Gywnne with Joanna Rigby, Katherine Feather and Margaret Miles, all being “admired” by Radcliffe and Logan.
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