Dunstable Yesteryear: A hit show at The Palace

The venerable gentleman signing himself “Jarge” was a character in a show called The Quaker Girl whose hit song, “Come To The Ball”, was once very familiar. The inscription on the photo is “To ‘Prudence’, with keen appreciation from A. D. Childs”.

Prudence is the girl of the show’s title. The plot begins when she is thrown out of her home by her Quaker parents for drinking a glass of champagne. She flees to Paris, where her simple clothes become the height of fashion.

The show’s producer in Dunstable was Arthur Childs, whose signature can now be deciphered. He also took a comedy role in the musical, disguised by the set of whiskers splendidly displayed in the photo.

The Quaker Girl was staged at the Palace, Dunstable, which was normally a cinema but could be adapted for live shows. Our smaller photos show the cinema’s entrance foyer and its ornate exterior. It stood in High Street North, next door to today’s Conference Centre (the former Union Cinema). The site is occupied today by USA Stars Nails and Eclat Hair.

The cast list of The Quaker Girl includes some names which will still be familiar to older Dunstablians. The part of Prudence was played by Florence Perry, the orchestra director was Leslie Boskett and a comedy role was taken by Queenie Bond. The photograph was taken by W. Harold Cox whose well-known studio was in Wellington Street, Luton.

Yesteryear is compiled by John Buckledee, chairman of Dunstable and District Local History Society.