|
2007 saw the 70th Anniversary of Newcastle Gang Show. Newcastle Gang Show is always happy to hear from former cast members. Your memories are welcome and it’s always nice to see you in the audience in your red neckerchief.
RETROSPECT By Denis Dodds, D/C, Penarth Newcastle’s first Gang Show, “Flying High” at the Grand Theatre, Byker, between 12th and 17th April 1937, was produced as an act of faith, hope and impertinence by two troops, the 4th (Jesmond Parish) and 63rd (Jesmond Presbyterian) Newcastle Scouts with the welcome aid of a few individuals drawn from the ranks of the Movement elsewhere. How we screwed up our courage to take the plunge, not only in the theatre, but also into the financial risk, I can hardly imagine, but in we stepped where angels feared to tread and were no doubt looked after by the chap who “looks after his own”. At this time we were not even a local Association affair. All the moral support we could wish for came from the Newcastle Association but we felt that the risks of the venture should not be imposed upon general Scouting resources. If the show had not justified all our hopes, we would have had to send out a heart-stirring appeal for help, or lived on fresh air for the rest of our lives. The instantaneous success of “Flying High” is now a matter of Scouting history, Not only did we raise enough to pay for the theatre, costumes, advertising etc., but we actually made a small profit of about £50 for Scout funds. I am writing now, not only as one who was in on the ground floor with Ted and others in 1937 but from South Wales, as an exile from Newcastle of some fourteen years standing. Each year I return to the great reunion—the Saturday night, and each year I browse nostalgically but happily through the programmes of previous years. What memories and associations they recall. The origin of it all. How Ted, Doug and I (who had never seen a Gang Show) were inspired in 1936 to visit some old Scouting friends at Stoke on Trent and in the process to see the Stoke Gang Show “Screamline” How we returned to Newcastle with our enthusiasm white hot, ready with Ted’s driving power to go to action stations the following day. The extraordinary help we received in the early stages from the Stoke on Trent Gang and in particular, from Marshall Amor, their producer. We were just a trio determined, with others, to put on a show. The Stoke Show incorporated much of Ralph Reader’s wonderful script and music. It was an adaptation of the London Gang Show which we, ourselves, had never seen. We therefore did the only thing possible at the time - we took over the whole Stoke Show, script, music (and costumes), lock, stock and barrel and put it on with a Newcastle cast. “Screamline” became “Flying High”. All the Stoke resources were placed at our disposal, and we were saved an incredible number of teething troubles which they had endured. Our debt to Stoke, who gave us so much so willingly at this time is worthy of the record. Before our “first night” arrives we received, with some trepidation, a visit from Ralph himself (with his stage director—Fred Hurll) and learned in the course of a short weekend more about theatrical production, coda-endings, smash hits, curtain technique etc., than we had ever dreamed existed. What a revelation! What a transformation! The incredible vitality of the man. How can Scouting adequately say “Thank You” to Ralph whose work has resulted, according to the Chief Scout in the addition of nearly £500,000 to gross Scout revenues over a period of twenty years since Gang Shows started. A host of grand Scouts from Newcastle and Northumberland soon came to join us. Ken Angus, who after the first year became our invaluable Chairman - Ken Johnstone, our incomparable compere - Bill Bolt from Cramlington and others too numerous to mention. Lay helpers too lent their indispensable aid. Nellie Potts, our brilliant dancing leader, with Florence Leithead and Edna Penman, whose success in teaching Scouts to perform the most complicated evolutions had to be seen to be believed. George Danskin, our most able Musical Director (now called to a Higher Service) whose musical experience was so often, in the early days, an island of assurance in a sea of uncertainty. Captain Robertson (Robbie), our Stage Director, and a host of others, most of whom are still miraculously with the Gang doing so much. I am glancing now at the photograph of the original Gang and remember with some sadness the noticeable number who did not return from Hitler’s War, Scouts such as Geoff Brewis and Peter Crossling, Scouters such as Brian Bell. Their sacrifice was in the great tradition of the service they had already rendered. When we felt the happiness of the Gang reborn in 1947 we knew that this was a small symbol that they had not died in vain. The photograph again brings a realisation of the passage of time. So many youngsters are now fathers of large families. And of course there are the Cubs! “Flying High” was the first and only Newcastle Show in which Wolf Cubs played a part as performers. They took part in a delightful production number called the “Overall Brigade” carrying onto the stage with them to their great delight, such dangerous weapons as spades, rakes and hoes. On the stag they looked angelic and showed no trace of stage fright. This was the prerogative of the staff appointed to look after them behind the scenes. In order to preserve the sanity of the remainder of the cast, the 36 Cubs were housed in a large dressing room at the top of the theatre under the custody of a few courageous lady Cubmasters - a Giles cartoon had nothing on it! Necessity required that the Cubs should be in the dressing room to be dressed and made up for a considerable time before they were actually required on the stage. The opportunities for mutual experiments with grease paint, gladiatorial contests with the rakes, hoes, etc., were too good to be missed and were used with great enthusiasm. Two incidents in particular stand out clearly in my recollection. First the incident of the modest Cub. This lad, oddly enough, had been told by his Mother not to undress in front of the lady Cubmasters. He considered, however, that honour was satisfied by undressing in a cubicle and returning to the startled dressing room wearing nothing, with his clothes under his arm! The second, the incident of the pies and pop. This nearly broke us. The time between the Saturday matinee and the evening show was all too short and we provided tea for the cast on the premises. Pies and pop would, we thought, be more acceptable to the cubs than tea. Their dressing room led on to the quite safe flat roof of the theatre and we thought also that they could have a lottle air and exercise there at tea time. Like all affairs in that dressing room, however, it started to get a trifle out of hand and we were rather taken aback to be faced simultaneously with a demand for reinforcements from the beleaguered garrison of lady Cubmasters and a polite request for information from a policeman who reported that some young people were on the roof of the theatre throwing occasional pies at the passers-by followed by some fizzy liquid. It is the only occasion I can remember when food supplies for Cubs were in excess of demand and it was the end of Cubs in Newcastle Gang Shows. One last word - a sincere tribute to my old friend and colleague Ted Potts, my Scoutmaster since I was 12 years old. Nothing would have been started without him and I know everything continues because of his perennial enthusiasm. Our debt to him in the North East is comparable to the debt owed by Scouting in general to Ralph Reader himself. Taken from Newcastle Gang Show Programme, 1954. I am an old Newcastle Gang member from 1951 and 1952. After moving to Canada in 1956, I later produced/directed a successful Gang Show here in 1961 using the Ralph Reader/Ted and Nellie Potts modus operandi. The last time I was in Newcastle was 4 or 5 years ago for a wedding and I found out to my chagrin that the Newcastle Gang Show had just ended it's annual show the night before! I was wondering if you have any special reunions coming up in the next few years? With Gang Shows celebrating 75 years and the (real) Scouts celebrating 100 years, I imagine something is planned? From 1951 alone, the youngest cast member would now be 66 years old - so there's a good chance that, with a current life expectancy for males in the UK of 76.7 years, more than 80% of the cast may still be available to party?!! Hope to hear from you! Cheers, SkipF.B.(Skip) Connett (Director) |
