The History of British Comics Published: 07 April 2016 Hits: 4344 It is generally agreed that Funny Folks (1874 - 1894) became the first publication to meet the accepted definition of a comic. Funny Folks began as a supplement to the Weekly Budget. Its popularity led to it being published as a separate weekly paper. The success of Funny Folks encouraged the publication of other weekly comics. One such comic was the famous Victorian comic, Ally Sloper’s Half Holiday (1884 - 1916). Ally Sloper’s Half Holiday was the inspiration of the engraver and publisher, Gilbert Dalziel. Ally Sloper had a characteristic red nose, battered top hat and he was usually drunk. Ally Sloper is notably the first ever comic strip hero and undoubtedly laid the foundations for the likes of Chubblock Homes -(Comic Cuts), Weary Willie and Tired Tim - (Illustrated Chips), Roy of the Rovers - (Tiger), Desperate Dan - (The Dandy), Dan Dare - (The Eagle) and more recently Judge Dredd - (2000AD).

These are but a few names from the canon of British Comic heroes The late 1890’s saw an explosion in comic publishing. Alfred Harmsworth ’s Comic Cuts (1890 - 1953) cost just half a penny, which was half the cost of its contemporaries. Comic Cuts soon had competition from rival publishers with titles such as Funny Cuts (1890 - 1920). Harmsworths response was to bring out further titles of his own including Illustrated Chips. Although these publications were classed as comics, they were primarily aimed at and published for an adult audience. Comics for young children (Nursery Comics) didn’t start being published until the early years of the twentieth century. Rainbow (1914 - 1956) is generally accepted as the first children’s comic although Puck (1904 - 1940) did have a junior section after issue eleven and gradually became a children’s comic. The 1930’s are known as the Golden age of comics.

The Golden age saw the appearance of comics like Tiny Tots (1927 - 1959), Crackers (1929 - 1941), The Dandy (1937 - Present) and The Beano (1938 - Present). Both the Beano and the Dandy appeared just prior to the outbreak of the 2nd World War and their timing can be considered fortunate because paper shortages led to laws prohibiting the launching of new comics during the war years. The Beano and Dandy became a vanguard of a new era with the introduction of a new size and style of comic artistry, which included the introduction of speech bubbles in some of the stories.Puck was the first comic to print a s substantial number of its pages in colour but it wasn’t until Mickey Mouse Weekly (1936 - 1955) that a comic was published completely in full colour photogravure. Photogravure is a picture produced from a photographic negative and transferred to a metal plate where it is etched on.

The 1950’s is known as the Silver Age and it saw the appearance of a more sophisticated type of comic epitomised by the Eagle (1950 - 1969) with its hero Dan Dare. The silver age comics were post war publications and gone were the paper shortages of the war years, these comics were printed on a better quality paper with full photogravure.The success of the two DC Thomson titles (Beano and Dandy) led Thomson’s rivals, The Amalgamated Press, to launch two of their own rival comics namely Radio Fun (1938 - 1961) and Knockout (1939 -1963). Although The Beano and Dandy are still continuing to be published, Radio Fun and Knockout ended their days in the early 1960’s. In July 1939 DC Thomson had launched a comic called The Magic Comic (1939 - 1941) but it was short lived due to the over saturation of the comics market at that time. The Dandy continues to be the oldest British comic still in publication.

No history of British comics would be complete without paying homage to the great Denis Gifford who was born on Boxing day 1927. Gifford's contribution to British comics both as a contributor in the 1940s and 1950s, including Flip & Flop', and historian is immeasurable. Gifford, who died in 2000 aged 72, wrote over fifty books on British comics which included ‘The Best of the Eagle (1989). Such was his passion for comics that he stored any edible free gifts in his fridge and his home became so overwhelmed by his collection of over 20, 000 comics that it became difficult for him to move around his home. Denis Gifford had collected comics from an early age and his collection had included the first issue of The Dandy with its free gift of a tin whistle. The first issue of The Dandy and the other comics in his collection were lost when he was evacuated during the Second World War. Although vehemently denying any involvement, his mother remained prime suspect for disposal of the comics during his absence.

In the early 1940's, Gifford began drawing for The Dandy after sending in a drawing to The Dandy publishers, DC Thomson in Dundee, Scotland. It was during this time while he was at Dulwich College that he made friends with Bob Monkhouse . Not only did Bob Monkhouse and Denis Gifford later go on to produce their own comic together but they also gave concerts together when they served in the RAF with Monkhouse being the straight man to Gifford the comedian. Once the war was over, Gifford returned to his love of drawing and worked as a freelance artist working for newspapers such as the London evening News and the Sunday Despatch. He worked as a freelance artist until the 1960's when he started creating panel games for radio including Sounds Familiar which later successfully transferred to television as Looks Familiar. Gifford had many successes with television and worked for ITV, BBC and worked on designing stunts for The Generation Game. However, Gifford's first love was British comics and in particular Christmas issues. Gifford once said "I loved the way the snow used to hang over the title on the front page and the last page was always a Christmas party".

The first British Comics Convention which was held in 1976 was organised by Denis Gifford who managed to bring together over 250 dealers and artists. Gifford and Monkhouse remained friends and shortly before his death worked on a two part radio show entitled A Hundred Laughs for a Ha'penny which was a history of comic papers. Gifford's books included 'The British Film catalogue 1895 - 1995 (1986) which took him twenty years to complete, Laughter in the Air (1979) Run, Adolf, Run (1975, a compilation of cartoons from the war), The Best of Girl Annual (1952-1959), Monsters of the Movies (1977), The Great Cartoon Stars (1979), The Complete Catalogue of British Comics (1985).

On the 20th March 2012, a number of British comics including 'The Beano', The Dandy', 'The Topper', '2000AD', 'Tiger', 'Buster', 'Bunty', 'Twinkle', 'Valiant' and 'Eagle', were remembered with the issue of commemorative stamps by the Royal Mail. The Royal Mail were celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the world's longest running comic, 'The Dandy'. Each stamp appeared with the star of the comic in the foreground and a image of the comic in the background. Comics Timeline 2000 AD : 26 Feb. 1977 - Ally Sloper's Half-Holiday : 3 May 1884 - 9 Sept. 1916 Beano : 30 July 1938 – Big Comic : 17 Jan. 1914 - 28 Sept. 1918 Bimbo : 18 March 1961 - 22 Jan. 1972 Bo-Peep and Little Boy Blue : 19 Oct.

1929 - 14 April 1934 Bubbles and the Children's Fairy : 16 April 1921 - 24 May 1941 Buster : 28 May 1960 - Butterfly : 17 Sept. 1904 - 18 May 1940 Champion : 28 Jan. 1922 - 19 March 1955 Chicks' Own : 25 Sept. 1920 - 9 March 1957 Chuckler (Bath) : 31 March 1934 - 15 Oct. 1938 Chuckles : 10 Jan. 1914 - 1 Dec. 1923 Coloured Comic : 21 May 1898 - 28 April 1906 Comet : 14 Jan. 1950 - 17 Oct. 1959 Comet (Sale) : 20 Sept. 1946 - 17 Oct. 1959 Comic Cuts : 17 May 1890 - 12 Sept.

1953 Comic Home Journal : 11 May 1895 - 10 Sept. 1904 Cor!! : 6 June 1970 - 15 June 1974 Crackers : 23 Feb. 1929 - 31 May 1941 Dandy : 4 Dec. 1937 - Dazzler (Bath) : 19 Aug. 1933 - 8 April 1939 Eagle : 14 April 1950 - 2 March 1963 Eagle and Swift : 9 March 1963 - 26 April 1969 Favorite Comic : 21 Jan. 1911 - 31 March 1917 Film Fun : 17 Jan. 1920 - 8 Sept. 1962 Firefly : 20 Feb. 1915 - 31 March 1917 Fireman Sam : 9 Dec.

1989- Flintstones and Friends : 21 May 1988 - 25 March 1989 Frolix: The Children's Weekly Comic : [Aug. 1928] - 9 May 1930 Funny Cuts : 12 July 1890 - 3 July 1920 Funny Folks : 12 Dec. 1874 - 28 April 1894 Funny Wonder : 4 Feb. 1893 - 25 May 1901 Funny Wonder : 2 Jan. 1915 - 25 May 1940 Coloured Comic: 16 July 1898 Favorite Comic: 13 January 1917 Giggle: A Chidren's Comic : 29 April 1967 - 13 Jan. 1968 Girl : 2 Nov. 1951 - 3 Oct. 1964 Golden : 23 Oct. 1937 - 11 May 1940 Golden Penny Comic : 14 Oct. 1922 - 28 Jan.

1928 Halfpenny Comic : 22 Jan. 1898 - 29 Dec. 1906 Hey Diddle Diddle : 25 March 1972 - 15 Sept. 1973 Hornet : 14 Sept. 1963 - 7 Feb. 1976 Hwyl! (Liverpool) [Welsh] : July 1949 - Summer 1989 Lord Snooty | Albion British Comics Database Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia History Alexander Matthews' Snooty Lord Snooty is one of the most famous characters from the Beano , first appearing in the first issue, dated 30th July 1938, and drawn by Dudley D. Watkins . The central character was Lord Marmaduke of Bunkerton, but known to his friends as Snooty. The original premise was quite simple and conventional.

It consisted of Snooty being fed up with living in a castle under the watchful eye of Aunt Matilda and doing things he didn't want to do, so when he had the chance, he would change into different clothes and have fun with his friends from Ash Can Alley. They were Scrapper Smith, Hairpin Huggins, Skinny Lizzie, Rosie, Happy Hutton, Gertie the goat and later Snitch and Snatch. This basic plot remained for the first few years. During the Second World War, however, the storylines began to change, and sometimes would consist of Snooty and his pals trying to foil the Nazis' (and sometimes even Hitler's) plans. After the war, the storylines became more like how they'd stay, and would often be set in the castle, despite the fact that the trash can alley gang were always present. The first series of Lord Snooty came to an end in 1949, returning towards the end of 1950. The first strip of this series was the final appearence of Skinny Lizzie, Hairpin Huggins, Happy Hutton and Gertie the goat. The following week, Snooty's new pals were introduced.

These had all appeared previously in retired strips. They were Big Fat Joe, (just called Fat Joe in the Lord Snooty strip), Swanky Lanky Liz, Doubting Thomas and Polly (originally Polly Wolly Doodle and her Great Big Poodle). This series of Lord Snooty continued until 1958, but a large amount of strips weren't by Watkins; some of them were by Leo Baxendale, who also drew several Biffo the Bear strips from around this time. The third — and longest running — series began in 1959. To start with most episodes were reprints. However, by the mid-sixties Watkins was drawing new strips. Watkins stopped drawing Lord Snooty in 1968, a year before he died. This was when Robert Nixon took over, and produced a fair representation of Watkins' style. In 1973, Nixon left D.C. Thomson to work for IPC and his work in the Beano was taken over by other artists. Both Lord Snooty and Grandpa were taken over by Jimmy Glen, who drew in a similar style to Nixon.

He continued to draw Lord Snooty for fifteen years, although during the 1980s the strip was sometimes only half a page as opposed to a full one. Jimmy Glen finally stopped drawing Lord Snooty in 1988, when Ken Harrison took over. However, a lot of the strip's original charm was now lost, and Snooty's personality took a turn for the worse. Ken continued to draw it for several years, with John Dallas filling in on occasion. The pint-sized aristocrat stopped appearing regularly in 1990 and his final appearance was in 1991. The reason why he was axed was due to the fact that it was difficult to write his strips and readers could not relate to Snooty or his pals anymore. Former Beano editor Euan Kerr stated that Lord Snooty was always his least favourite character to write for, while Alan Digby (who later replaced Euan as the comic's editor) also said that he did not like the strip. The Sunday Times reprinted old Lord Snooty strips in The Funday Times for a short while afterwards. Lord Snooty graced the public with his presence several times after being axed.

An example was a strip of The Sort Out Squad in 1995 (drawn by Robert Nixon). He appeared more prominently in the Beano issue 3093 (27 October 2001), where he appeared in a one-off strip called 'Lord Snooty's Day out'. In the 65th anniversary issue, Snooty is one of the characters from the Beano's first issue who feature in current strips — the one he appears in is The Bash Street Kids . He also made a brief appearance in the 70th anniversary issue of the Beano in a specially-drawn Fred's Bed strip, which was usually reprints at the time. In 2008, Lord Snooty III appeared as a regular strip in the Beano, drawn by Nigel Parkinson. Critical analysis Renowned journalist and historian Sir Herbert Gusset Charles Moore has penned the following intriguing analysis of the strip in the right-wing Daily Telegraph newspaper1: "For most of his 52-year career, Lord 'Snooty' (full title: Marmaduke, Earl of Bunkerton) rebelled against his background.

'Son of a Duke But Always Pally With the Beezer Kids of Ash-can Alley', Snooty joined the Ash-can Alley gang for adventures. They deferred to him, and made him their leader. Before long, Snooty was masterminding freelance operations against the Nazis – dropping germs on them, for instance, so that Hitler had to write to 'der Great Lord Snooty' ('mine moustache is coming out in purple spots') and beg for mercy. In peacetime, he waged relentless war against the rival 'Gasworks Gang', a group of ill-favoured yobs who looked like John Prescott and Ed Balls [prominent members of the left-wing Labour Party at the time of writing]. Snooty was a popular hero. He triumphed because he shared the sufferings of his comrades while adding the gentlemanly virtues which they lacked. He is the ideal role model for David Cameron [leader of the right-wing Conservative Party]. In 1990, however, Lord Snooty was dropped by the Beano. Recently, the paper has brought back a character called Lord Snooty III.

He is a repulsive boy who wallows in wealth, hits his butler and says things like 'I was watching Who Wants to be a Millionaire? to laugh at the poor'." Parody A parody strip entitled Dave Snooty and his Pals, featuring the Conservative Party under the leadership of David Cameron, was published in Private Eye. It was the brainchild of satirist Ian Hislop and artist Nick Newman, and was later renamed Dave Snooty and his No Pals when the Conservative-Liberal coalition, elected in May 2010, became increasingly unpopular. The strip depicts David Cameron as 'Dave Snooty' and Conservative politician Boris Johnson as his nemesis, 'Boris the Menace ', complete with red and black stripy jumper. (There were widespread rumours, enthusiastically shared by Private Eye, that Boris Johnson wanted to replace David Cameron as Conservative Party leader and do an embarrassingly good job of it. In public the two men consistently asserted their loyalty to and respect for each other.) Dave Snooty and his [No] Pals was a colour strip in a bold, vigorous cartoon style, consisting of three or four panels. The humour was heavily reliant upon puns and slapstick.

Objects of interest were pointed out with captions and little arrows. The reader would frequently be addressed in the final panel, often by a grinning and winking Boris employing some ghastly pun ("It's the same old Tory, eh, reader?"). Dave Snooty would almost end up defeated or humiliated, and about the best that could be said for the character was that at least he wasn't as hapless as the permanent underdog, chain-smoking Liberal Nick Clegg. (In May 2010 Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrat Party helped the Conservatives into power by entering a coalition with them, which caused the Liberal Democrats to suffer a cataclysmic decline in popularity.) Sadly, at no point in Dave Snooty and his Pals did the title character inspire his comrades to emulate his gentlemanly virtues, or show that he had become their leader because they had deferred to his innate moral worth. This would no doubt have improved the strip enormously.

The Comic Book Price Guide For Great Britain - BEANO COMIC, THE BEANO COMIC, THE Dates: #1 30th Jul 1938-present (#3865 as at Dec 31st 2016) Issues: CLICK HERE to view issues, super-size cover images and values in 9 grades It's not so much a comic as an institution! Never be without a Beano, they say. So true. Very healthy back issue market for both comics and annuals pre 1970. Beware any restoration on early issues. Only a handful of #1's known to exist and so very hard to Price Guide. The last reliable estimate (from the inestimable and extremely knowledgeable Mr. Malcolm Phillips of Comic Book Postal Auctions) that I know of is about 16 or 17. Each time one surfaces, maybe it will impact on the value and cause a decrease. Or there could be a clutch of people out there wanting to own a number one issue and willing to spend money. JAN 2016: I would say that 20 existing copies of issue #1 is correct at this date. We shall see what the future holds.

Basically it comes down to whatever someone wants to pay to own a copy of this famous comic. In March 2004, a then world record price was established of £12,100 for a Fine Minus and very bright looking copy. Had the pleasure of meeting it. A VG copy sold at auction in September 2006 for £7,750 - one of the three highest graded known copies. A GD copy plus the original 4 page advertising flyer sold at auction in March 2006 for £4,841. This flyer has sold on its own for £462 at auction in May 2005 (Comic Book Postal Auctions) and £230 (eBay UK Nov 2007). The only known copy with the free Whoopee Mask was sold at auction in February 1999 for £6,820. The comic was graded GD. The highest known graded copy is Fine Plus which sold at auction in September 1995 for £4,200 which was a world record for a British comic at the time.

Dec 2004 saw the third highest price paid for a Beano #1 at £8,470 for a VG copy with faded cover colours. Sep 2006 saw a nice VG copy with half inch tear at top margin to all pages sell for £8,525, the 2nd highest price ever. The Beano celebrated its 75th birthday in July 2013 and there were guest appearances from David Beckham and Sir Alex Ferguson! It is in no small part due to the sterling research, promotion and sales work by Mr. Malcolm Phillips of Comic Book Auctions Ltd that Beano's and Dandy's enjoy such a healthy back issue market. An honourable mention too for Mr. Phil Shrimpton and his past excellent Collectors' Club for Beano and Dandy and a more recent hardback collection/book of Beano and Dandy Christmas covers. Also huge thanks to Phil for supplying some great cover images. A #1 issue has been offered on E Bay a couple of times in Mar 2008 or so. Graded GOOD plus it had clear tape on the spine with tanning pages and was offered at £4,500 with no takers.

It once belonged to the late great Denis Gifford (see illustration below left). A fluctuating market by Sep 2009 saw a VG Minus #1 fetch £3,500, below the £5,000 estimate. Malcolm Philips of COMPAL commented that this copy was around the 20th sold in as many years so I have revised my how many copies of #1 up from 15 to 20. In Dec 2009 Silver Acre Comics sold a VG run of very early issues from issue #2 onwards, all well photographed and presented for auction. Needless to say they were snapped up by eager buyers! Issues from 1986 onwards are very common. Expect to pay 10-50p for individual issues and £5-£10 for complete years. Issues from the last few years seem to have free gifts every other issue! Makes for difficult storage, sweets melting because of central heating, and copies bent from the awkward-shaped sweets/gifts attached. Nightmare!

The History of the Beano: The Story So Far: Amazon.co.uk: Morris Heggie, Christopher Riches: 9781902407739: Books By Ernie on 1 Oct. 2008 Format: Hardcover A big, sumptuous, heavy coffee table book, which treats the Beano archive with care and respect and documents the awsome talent which has gone into its creation over the past 70 years. The reproduction of numerous, full page, vintage and modern strips is crisp and clear - often taken from original artwork - and printed at a size which is suitable for ageing, nostalgic eyes. For too long Comics have been treated as trivial things; kids swopped them, teachers confiscated them and mothers gave them away to jumble sales. The material on display in this book, however, shows that the Beano, and its ilk, deserves to be re-assesed as a national treasure. It not only reflects the culture of the last 70 years, but can now be seen as having strongly influenced it. More from the vaults of D C Thomson please.

A List Of Events In The History Of The Kinema Ballroom Dunfermline In Memory of Stuart Adamson History (A short chronology of events in the history of the Ballroom). Introduction The original 'Kinema Ballroom' was Dunfermline's first ever purpose-built dance hall and had its main entrance at 19 Pilmuir Street Dunfermline. Built in 1938, by the early sixties it became clear that a much larger facility was required, so in 1964 its capacity was quadrupled to more than 1000 with the building of a large extension to the north, including a two-storey frontage on Carnegie Street (now Carnegie Drive). It soon became one of Scotland's most important live music venues. In 1980 it became one of the most innovative, sophisticated, award-winning discotheques in Europe as 'Night Magic' then 'Hollywood Boulevard' & 'The Ballroom'. In 2007 the nightclub re-opened as 'Velocity' and live gigs are back! The name 'Kinema' came about because the owners' first venture was a moving picture theatre called 'The Palace Kinema'.

'Kinematics' is the scientific study of motion, especially human motion, and the word originates from the Greek word 'κινειν' (to move) hence moving picture theatres became known as 'Kinemas' and later 'Cinemas'. Calling a dance hall a 'Kinema' is quite appropriate, as there's a great deal of human motion going on! By 1921, Rosyth Dockyard moved on to short-time working, and closed in 1925. It re-opened in 1938, with further development of its workshops, which continued after World War II. January 13th The Church of England accepts the theory of evolution. February 13th Oliver Reed, English actor born (d. 1999). March 3rd Oil is discovered in Saudi Arabia. March 17th Rudolf Nureyev, Russian-born dancer and choreographer born (d. 1993) March 22nd Comic strip "Dennis the Menace," 1st appears July 30th The first ever issue of The Beano is published. August 3rd Terry Wogan, British/Irish TV and radio broadcaster born.

August 16th Robert Johnson, American blues singer born (b. 1911). August 21st Kenny Rogers, American country singer born. August 26th Jet Black - Stranglers founder member & drummer (Brian John Duffy) born. September 27th British ocean liner "Queen Elizabeth," launches at Clydebank Scotland September 28th Ben E. King, American singer born. September 30th Neville Chamberlain returns to Britain from meeting with Adolf Hitler and declares "Peace In Our Time". October 3rd Eddie Cochran, American rock 'n' roll singer born (d. 1960). October 17th Evel Knievel, American motorcycle daredevil born (d. 2007). October 22nd Christopher Lloyd, American actor born. Chester Carlson demonstrates 1st Xerox copying machine. October 25th - The Archbishop of Dubuque, Francis J. L. Beckman, denounces Swing music as "a degenerated musical system... turned loose to gnaw away at the moral fibre of young people", warning that it leads down a "primrose path to hell".

October 27th Du Pont announces a name for its new synthetic yarn: "nylon". October 30th Orson Welles's radio adaptation of 'The War of the Worlds' is broadcast, causing panic in various parts of the United States. November 9th Holocaust - Kristallnacht: In Germany, the "night of broken glass" begins as Nazi activists and sympathizers loot and burn Jewish businesses (the all night affair sees 7,500 Jewish businesses destroyed, 267 synagogues burned, 91 Jews killed, and at least 25,000 Jewish men arrested). November 11th Jews forced to wear Star of David in Germany. November 26th J. J. Cale, American singer born. December 12th Connie Francis, American singer and actress born. December 23rd A coelacanth, a fish thought to have been extinct, is caught off the coast of South Africa near Chalumna River. Adolf Hitler is Time Magazine's "Man of the Year", an award that usually goes to the most influential person of the year.

The first cartoon to feature a prototypical Bugs Bunny, Porky's Hare Hunt, is released. Margaret Hamilton's (wicked witch) costume catches fire in the filming of "The Wizard of Oz" (released 1939). ... and Dunfermline opens its first ever purpose-built dance hall - 'The Kinema Ballroom' on December 23rd 1938. The Original Kinema Ballroom Building (1938 - present) 'The Palace Kinema (Dunfermline) Ltd' who built and owned the cinema of the same name decided to build the original 'Kinema Ballroom' adjacent to the cinema using predominantly local contractors as can be seen below: Design: Messrs Muirhead & Rutherford of Dunfermline. Building Construction: Charles Stewart & Sons of Phoenix Lane Dunfermline. Measurer: Mr.John G Hardie. Joinery: Anderson & Pert Ltd of Woodmill Street Dunfermline. Plumbing: James McKay of 132 Chalmers Street Dunfermline. Plastering: James C Thomson of Castleblair Dunfermline.

Painting: Henry Hoggan & Son of 45 East Port Dunfermline. Electric Lighting & Thermostatically controlled ventilation: James Scott & Co of Queen Anne Street Dunfermline. Carpets & Floor Coverings: William Stevenson & Son of 21-25 Bruce Street Dunfermline. Terrazzo flooring: Toffolo Jackson & Co Ltd of Glasgow. Steelwork & Roofing: Thomas Deas of High Street Buckhaven. Heating: Thomas Boyd & Sons of McDowall Street Paisley. Slates & Roughcasting: John Robertson & Sons Ltd of 17 Campbell Street Dunfermline Dance Floor: A MacDougall Floor Specialists of 20 Renfrew Street Glasgow Furniture: DK Gray 21-25 Bruce Street Dunfermline Tel No 260 Daniel Younger who was associated with building The Palace Kinema in 1915 was also involved in the building of the Kinema Ballroom in 1938 and his grandson (John Brewster) later invested in and was instrumental in the ballroom's transformation into one of Britain's of not Europe's finest discotheques (Night Magic) in 1980.

Design features included: A state of the art sprung dance floor cushioned by rubber pads laid on a bed of concrete. Walnut panelling & heavy flush panel doors. An attractively decorated plastered barrel ceiling. ï¿½Celotexï¿½ walls protected by a walnut dado (chair) rail which ran around the perimeter. Brilliant hidden lighting, which was quite modern at the time. Orchestras were seated in an ï¿½artisticï¿½ recess in the west of the building and teas etc were served from a well-appointed balcony in the east end. The entrance door at 19 Pilmuir Street and exit to Chapel Street Lane (now a car park) still exist today, while another exit to Carnegie Street (now Carnegie Drive) is incorporated into the extension built in 1964. The ï¿½Grand Opening Carnival Danceï¿½ took place on Friday 23rd of December 1938 from 20:00 until 01:30.

Patrons who paid the not insubstantial ticket price at the time of two shillings and sixpence (2/6d) danced the night away to the sounds of 'Ernest Dobbie and his Swingtette' aka ï¿½ The Swingtette Dance Band ï¿½ (later renamed ï¿½ The Swingtettes ï¿½) and saw Provost & Mrs Hoggan open ï¿½The New Ballroomï¿½ which would be managed by Mr Hylands. Coincidentally, the opening took place on the 23rd of December 1938, exactly 23 years to the day, after The Palace Kinema (next door) opened on the 23rd of December 1915!

Described in itï¿½s early advertising variously as ï¿½The Dancerï¿½s Meccaï¿½, ï¿½The Rendezvous Of All Discerning Dancersï¿½, ï¿½Fifeshireï¿½s Super Dance Hallï¿½ and for five weeks in January & February 1939 as ï¿½The Kinema Super Ballroomï¿½, patrons were invited to ï¿½Follow The Dancersï¿½ and most famously to ï¿½Dance And Be Gay The KB Wayï¿½ long before the contemporary use of the word! The manager lived in a flat above the original entrance in Pilmuir Street and it's still there today though now largely derelict. 'The Kinema Ballroom' was closed on Saturday 30th December 1939 and re-opened on Wednesday 30th July 1941. During this time it was used to billet soldiers from some Scottish regiments while some Polish soldiers were billeted at the Carnegie Women's Institute.

The then Manager, Mr George Hylands, was quite concerned about the soldiers stomping around on the new sprung floor that had been installed and had it protected by a linoleum floor covering during the period it was used by the soldiers. (I'm indebted to David Gilchrist - Mr. Hylands' grandson, for this info). In the 1940s many advertising slogans were used including: ï¿½There never was a time when so many people were devoted to the art of dancing as today and let it be said, local followers as growing more & more numerous. There must be a reason.

The answer is The Kinema Ballroom.ï¿½ ï¿½Take the Necessary Steps ï¿½ Learn to Danceï¿½ It Keeps You Fitï¿½ ï¿½Every Night is a Special Nightï¿½ ï¿½Snappy Band, Happy Feet, Provide a Grand Dancing Treatï¿½ ï¿½The Kinema Call ï¿½ Come To The Ballï¿½ ï¿½Reply to correspondent, ï¿½Curiousï¿½ KB is a Fifeshire abbreviation for dancing at its super bestï¿½ ï¿½The home of happy feetï¿½ ï¿½Come to Dancelandï¿½ ï¿½Snappy music perfect floor, dancers could not ask for moreï¿½ ï¿½The KBï¿½s famed both far and near for a perfect dancing atmosphereï¿½ ï¿½Happy are the dancers who, make this hall their rendezvousï¿½ Various talent contests and beauty shows were regularly staged including The Kinema Ballroom's 'Miss lovely To Look At' awarded to Miss Margaret Russell of Edinburgh in 1953 and a competition to find new vocalist for the then resident band ' The Top

 Notchers ' in 1957, won by Mr.

Stuart Cameron. The Kinema was a favourite haunt of Naval staff from the Royal Naval Dockyard and Naval bases HMS Caledonia and HMS Cochrane at Rosyth some five miles to the south on The River Forth to whom it was known affectionately as 'The Kin'. The rivalry between The St.Margaret's Hall (where Rock & Roll first took hold in the city) & the Kinema, took an interesting turn when The Kinema management (as 'Kinema Ballroom Enterprises') took over the lease of the St.Margaret's Hall from Jim Brown for a time. Some time later in 1961 the lease was returned to Jim but on the last night before the handover, after a boxing match, the St.Margaret's was gutted by fire ( see photo ). As some of the boxers were also Kinema bouncers, it was probably inevitable that speculations of arson were rife amongst the public though no evidence was found. The Kinema did as a result, increase business substantially with reduced competition and a new dance floor was laid on Monday 22nd January 1962. Two years later an extension was being planned out to Carnegie drive ...

The Present Kinema Ballroom Building (1964 - Present) On Thursday December 19th 1963 plans were approved by The Dunfermline Dean of Guild Court for a huge (95ft x 51ft) extension to be built to the north of the original building, including the new the two-storey frontage and main entrance on Carnegie Drive we see today. This effectively increased the capacity of the building fourfold to more than 1000 patrons at a cost of ï¿½31,000 and was opened on Monday the 30th November 1964 though it was originally planned to open in the April. The transition seems to have been largely seamless as performances took place in the immediately preceding days including the night before! The new extension had a maple strip floor, the cafe was transformed into a lounge bar and the previous bar became a restaurant. (The postal address was also changed to 45 Carnegie 'Street' at this time). The Master of Works was Mr. Andrew Sinclair after whom 'Sinclair Gardens' is named.

On the Monday 24th April 1967, Avril Young & Sheena McIntyre (pupils of Woodmill High School) interviewed The Small Faces after their appearance at The Ballroom for their school magazine. Pix here . The saddest event in the ballroom's history occurred on Saturday 9th September 1967 at around 22:15 when a seventeen year-old lad from Lochgelly was assaulted and murdered on the dance floor by two Lanarkshire labourers of eighteen and nineteen years from Bellshill and Uddingston respectively. William Craigie jr (an apprentice butcher with the Co-op in Lochgelly) was stabbed through the heart by what was believed to have been a metal tail-comb. The Kinema was sealed by Police until evidence & statements had been recorded. The accused, James Mcfarlane (18) and Myles Lee (19) were sentenced to life-imprisonment on 6th December 1967 after the jury of nine women and six men came to a unanimous decision after only eighty minutes deliberation at the end of a three-day trial at the High Court in Edinburgh. A subsequent appeal was rejected.

On Sunday the 10th September 1967, the BBC recorded the East of Scotland heats for the very popular TV show, ï¿½Come Dancingï¿½. Throughout this period, wrestling bouts were staged featuring some of the best-known names of the day including Jackie Pallo. In 1968 the local Dunfermline Folk Club took up residence with 'Folk at the KB'. Around 1968 George Crichton Armitt became Assistant Manager to Cecil Hunter and took over as Manager in 1973. The East of Scotland Open Hairdressers Championship was staged in the ballroom on Sunday 28th May 1972 sponsored by The National Hairdresser's Federation. One of the panel was local Baldridgeburn hairdresser, (Secretary & Treasurer of The National Hairdresser's Federation) Mr. Duncan Dobbie. A three-storey ballroom extension was planned in 1973 but it did not complete until November 1976 when it had evolved into and opened as The Castleton (Free House) Public Bar & Function Suite. (Later called Bailey's / The Sinclair Arms / Sinky's / The Corner Music Bar).

An Oakley woman died, another Dunfermline woman sustained serious injuries to her jaw & leg and six other people were taken to hospital on Wednesday 21st January 1976 after a double-decker bus and a Ford Capri were involved in a collision at the traffic lights at the junction of Pilmuir Street and Carnegie Drive Dunfermline at around 21:00. The bus ended-up crashing into the newly-built Castleton lounge bar & function suite, badly cracking a wall. The bus was travelling southbound on Pilmuir Street while the car was Westbound on Carnegie Drive. Full story here . 'The Kinema Ballroom' closed its doors for the last time on Saturday 20th September 1980 for four and a half weeks. This was to be the end of an era in terms of the ballroom's role as a regular venue for live music performance.

'Night Magic' (1980 - 1988) New owner John Brewster reopened on the Friday 24th October 1980 after extensive modernisation & remodelling (principally as a discothï¿½que) by The Kinema Ballroom Ltd at a cost of approximately ï¿½250,000. The ï¿½2 tickets for the opening night are alleged to have changed hands for ten times face value (ï¿½20) with other offers of ï¿½25 each being turned down, such was the desperation to see it all kick-off with top international DJ Abi King (who wore a specially made space suit) and London go-go dance team 'A Touch of Class' as long as you weren't wearing jeans or a t-shirt or looked under 20 years of age. The light & sound system (by Bacchus International Discotheque Services) was reputed to have been amongst the best in Britain if not perhaps Europe and was certainly amongst the most innovative & sophisticated in the world, though there were teething problems on the opening night!

Lights and sound were handled by a world-unique custom-built 16-channel computer controlled console. Features included mirror reflective disco balls, columns of neon light rings and in another first for Britain, banks of parabolic reflecting (PAR 64) flood lamps and a two-watt Argon laser. These lasers can create three-dimensional shapes in space and can be used in conjunction with the reflective mirror balls. This was all topped-off with the Neon Atomic Ball centrepiece. They claimed that there were so many possible lighting permutations that it would be impossible to see them all in one evening. And that's not all,... The lighting effects were augmented with two wind machines, four confetti/snow cannons and a huge dry-ice plant. Pix here . Refreshments were available from either of the two downstairs bars & one upstairs (quieter) bar. Though solo performers and bands still appeared occasionally, the 'golden age' for live entertainment was largely gone as the popularity of the discotheque took over and the venue returned to its original purpose as a dance hall. Pan's People performed on Thursday 1st January 1981.

A two-week closure commenced on Sunday 17th July 1983 for a further modernisation costing ï¿½50,000. The doors were reopened on Saturday 30th July 1983. Around 1985/6, entrance was restricted to the 'Over 20s'. It closed on Friday 25th July 1986 for refurbishment and reopened on the following Friday 1st August 1986. She was sold in the November of 1987 to Dean Entertainments of Kirkcaldy. 'Night Magic' closed its doors for the last time on Sunday 31st of January 1988 for almost four and a half months for a ï¿½750,000 refurbishment by new owners Dean Entertainments of Kirkcaldy. Friday 10th of June 1988 saw the opening of a remodelled/renamed ï¿½Hollywood Boulevard" hailed as "Scotlandï¿½s Premier Night Scene". DJs that night were (Desert Island Tam) Jamieson & (Disco Deek) Miller.

Architects: Burns & Taylor Furniture & Carpet Design: Baxter & Rickard of Leven Interior Design: Total Design Exterior Signage: Thermal Design Electrical Contractor: Mirray McGregor Lighting: Studio 4 Edinburgh - Chrome 120 deg scanners, Optikinetics strobes, 20 sections of Arcline, 32 channel neon matrix, 20-head Harvesters, 320 PAR 36 Pinspots, 360 deg scanners, Sparkflash Strobes, Moonflowers, Litebeam Starlight 20-head, 4-motor Centrepiece on Lynx Elevator, Neon Atom Balls and Clay Paky Sputniks.

All controlled by the Enigma controller (the first fully integrated programmable lighting controller fitted in Scotland!) Sound: Studio 4 Edinburgh - Two Technics Turntables, Formula Sound PM-80 Mixer; Yamaha 30-band Stereo Graphic Equaliser; Technics SL-P1200 CD Player & Cassette Deck; custom built 5 way active JBL system: two sub bass 18" drivers, two ceiling clusters with 8 JBL 15" 8 JBL 12", 4 JBL Horns & compressor drivers and 16 JBL Bullets. Video: Cameron Video Systems Remodelling cost: ï¿½750,000 General Managers: Alex McKay / Martin Robb Assistant/Bar Manager: Keith Mitchell 'Hollywood Boulevard' was voted ï¿½Scottish Disco of the Year 1990ï¿½ by Disco Mirror. Special entertainment events at Hollywood Boulevard included: Six recordings of TV show 'The Hit Man & Her', Miss Wet-Top Competitions; The National Miss Stocking and Suspenders Contest; Annual Beach Party; Mr. Fife; Mr. Wet Y-Fronts; Mr.

& Mrs (Club Show); Annual Tradesmen's Ball; Miss Lovely Legs; Blind Date (Club Show); various fancy dress & fund raising events. Despite being awarded 1st place in the Disco Club & Leisure International ï¿½ 'Club Image Award', 'Hollywood Boulevard' closed its doors for the last time suddenly and amongst some controversy on Saturday 9th November 1991 following insurmountable "cash problems". Proposals were submitted & approved to use the building as a bingo hall in June 1995 but came to naught and the venue remained closed for seven years during which time it was broken into and many fixtures stolen. 'The Ballroom' (1998 - 2007) It was the results of some market research which convinced owners Dean Entertainments of Kirkcaldy to invest ï¿½1 million in an extensive refurbishment programme and a popular retro-naming to ï¿½The Ballroomï¿½. Patrons queued for 2 hours on Friday 27th November 1998 to attend the reopening at 9pm with live guests 'Bus Stop'.

New features included: 10' x 14' video screen, island bar, dance floor podiums, ultraviolet murals, raised stage area and a 1st floor VIP lounge. Local opinion of the external pink/purple colour scheme was divided! Bernard Manning performed on Wednesday 7th March 2001. A fourteen-week ï¿½2 million refurbishment including extending the mezzanine level and installing a lift was completed and ï¿½5 ticket holders filled the hall once more at 21:00 on Friday 15th July 2005.

The work was carried out by the following contractors: Principle Contractor: Ainslie Homes Ltd Sound & Light: John McPhail of Studio 4 Edinburgh Joinery: John Buchanan Joiners Ltd of Motherwell Seating & Metalwork: ARc Electrics: Mirrey McGregor Electrical of Kirkcaldy Building: Bandry Builders Ltd of Tayport Painting: J Gilmour & Son Ltd of Kirkcaldy Air Conditioning & Ventilation: GC Cooling Services Ltd Plumbing: Rogerson Plumbing & Heating of Kirkcaldy Construction Management & Coordination: Burns & Taylor of Dunfermline Carpets & Vinyl: Tyle Style & Bryson Signage: The Sign Company of Kirkcaldy The 1275 maximum capacity 'Ballroom' still hosted occasional 'live' acts. 'The Ballroom' and 'Sinky's (or 'The Sinclair Arms' / 'Bailey's' / 'The Castleton') was bought by the Stirling-based Castle Leisure Group on Monday 2nd July 2007 and closed its doors for an extensive refurbishment (inside & out) on Monday 23rd July. The new name is 'Velocity' while live events are branded as 'Kinema Live'.

Other names seriously considered at the time were 'Logic' 'Kinetic' & 'Kinema'. You have to go back twenty odd years to 1986/7 to find any kind of regular live music in the ballroom so this is the start of something very exciting that Dunfermline has needed for a very long time - a large, regular live music venue! Dunfermline Press article ï¿½ BALLROOM: New owner to ban promotions and says cityï¿½s a shocker for drink-fuelled bad behaviour .ï¿½ (By: Gary Fitzpatrick) "Gigs will mostly be for age 14+ although under 16's must be accompanied by an adult. 18-21s will need to show ID at the bar to purchase alcohol". "All our gigs operate this way unless a band isn't suited to the Under 18's in which case we will keep it 18+".

(John Gallacher - Operations & Security Manager, CLG) The bar known formerly as 'The Castleton' / Bailey's / 'The Sinclair Arms' or 'Sinky's' has been renamed 'The Corner Music Bar' and re-opened on November 30th 2007 with an 'absolutely no football' policy! Unfortunately it subsequently closed again early in 2010. Dunfermline Press article ï¿½ Quick way to win the hottest tickets in town " by Gary Fitzpatrick (The Dunfermline Press - Monday, 26th November, 2007) After a brief hiatus, nightclub activity returned on regular Saturdays from August 28th 2010 for a few months. The Smiths Indeed / The Kols / Crayons were billed for 17th December 2010 but the promoter cancelled the gig. The Draymin were to appear with Val Verde / Shanty Town & DJ Fusion, however the venue was struck by flooding from a burst pipe following the extended period of extremely low temperatures experienced since November 2010. Th egig was relocated to PJ Molloys.

After a short period of inactivity, sadly CLG placed Velocity on the market for Let or Sale on Wednesday 4th May 2011 after (just short) of four years ownership. 'The Ballroom' (2011 - Present) The venue re-opened once more on December 2nd 2011 under the management of 'D2 Leisure' [Darran Taylor (formerly of The Brasshouse) and Douglas Inglis (formerly of Coady's] and the venue operated under the name 'The Ballroom' once more but the venue was never renamed and currently it remains 'Velocity'. They allegedly took a five-year lease on the historic venue but 'D2 Leisure' soon became a one-man operation with only Darren Taylor at the helm and operations failed again only several months later in 2012. The venue is once more To Let / May Sell - Click Here for Property Details The venue and adjacent bar were sold once more in late July 2015. The identity or intent of the new owner is, as yet, not for publication. Watch this space for further news. Ghoulz.

Over Two Million Verifiable Hits since launch in Sept 2006 = Average rate of more than Twenty Thousand Hits/Month ï¿½ Copyright Colin WK Gourlay 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016 All Rights Reserved

Question: On 30th July 1938, the first issue of which children’s comic was published in Britain?
Answer: The Beano