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ABC Minors Song.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Wendy
  • Start date Start date
Wendy, that is where I went and I was made a monitor in the 1950's.............I loved going every Saturday and loved singing the song................. oh happy days :)
 
Hi, I used to go to THE EMPRESS between 1964 and 1967 on Sat mornings. We always went downstairs, (9d) instead of upstairs, (1/3d). We'd go to COOMBES sweet shop on the corner first. One of the owners, Gwen Jones, came to live in my village in the 80s after she'd retired. They used to have great big blocks of cake chocolate on the counter, but I couldn't afford that.
The Sat mornings were noisy & riotous affairs. I remember the cartoons and 1930's Serials. There were competitions too, one of my friends won a pair of binoculars once. The best film I saw there was Peter Cushing in Dr WHO and the Daleks.
 
Rowan I loved going to the Empress firstly with my older brothers then later with my friends.

Peter we must have gone around the same time. Thank you for the reminder about the sweet shop I remember it well but not the name so thanks for that. I was too scared to go and see Dr Who.
 
Wendy, I went with older (12 & 13 year old) lds from Riland Bedford School. A Nigel Phillips moved in opposite me in 1963 and it was his friends who I went with. I remember that, during the week of Dr Who showing, in 1965? a real Dalek trundled up and down outside Burtons advertising the film. Do you remember the queues to get in? they were mayhem, and the Staff who were employed to sort out the rowdy kids?
 
Ha Ha Pete my brothers went to Riland Bedford I wonder if they were in the group. Yes I do remember the queues to get in. The rowdy kids were often my brothers and their mates I think!!

I went to the Odeon a few times as well.
 
With the passage of time, details such as names have gone I'm afraid. There was one, called Chris I think, who lived exactly oppposite R B School gates. He had a huge Railway layout in his bedroom. Nigel is still around, living in Cornwall. He is in touch with my nexyt door neighbour's son who is my age, but lives in Tamworth.
My Brother left RB in 1974, he started as a Projectionist at the Odeon in 1975 and was there until the late 1980's. My Mother was in the Sutton St John Ambulance, and did duties at the Odeon each Wednesday night, thus saw films for free.
I remember watching the demolition of the old Sutton Parade, and the Empress. The much vaunted Gracechurch & Sainsbury Centres, whilst ok when new, now look poor in relation to other places which have kept their original layout. Besides which, Sutton, as a Shopping venue is very poor compared to Tamworth & Ventura. A pattern repeated throughout B'ham ... Look at Newtown, now on its latest incarnation, but nothing like the old Aston/Newtown Row of old.
 
wendy thanks for this thread, I first went to the royalty harborne, in 1956, with roger flarhty, and went every saturday till 1959, when I went to the Oak cinema selly oak and was a monitor there till 62, lovely to hear the old song again and remember those long lost happy days.
paul
 
ABCM.jpgIABC 1953.jpg I still have these, one was mine the other was given to me by a friend because I was only 5yrs old in 1953..
 
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Wow Chris you are so lucky to still have these. I wish I still had mine...x
 
Wendy -the memories flooded back and I found myself singing along to it and the words just returned to me. Thanks for the memory Wendy. Mabz
 
Glad it bought back some memories Mabz it did me too.....happy days..x
 
Wendy, that ABC Minors song is surely 'pinched' from a March (can't think of the name) by the American composer Souza ??? Eric
 
I was an ABC Minor at the Empress on the Parade in Sutton in the early 50's as was my elder brother. We won a fancy tie competion with ties from an American uncle of ours. Coombes, that wonderful sweet and tobacco shop just across South Parade was where I used my sweet coupons.In the late 40's and early 50's they had a lot of American sweets as we were still not producing many.
An Alladins cave where 6d could buy a whole bag of assorted delights from the corner display.
Then Flash Gordon with Buster Crabbe ans Dale Arden, Roy Rogers with Trigger, Gene Autry and a host of bad but good old films.

What with Gills Toyshop, and later Frosts for the latest hits, Pattersons and Trows for coffee it was heaven.
 
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pipmk said:
I was an ABC Minor at the Empress on the Parade in Sutton in the early 50's as was my elder brother. We won a fancy tie competion with ties from an American uncle of ours. Coombes, that wonderful sweet and tobacco shop just across South Parade was where I used my sweet coupons.In the late 40's and early 50's they had a lot of American sweets as we were still not producing many.
An Alladins cave where 6d could buy a whole bag of assorted delights from the corner display.
Then Flash Gordon with Buster Crabbe ans Dale Arden, Roy Rogers with Trigger, Gene Autry and a host of bad but good old films.

What with Gills Toyshop, and later Frosts for the latest hits, Pattersons and Trows for coffee it was heaven.
Click to expand...

We must have been there at the same time I was at Victoria Rd School 51-2-3 then on to Riland Bedford. Dek
 
I was always in Gills on a Saturday I loved the place. Frosts was where I first went into a booth to hear a record played.
 
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Gills & Frosts - Now you're talking. Gills, the door on the corner ... straight to the first counter under the near stairs where I bought my Airfix Models at 1/9d (I had over 100 at one time). Then up the stairs and left into the Railway Section, with, (from about 63 I think), Scalextric. Right into the specialised Railway section of miniature Swiss train sets (for dads!), out past the Prams & girlie stiff then down the far stairs. A look at the scooters and other toys and dressing up kits then out, up the Parade to the Co-Op. Woolies for my Nan to try on the silly hats just inside the door, (always had me in hysterics!), Chamberlains and Roses, and a visit to Kunzles for a rice paper snowman.
Frosts, down the stairs into the pegboard booths and the earphones to listen to the Beatles, etc., (no personal music gimmicks then), Records that could only be heard at times on Uncle Mac and Children's Hour.

That was my Saturday mornings until 64 when I started to go to the ABC,
 
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Oh the memories ! All of those and more. I was good friends (and for a while went out with) the daughter of the younger Mr Gill who was a class mate of my wife in later years.You omitted all the balsa aircraft which took hours to build and often demolished themselves on the first flight in the Park especially if fitted with a Jetex engine. So sad that the business did not survive the onslaught of Toys R Us. John Frost was a benign old boy too. George Rose "the dirt comes free" was a larger than life character. Good good times in a very special time and place.Being a teenager in the 60's was a privilege, my grandchildren have a much harder time.

You waited until you were 64 to go to the ABC ? Sorry, couldn't resist it.
 
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The Balsa Aircraft. I had one from Gills as a 10th Birthday present from my Uncle (Parish Priest - Walmley - Still there). It took ages to cut, score, fold, glue & peg it out. It had a long rubber band for power which was oiled and wound 99 times. Flew a few times, crashed each time!
I always wanted the fixed line plastic glowplug planes that Gill had on the top shelves. Later, when I was 14, I got one. The engine was awful to start, then spinning round with it made you dizzy. A green America Dive bomber type with holes in the wings for ailerons and a releasing bomb.

I agree with your comment about the 60's...they were a magic decade of years in the social changes. Underpinned by a centuries old framework of education and employment, right & wrong, and expanding freedoms for all. These last 25 years have seen a deterioration in the UK that only those 'Baby Boomers' born in the 1940s and 1950s can understand.

Oh for a walk down the old Parade ...... !
 
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Oh the memories :)

There was a wool shop on the Parade where I bought wool to knit my first borns jackets and 40 years later I meet the manageress of the shop who was a Cornish woman married to a Cornishman who was a Brummie Policeman.....I meet them quite often here in Penzance and we chat about the "old Parade days"

Did the toy shop also sell papers and bicycles?
 
Hi Rowan, Yes I remember the Wool shop, my mom used to drag me into there! Bicycles were Lee's oh High St, then Maney after the slump of the 80s. I saw the owner in the Doctors only a few weeks ago, he must be in his 80s now. Gills had childrens bikes and scooters.
 
Hmm. I used to work for ABC Cinemas Based at ABC Savoy Walsall. .. I used to do Relief at The ABC Empress... and did the Minors Matinees as well as The Palace Erdington. plus other around Birmingham. If the Children where particular hmm boystruss We made them sing it all over again as it was not load enough. In The hope of having a quiter performance.. I will post a Picture of my Uncle Badge when I find it... and I think I have some picture of The Empress minors Mats in my archives Harold Price was the Manager while I did Releif and help with the Advance bookings for Dr Zavargo (Not sure of spelling. :o)
 
Ah! Yet another memory surfaces ... Yes I remember that practise. it was SOOOO annoying. All we wanted was for the Programme to start. To sing that Song over & over again was like torture. I just wanted to see the Serial with its wierd spaceships and stiff legged robots!
 
pipmk said:
I was an ABC Minor at the Empress on the Parade in Sutton in the early 50's as was my elder brother. We won a fancy tie competion with ties from an American uncle of ours. Coombes, that wonderful sweet and tobacco shop just across South Parade was where I used my sweet coupons.In the late 40's and early 50's they had a lot of American sweets as we were still not producing many.
An Alladins cave where 6d could buy a whole bag of assorted delights from the corner display.
Then Flash Gordon with Buster Crabbe ans Dale Arden, Roy Rogers with Trigger, Gene Autry and a host of bad but good old films.

What with Gills Toyshop, and later Frosts for the latest hits, Pattersons and Trows for coffee it was heaven.
Click to expand...
Has anyone got any photos of Coombes sweet shop/Tobacconist that was on the corner of South Parade Sutton Coldfield?
We used to live on South Parade just down from Chambers in the 70's and I have very fond memories of buying sweets from Coombes and being fascinated by the chocolate and chewing gum vending machines on their wall outside.
 
We had very little when I was a child, and we relished all the small things in our lives, for 6d on a Saturday, we could enter a world of make believe, and the "Minors " song I am sure loomed large in many lives, of folks on here as it did mine. . A visit to Cannon HiIl Park, a ride on a tram, up to the Licky Hills, a day out in the Bluebell Woods, with a bottle of water, and jam sandwiches, all great adventures to us, of the working poor. My Dad and Mom I realised later in life , worked miracles with 4 kids, and now I am so grateful, but unable to tell them. Looking back all in all, we had a pretty wonderful childhood, in reality, full of laughter and love !!!!!!!!!!!!
 
rowan said:
Oh the memories :)

There was a wool shop on the Parade where I bought wool to knit my first borns jackets and 40 years later I meet the manageress of the shop who was a Cornish woman married to a Cornishman who was a Brummie Policeman.....I meet them quite often here in Penzance and we chat about the "old Parade days"

Did the toy shop also sell papers and bicycles?
Click to expand...
Just reading back over this thread. The answer is yes. I worked as a Saturday girl in the mid 60s and for a while worked on the papers and cards counter with Miss Jessie Gill, old Mr Gill's sister. She came across as formidable but had a very kind heart. Also working on that counter was Mrs Oliver (everyone was was addressed by Mr, Mrs or Miss) also working there was my close friend Jeannette Guy, still my best friend, Pete Slassor (all 3 of us had long careers as teachers) Gerald,
also Andrea Brown. I have forgotten lots of names but not the enjoyable time working there. The Gill family were very fair employers. I remember the staff Xmas party that was held at one of their homes if my memory serves me right. I made some long lasting friends whilst working there.
Carol Davies as I was then.
 
cba said:
Just reading back over this thread. The answer is yes. I worked as a Saturday girl in the mid 60s and for a while worked on the papers and cards counter with Miss Jessie Gill, old Mr Gill's sister. She came across as formidable but had a very kind heart. Also working on that counter was Mrs Oliver (everyone was was addressed by Mr, Mrs or Miss) also working there was my close friend Jeannette Guy, still my best friend, Pete Slassor (all 3 of us had long careers as teachers) Gerald,
also Andrea Brown. I have forgotten lots of names but not the enjoyable time working there. The Gill family were very fair employers. I remember the staff Xmas party that was held at one of their homes if my memory serves me right. I made some long lasting friends whilst working there.
Carol Davies as I was then.
Click to expand...
Miss Gill lived next door to us in the 70's on South Parade, I think it was number 57 same side as Coombes and Chambers.
 
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