Eccles Cinema and Music Hall

Tony writes:

I shall be regaling you with tales about Eccles Cinema and Music Hall, so you can expect to hear stories such as Walford Bodie, the self styled Electric Wizard who had an Electric Chair on stage who cured cripples by giving them a jolt of electricity...marvellous.

What else? Joseph Woodhall who was educated at Beech Street school won the Victoria Cross in 1918 and was presented with it on stage in an Eccles Picture House, Harold Riley hiring a cinema for the day on his birthday, Kinks Mania as pop music exploded on the streets of Eccles with Marianne Faithfull boozing in the Hare and Hounds and Ray Davies chased along Church Street by scissors wielding girls.

You will hear about Frank Randle, George Formby, Samson, Professor Popolke, Fred Roper Midget Troupe, Arianna the Robot, Hitler, Eddie Polo, Joseph Gomersall, Take That, The Alaska Brass Band, Ted Ray,…