Entertainment in Holbeach in the 1930s sounds similar to today – in some respects.
Apart from dances and live music, people loved going to the cinema, and there were two in Spalding – the Regent Theatre and the Princess Cinema – and Holbeach had the Hippodrome, where Len’s sister Mary Hall worked.
At that time, The Desert Song was delighting audiences at the Hippodrome and a week later Holbeach Amusements Ltd (H Bancroft and G F Ranger) presented The Ship from Shanghai at the Hippodrome. It was so popular – “A talkie you will talk about!” – that there were continuous performances from 5.45pm to 10.45pm.
Amateur dramatics were also favoured – Holbeach Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society put on a performance of Gilbert & Sullivan’s Iolanthe at the Hippodrome, but by late March of 1931 readers were being exhorted to ‘Take more seaside holidays and less medicine’ as defence against influenza.