An evening out with top entertainment might be difficult to find in 2010.

There might be a big name pop band at the BIC, a one-nighter comedian at the Pavilion, films in the cinemas, and even a tribute band in a club.

Sixty years ago, the situation was rather different.

In the 1940s and 1950s, the area boasted twenty picture-houses, five theatres and ice and water shows.

The Boscombe Hippodrome (now the O2 Academy) had twice-nightly variety shows and pantomimes with top names such as Max Bygraves, the Billy Cotton Band Show and international film comedians Laurel and Hardy, who played there in 1947.

They all walked the small stage in this 2,000-seater theatre which closed in 1957 to become the Royal Ballrooms.

The New Royal Theatre (next to the Daily Echo offices) in Albert Road also closed in 1957, when the owner, Will Hammer, was killed falling off his bicycle. Top names in variety played here with its 900 seats twice a night.

Singer David Whitfield launched his career here, and when tickets went on sale for comedian Frankie Howerd, people queued down Richmond Hill as far as the National Westminster Bank (now NatWest) to get tickets.

The maroon seats in stalls, circle and balcony gave a warm emotional glow to the performances while the Musical Director, Harry Condor, added reality to the world by smoking a cigarette as he conducted the pit orchestra!

The theatre closed in October 1957 with the Wessex Opera Society’s ‘Tales of Hoffman’. This was after a summer season that starred Edmund Hockridge and Daisy May and Saveen – with an infuriating talking Jack Russell! The New Royal stage workings are still as they were abandoned over fifty years ago.

The Bournemouth Pavilion was offering a regular diet of pre/post West End musicals/plays, Sadlers Wells Opera, Royal and Festival Ballets, pantomimes and summer seasons, from 1957, when comedians Norman Evans and Jimmy Edwards starred.

In 1954 a touring show of the musical South Pacific featured an unknown actor called Sean Connery. In his autobiography, he claims that this was the tour which helped him decide on his future career.

And if a night in the enchantment of theatre didn’t appeal, how about a trip to the Westover Ice Rink, opposite the Pavilion, for an evening of breathtaking entertainment on ice, all enhanced with bright colourful lighting and costumes and the swish of metal skates on ice.

Then, across the road in the Pier Approach Baths, the summer season boasted Aqua Shows where dazzling synchronised swimming and water antics by the Aquagoons were the order of the show, supported by international diving stars and an orchestra.

Along the seafront at Boscombe, a Happy Summer Frolic could be enjoyed in the Boscombe Pier Pavilion (recently demolished); a series of songs and sketches in a hall which was a roller-rink!

Honeycombe Chine, at the land end of the pier, had a small theatre which hosted the Leslie Haskell Show Band in concert – memories fade, but I think this was destroyed by an arsonist, and is now totally forgotten.

The Palace Court Theatre (now a Christian Centre) in Hinton Road was perfect, with its 600 seats, for repertory plays, and the Barry O’Brien Company entertained there for many years. Many star names of the era, such as actors Sybil Thorndike, Lewis Casson and comedian Richard Murdoch also appeared there.

In Westover Road, the Gaumont (formerly Regent Theatre, now the Odeon) also showed a few variety performances including Norman Wisdom, Sarah Vaughan, Victor Borge, Cliff Richard and the Shadows – and, in the 1960s, The Beatles.

So, there was no difficulty in finding somewhere to go for an evening’s entertainment.

But, of course, we didn’t have several hundred television channels in those days! Happy times!