Jimmy Slater’s “Super Follies”, Cleethorpes, 1935.
Digitally restored from an original sepia-toned publicity postcard.
This rare publicity postcard captures members of Jimmy Slater’s “Super Follies” during their summer season in Cleethorpes in 1935. The eight performers are arranged in a lively chorus-line pose on stage, reflecting the glamour, humour and energy that made seaside revues one of Britain’s most popular forms of holiday entertainment during the inter-war years.
The photograph is of particular historical interest because the second performer from the left is almost certainly Freddie Frinton (1909–1968). Then in his twenties and still establishing his career, Frinton displays the distinctive facial features and characteristic gap between his upper front teeth that later became instantly recognisable. More than twenty years later he achieved international fame through his unforgettable portrayal of the long-suffering butler in Dinner for One, now regarded as one of the world’s most frequently broadcast comedy sketches.
The performer on the extreme right is likely to be Jimmy Slater (1896–1997), the revue’s proprietor, comedian and celebrated female impersonator. Comparison with other known photographs of Slater strongly suggests this identification, although it has yet to be confirmed by contemporary documentary evidence. If correct, the postcard brings together two notable figures from British variety entertainment at an early stage in Freddie Frinton’s career.
Summer revues such as “Super Follies” combined comedy, song, dance and speciality acts in fast-moving productions that delighted thousands of holidaymakers each season. Cleethorpes was among Britain’s leading seaside resorts, and companies such as Jimmy Slater’s played an important role in the town’s thriving entertainment industry throughout the 1930s.
The postcard was published by Debron of Liverpool, while the original photograph was possibly taken by the Cleethorpes photographer J. W. Hardy, whose studio produced many theatrical and promotional photographs of local entertainers during this period. Although the original negative has not been identified, the style, composition and provenance are consistent with Hardy’s work.
This example has been digitally restored using a conservation approach, carefully removing the effects of age while preserving the original photographic detail and the postcard’s authentic sepia toning. No modern colour has been added, allowing the image to retain the warm appearance intended by its original publishers.
Original caption: Jimmy Slater’s “Super Follies”, Cleethorpes, 1935. Reproduced by Debron, Liverpool. Collection: Grimsby & Cleethorpes Museum.
