The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
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Tommy Steele Returns to the Sunderland Empire
Tommy Steele returns to Sunderland Empire in the 1970s and recalls his early years as Decca's dynamic new star of the rock 'n' roll era.
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Overview
Tommy Steele, former merchant seaman on the Mauretania and an early rock 'n' roll sensation hailed as "Britain's answer to Elvis", makes a nostalgic return to Sunderland Empire, scene of his first professional stage success with The Steelmen, his teenage fans that night like 'locusts'. He was catapulted to the top of the bill at the theatre after he was talent spotted 'twanging his guitar' at the legendary 2i's coffee bar in Soho and signed to the Decca record label in 1956.
On 5 November 1956, toothy Cockney Tommy Steele debuted in the Empire variety show with an eccentric mix of entertainers including comedy duo Mike and Bernie Winters, Welsh boogie-woogie maestro Thunderclap Jones and Ballet Montmartre. This old music hall tradition of programming continued throughout the 20th century amid keen competition from cinemas and ballrooms. In the 50s varieties proved popular with a television audience through shows such as ATV's 'Sunday Night at the London Palladium'. Local theatres like the Empire could not compete so started to hire young music acts favoured by teenagers as a survival strategy, despite the media publicity about 'Teddy Boy riots' at rock and roll concerts.
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