Freddie Frinton – Jimmy Slater’s Super Follies, Cleethorpes, 1935 (detail).

Digitally restored and sympathetically colourised from an original black-and-white publicity postcard.

This close-up is taken from a publicity postcard for Jimmy Slater’s Super Follies, photographed in Cleethorpes during the 1935 summer season. It shows three members of the company in theatrical costume, posing for the photographer in the style typical of seaside revue publicity photographs.

The central performer is almost certainly Freddie Frinton (1909–1968), then a rising comedy entertainer in his twenties who would later achieve national and international fame for his portrayal of the long-suffering butler in Dinner for One. The identification is based on the striking similarity of his facial features, age and, most notably, his distinctive gap between the upper front teeth, which became one of his best-known characteristics. Although contemporary documentary confirmation has yet to come to light, the photographic evidence is compelling.

The photograph captures the polished presentation of British seaside entertainment during the inter-war years. Companies such as Jimmy Slater’s Super Follies combined comedy, song, dance and speciality acts, with brightly coloured costumes and carefully staged publicity photographs used to promote each summer season. The colours shown here are a modern digital interpretation, sympathetically applied to reflect the vibrant appearance of 1930s stage costumes while preserving the original photographic detail.

This image forms part of the Grimsby & Cleethorpes Museum collection and provides a valuable record of the performers who entertained thousands of holidaymakers visiting Cleethorpes in the years before the Second World War.

Detail from a publicity postcard for Jimmy Slater’s Super Follies, Cleethorpes, 1935. Digitally restored and sympathetically colourised. Collection: Grimsby & Cleethorpes Museum.