Entertainment after WWII at the Institute

Entertainment

in the Ballroom often consisted of a piano or organ and drums, the musicians living and working locally.   One Drummer as young as 15, given his chance to take part proved highly popular.     Lloyd Griffiths lived and taught in the “Old School.”   He was known amongst many to have played the organ at the Institute.

John Scully came to the local area to sell organs in Oakdale.   Accompanied by Keith Parry on drums, he played all types of music on Saturday nights at the ‘Stute in the late 1960’s and 70’s.   His party piece was to produce the sound of a train whistle for the “Chattanooga Choochoo.”  

At this time John was teaching Kathryn Holley.    Accompanied by a drummer and saxophonist, Kathryn went on to play the organ on weekends for over twelve years in the late 1980’s and 90’s.   Earlier she had played in venues around the valleys, with the Terry Davies Sound, a five-piece dance band    She comments how cold the ballroom was.   There were wall heaters, but expensive to run, their use was very limited.   

Another wonderful organist, John Smith, held the position between John Scully and Kathryn.   Married to Hazel Lewis, he also played the accordion.   Hazel is remembered for her ‘comedy numbers.’   Hazel’s father, Tom Lewis played the accordion at the Institute, probably in the 1950s.

Gladys Dean’s accordion band, from Abertillery, and Gladys Williams from Glandwr, Aberbeeg, also played organ at the ‘Stute.

The Rachel Simpkins Dance Troupe

Tap Dancing lessons for 10 and 11 year olds were organised by Gail Evans around 1950, and this was followed by the The Rachel Simpkins Dance Troupe, unofficially known as the Big Girls’ Ballet.   It was formed around 1953 and consisted of around a dozen children.  The nearest existing dance troupe was in Blackwood, which was difficult to get to, so Rachel saw a need for something local.   Dancers ranged up to 10 years of age.   Angela, Rachel’s daughter, was 5 when she first performed.    The Troupe was open to anyone, and children from “The Fields,” flocked to join.   They practiced in the ‘Stute and the Godwin Hall, and performed mainly for pensioners.   Sometimes they performed at concerts which would include the male voice choir.   The group’s success over several years was due to Rachel’s love of children and her flair for organising as well as her dancing talent.

Rachel, although not professionally trained, loved to dance, and continued to ‘tap’ around the kitchen floor, and attend dance groups well into later life.     With other mums from the group she made all the costumes and outfits for the concerts, and had a flair for making wedding dresses.

Joe Phelps, whilst acting as Master of Ceremonies, would sometimes dress in a top hat and play a fiddle to accompany the organ, but the fiddle had no strings.   Their act would culminate in Joe throwing his hat, his bow and then his fiddle at the head of John Scully who continued playing whilst dodging the missiles.

On one snowy evening the artist failed to arrive and people started to drift home.   Joe sat at the organ and began to play to the remaining crowd.   They knew him well and were unaware of his expertise at the organ.   They were amazed, until they realised the joke.   John Scully was crouching below the keyboard and playing whilst Joe sat on the music stool and pretended he was playing.

Although not an organist, Joe Phelps played the euphonium in the local Brass Band and was known for playing drums around the valley clubs and pubs.

A Blaina Comedian

One comedian from Blaina would appear as a tramp in the audience whilst another act was on stage.The Master of Ceremonies would shout “You can’t come in here dressed like that.   Leave now.”The audience were stunned into silence, watching what would happen.   

Up to 150 people would attend a Saturday night dance.   Everyone wanted to go to the Saturday Dance.   4pm the queue would start outside the ‘Stute.   By 5pm it would extend over the railway bridge and the doors wouldn’t open until 6.30pm.   Everyone tried to look smart, and wore their best outfits.    Spot prizes would be awarded for the best dancers.  

Many people, some known nationally, others locally, came to perform at Llanhilleth.   Here are a few:

Acts

Theatrical Agencies supplied the Institute with artists and the archives holds lists of singers and entertainers.   Whether many of those named actually appeared at the Institute remains unproven.   However, locally and internationally famous acts did appear, including those below.   Although the dates of performances are often hazy, they have lasted in people’s memories.  

Edmund Hockridge (1919 –2009) – “He sang for Kings,”  and was a well-known Canadian baritone and actor who performed in musicals, operas, concerts, plays, and on radio for many years.    He became a West End musical star in the 1950s and performed in such shows as Guys & Dolls, the Pajama Game and Carousel.

Los Paraquayos (formed 1950) a group including musicians from Paraguay.    The group has featured many singers and musicians during their career, playing guitars, bongo drums and a Paraguayan harp.   They are most famous for Guantanamera, and La Bamba.   Having retained their popularity, they have sold many albums throughout the world to the present day.

Eric Delaney (born 22 May 1924 in London,) an English drummer and bandleader, popular in the 1950s and early 1960s   In 1954 he formed his own band and later signed with the Pye Record label. He made three Royal Variety Show appearances, the first in 1956.   Delaney specialised in up-tempo dance hall and rock n' roll music.    Delaney remained active, touring mainly UK holiday resorts during the 1970s.

George Melly (1926 –2007) came to Llanhilleth as a jazz and blues singer.   From 1965 to 1973 he worked as a film and television critic for The Observer and lectured on art history.   In later life he reverted to his roots as a singer, appearing on TV and touring.   He cherished his welsh heritage and gave two charity concerts at the Institute raising much needed funds for the 1984 miners’ strike.

Billy Fury, (1940 – 1982) a singer and heartthrob who died aged 42.   He had to use the back steps on arriving and leaving to avoid screaming girls at the front of the Institute building.  Probably most famous for his hits Halfway to Paradise and Jealousy, he appeared regularly on the TV show Oh Boy.
            'He opened the door to our future'  - Sir Paul McCartney
            'He was the James Dean of rock 'n' roll'- Sir Cliff Richard

Gerry Monroe was a pop singer, popular in the early 1970s. He came from South Shields, and was spotted on Hughie Green's Opportunity Knocks TV show, the forerunner of the current TV programme Britain’s Got Talent.   He had a high and distinctive falsetto voice, probably recognised from his version of Its a Sin to Tell a Lie.

Nat Mills and Bobby were comedians with distinctive whinning voices, often heard on radio.  They made their debut in 1939 and the act ended in 1955 when Bobby died and Nat retired.
(Note: Many of the short bios above were taken from Wikipedia.)
Margery Ralf and her all-girl accordion band.    Margery always played a red and silver mother-of-pearl accordion on stage.   Her band consisted of about a dozen young ladies and they played the popular music of the day.      Margery was a daughter from the Ralf family who owned Ralf’s Buses, a local transport company who ran a regular service through the eastern valleys on a daily basis.   

Emile Ford (born 1937 in West Indies),  His career started in the late 1950s.   His most well-known song What do you want to make those eyes at me for?

Stan Stennet MBE FRWCMD   has toured as a musician, appeared in Pantomime in Cardiff’s New Theatre and on TV in Casualty and Coronation Street.  

Marianne Gill, another local artist, won many eisteddfod prizes for her piano playing became an  Associated of the London College of Music (ALCM) in 1932.   She also trained as a fashion model (mannequin in those days), at the Delarouche Academy in London.   

Marianne, later became married and became Marianne Gill Evans and took over the dancing classes at the Institute from Joan Bettridge. 

Ann Mason, when only three years of age, performed with Marianne on stage at the ‘Stute.   I have more of Ann's memories which may be included later in this blog. Marianne wrote and produced several reviews for annual performances at the Institute.  It would often be a pantomime, but always based around the performers she had available.  Accompanied by her uncle on the piano, she also directed and produced these reviews.

            Examples:                    Babes in the Wood      1956
                                                   Goody Two Shoes      1957

Both Marianne and her father were gymnasts, Marianne becoming the Keep Fit Champion of Wales,and they held regular sessions using vaulting and pommoll horses, Indian club swinging, and precision marching.   She held classes and appeared with her troupe of girls, performing figure and sequence marching, skipping, and club swinging with Indian Clubs.

The Lesser room was used as a dressing room for the young chorus, the older girls.   principals using rooms leading off the back stairs.  

Working not only with the community at the ‘Stute, she regularly took groups for exhibition performances to halls around the area.   Groups toured on buses to Chain Bridge, Abergavenny, Llandenny, Cardiff.  

In 1952 she conducted the “Ladies Deryn Choir.”

The Waywards were a local pop group in the 1960s and performed at the Institute in 1961.  People were by then dancing to records as well as live music and a bouncer would have been stationed on the door to keep order.

Other names include;

 Roza Rae, Sonny Fagan, Valerie Guy, are mentioned in the Swansea archive, but  I have been unable to trace their details.       There were Variety Shows, Hypnotist, magician, children’s parties amateur boxing, Women’s craft classes.

After WWII, Dr Barnardo's had a touring variety show that came to the ‘Stute.    I have been unable to ascertain any further details.  
(Should anyone remember any of these acts I would be glad to hear from them.)

Tailing off

When the Institute was built in 1906, there was little other entertainment in the area.    Compulsory deductions were taken from miners’ wages to repay the loan to the coal owners, Partridge Jones & Co., who had loaned £4,000 to help build the Institute.  Miners felt the building belonged to them.   Membership meant they could have their say in its management and stand to be elected onto the Committee.  

But during the late 1950s with motorcars more accessible, and television broadening people’s outlook, people travelled further afield for their entertainment.   Locally, there was competition from the Royal Oak, the Llanhilleth (Top) Hotel, the Central Hotel, the Conservative Club, the Walpole Hotel (Rugby Club), all licensed to sell alcohol on a daily basis, and provide occasional entertainment.

The Institute was becoming a little dilapidated and ‘old hat.’  Although snooker was still played downstairs, the rooms on the other two floors became almost empty.

The committee realised action was needed to save this building and increase its membership.    A special meeting was called to discuss the motion of becoming a Social Club.   The premises would become licensed and women allowed in. With even a 'women's lounge.'  This took a while to pass through the courts, but was eventually granted.

Registered Club 1964

In 1964 the committee set about a modernisation scheme.   The top floor of the Institute changed to the Miners Social Club, and an alcohol licence obtained.   The first Bar Stewards were Elwyn Williams and his wife.      (The Social Club Committee Room is now the current Head4Arts office.)  

Richard Rice, a magistrate was Chairman of the Institute and Chairman of the Colliery Lodge which held meetings on the premises.

False ceilings were installed to reduce the height of the ballroom, and reduce heat loss.  Bright coloured paintwork covered the dark browns and greens, giving it a more modern feel.   The full-sized stage was removed and a much smaller one constructed in one corner of the room, to provide more of a cabaret atmosphere.

Hiccough in the Alcohol Licence

The drinks licence issued to the new Social Club in October 1964, was for a provisional twelve months only.  Unfortunately, Committee members failed to request to renew this licence early enough at the end of the following year. The Clerk of the Court refused to grant the new licence. Several times the application was submitted, and several times it was refused as not all the ‘i’s had been dotted or all the ‘t’s crossed.   

The Institute remained closed from October 1965 until four days before Christmas.   During this time they lost business. But they still paid musicians booked to play on a regular basis, for fear of them moving to the competition. In those days good local musicians were highly sought after. 

Circa 1965 the Institute became a member of the Workingmens Club and Institute Union (WCIU).  

Membership in 1967 cost 1/6d. (7.5p) a week for employed miners, but the unemployed and non-miners were charged only 15s. (75p) a year.   These non-miners were not allowed to vote or take a place on the committee.   Miners had other perks over non-miners, these are mentioned elsewhere in this blog.