THE final show at the Glasgow Empire, in March 1963, was the occasion for many of its fans to remember the happy nights they had spent in its stalls.
Colin Milne, writing in this newspaper on the eve of that farewell performance (main image) recalled the stars he had seen over the decades: Harry Lauder, Will Fyffe, Maidie Scott, Ella Shields, Duke Ellington, and hundreds of others whose names are less familiar today. Illustrating his article were pictures of some of the big names who had played the Empire: Cliff Richard (above), Lena Horne, Howard Keel, Mel Torme and Vesta Tilley.
In the very early days, Milne had nights out at the Empire, complete with a high tea, a return rail fare between Greenock and Glasgow, 10 Studio cigarettes and a half-pint of mild during the interval, all for less than three shillings.
He wrote about some of the stars he had chatted to: the great Ellington, and the music-hall stars, Robert Hale and George Robey. But there had also been an early-thirties quintet named ‘We’, who struggled to appeal to the audience and “became thoroughly depressed that week”; and there was a man who claimed to be able to cure rheumatic diseases by means of little metal combs, held tightly in the hands. Colin could not recall seeing any of the people who turned up with sticks or crutches being cured.
Then there was the night when the Crazy Gang distributed gifts to the audience. To his horror, his gift was a 15ft ladder. Unable to get rid of it, he had to sit through the show “holding the dashed thing erect”. The curtain fell, and a man in the gallery, spotting his predicament, offered to take it off his hands, relieving Colin of the prospect of dragging it down West Nile Street. Only later did he find that the ploy had been arranged by the Empire manager, Bernard Leslie, a friend of his.
Read more: Herald Diary
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