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This is the third article about
Manchester and Salford’s “Sleep-
ing Princesses” unless you know
of another! The Junction Theatre,
giving it its original name, opened
in 1901. This grade two listed the-
atre is on the Manchester build-
ings at Risk Register.
The
magnificent
auditorium
which has two galleries and pro-
scenium in original state is a riot
of gilded Rococo plaster. The
concept is quite unlike any con-
temporary theatre or music hall.
There is a box on either side of the
proscenium and above each box
is a further box. The boxes and
balcony fronts are decorated with
delicate Rococo plasterwork.
In 1905 this 3,000 seater changed
from delivering drama and ca-
tered for patrons taste for mu-
sic hall. All the greats played the
“Hip”: Frank Randle, Norman Ev-
ans, Jimmy James and Ken Dodd
to name but a few.
While the stars were performing
at the Hippodrome, during the
day they were filming round
the corner in Rusholme at
Mancunian Film Studios. The
studio was a former church and
was bought by the BBC and there
they recorded the famous “Ready
Steady Go”.
John E. Blakely was Mancunian
Films and he directed most of
them. He was responsible for giv-
ing George Formby his first break
into films. The variety stars had
their comedy routines worked
into the story lines. They were
so popular at the box office that
Manchester was recognised as
“Jollywood”
Holmfirth Amateur Players took
their production
Man About the
House
to the Hippodrome in 1939.
They were criticised for perform-
ing on Good Friday. Also the
play’s themes of domestic con-
flict, unemployment and the
means test were considered un-
suitable by the Chief Constable of
Manchester.
Manchester theatre and film his-
tory is so rich I cannot under-
stand why we haven’t got an Arts
Museum. The Hulme Hippo-
drome, with its history, has to be
the perfect venue to house such a
collection. Manchester has led in
Hulme Hippodrome Manchester
by
Harry Gray
so many ways through its history,
which has been recorded in its
museums. Why, yet again, are
the arts neglected! Not so long
ago the Theatre Museum Lon-
don closed and a pitiful space was
found in the V&A. That collection
could have been housed through
a partnership in Manchester. This
would give the arts equal billing.