Hi leebee60, I am afraid I cannot recall the names of any of the usherettes, but i think one of them was married to the band leader. Was that Dallas? I do recall my last night at the PE when the girls surprised me with a farewell gift, I think it was a smart mauve shirt and a tie,accompanied with lots of hugs and tears, very sad. So much water under the bridge since then.I would love to see your pics, it may just jolt the old memory banks into action. Perhaps we could arrange an e.mail exchange sometime.What a revelation about Mr Gatwood, at least he didnt ask to see my legs, but he had no trouble ticking me off if I was late in bringing his dinner tray up from the restaurant next door and downstairs, was that Romanos? I remember the girls on the upper level foyer entry were often plagued by a weird guy they called “Sandshoe Sam”. He used to wear a cloth hat, dark glasses, an overcoat and sandshoes, and used to peer at them from behind the billboards.Happy Days long gone.
At age 14, I was a Page Boy at the Prince Edward Theatre, in the mid 50’s. I vividly remember the opulence of the theatre, and some names still ring a bell. I believe the alternating managers were a, Mr Gatwood and a Mr Garth, both of whom were always resplendent in dinner suits. The similarly imposing Commissionaire was a Greek named Tony who had a penchant for weightlifting and smelled of apples and oranges, his staple diet. The usherettes took great delight at my embarrassment, when I was summoned by buzzer to their dressing room, only to find most of them in various stages of undress. I soon became accustomed to it, and actually looked forward to the buzzer. I recall the live performances, the organ and also an orchestra which may have been Les McGrath and his orchestra of renown. Some of the movies played during my time were, The Man Who Knew Too Much…The Trouble With Harry…Anything Goes… Wer'e No Angels…South Pacific…The Court Jester, and possibly more I can’t remember. What I do recall is having to clean out those large silver bowl ashtrays, on ornate stands in the lounge areas of the foyer, and topping them up with water to extinguish the glowing stogies. More than half a century on at age 66, whenever I hear or see the name of an actor or film of the era, I immediately drift back to those halcyon days of the theatre when people dressed for the occasion and behaved like true Ladies and Gentlemen and partook of their entertainment in sumptious and regal surroundings, and I recall how, albeit in a small way, I was part of that.
Hi leebee60, I am afraid I cannot recall the names of any of the usherettes, but i think one of them was married to the band leader. Was that Dallas? I do recall my last night at the PE when the girls surprised me with a farewell gift, I think it was a smart mauve shirt and a tie,accompanied with lots of hugs and tears, very sad. So much water under the bridge since then.I would love to see your pics, it may just jolt the old memory banks into action. Perhaps we could arrange an e.mail exchange sometime.What a revelation about Mr Gatwood, at least he didnt ask to see my legs, but he had no trouble ticking me off if I was late in bringing his dinner tray up from the restaurant next door and downstairs, was that Romanos? I remember the girls on the upper level foyer entry were often plagued by a weird guy they called “Sandshoe Sam”. He used to wear a cloth hat, dark glasses, an overcoat and sandshoes, and used to peer at them from behind the billboards.Happy Days long gone.
At age 14, I was a Page Boy at the Prince Edward Theatre, in the mid 50’s. I vividly remember the opulence of the theatre, and some names still ring a bell. I believe the alternating managers were a, Mr Gatwood and a Mr Garth, both of whom were always resplendent in dinner suits. The similarly imposing Commissionaire was a Greek named Tony who had a penchant for weightlifting and smelled of apples and oranges, his staple diet. The usherettes took great delight at my embarrassment, when I was summoned by buzzer to their dressing room, only to find most of them in various stages of undress. I soon became accustomed to it, and actually looked forward to the buzzer. I recall the live performances, the organ and also an orchestra which may have been Les McGrath and his orchestra of renown. Some of the movies played during my time were, The Man Who Knew Too Much…The Trouble With Harry…Anything Goes… Wer'e No Angels…South Pacific…The Court Jester, and possibly more I can’t remember. What I do recall is having to clean out those large silver bowl ashtrays, on ornate stands in the lounge areas of the foyer, and topping them up with water to extinguish the glowing stogies. More than half a century on at age 66, whenever I hear or see the name of an actor or film of the era, I immediately drift back to those halcyon days of the theatre when people dressed for the occasion and behaved like true Ladies and Gentlemen and partook of their entertainment in sumptious and regal surroundings, and I recall how, albeit in a small way, I was part of that.