The Davis Theatre: Roaming lions, screaming fans, and a camel’s bum

9:43am Thursday 17th November 2005

Helping a world-renowned singer escape hoards of screaming fans, brushing shoulders with famous actresses and seeing a lion roam freely in the auditorium was all in a day's work for 86-year-old Joan Gonyou, who now lives in Purley.

Joan, from Glenn Avenue, was in her 40s when she started working at the theatre as a married mum-of-three. Her job as a telephonist at the stage door meant she witnessed some amazing sights most people don't see.

She says: "My kids were off my hands so I got a job at the Davis as a telephonist. Because I was based at the stage door I saw it all.

"The strangest thing I saw at the theatre was when a circus came to put on a show and the lion got loose. That was in the papers. There wasn't anyone in the audience, but the lion was roaming around the auditorium and it took the trainer an hour or so to catch it.

"I remember being faced with a camel's backside through my window for a while."

Meeting celebrities was another perk to Joan's job. She met singers and actresses including rock and roll legends Bill Haley and the Comets, soul and jazz singer Johnnie Ray as well as actresses Margaret Lockwood and Margo Fontaine.

However, it was an internationally-famous crooner who made quite an impression on Joan. "Nat King Cole was my favourite," says Joan. "He was a truly lovely man. He would often have a cup of tea and a chat with me.

"I remember him running down to the stage door being chased by screaming fans and me having to shut the door on them. They were screaming and banging on the door."

Joan's privileged status meant she became very popular with friends and family. "Whenever there was a big show on I had my brothers and their friends asking me to get them tickets. I had to reserve the first row at every one of these shows.

"I have some wonderful memories and I got autographs from everyone I met."

Joan hasn't been to the cinema since 1964 and believes her days spent at the Davis were the final in the golden' age of cinema.

"The last film I saw was 633 Squadron at Tottenham Court Road," adds Joan. "That's how long it's been since I've visited the cinema.

"I spent some wonderful times at the theatre before, during and after the war but it is totally different now.

"I think it's because we never had televisions in those days. Going to a cinema-theatre used to be a real occasion and an affordable form of entertainment."

Davis Theatre: The golden years

The Davis Theatre, in High Street, had a lifespan of just over 30 years and was one of the most popular cinema-theatres of its time. It consistently packed out its 3,725-seat capacity with hundreds of film showings, plays, live music and dance.

It was the fourth largest cinema in Britain and took its name from the family who built it.

The Davis opened as a cinema on December 18, 1928, with the Hollywood silent film The Last Command.

On January 14, 1944, a World War Two bomb fell through the roof while an audience of 2,000 watched the Joan Davis film, Two Senoritas. Although the bomb killed seven people and injured at least 25, it did not explode, so hundreds of lives were spared.

After the war the Davis developed more live shows and programmed one week of live theatre to three weeks of film.

The theatre's proudest moment, one so momentous it is still talked about, was a rare performance by the Russian Bolshoi Ballet, the only show in England to be performed outside Covent Garden.

Hopeful theatre-goers queued for days to get a ticket and lines snaked back to East Croydon station.

Other famous names gracing the stage in the 1950s included Maurice Chevalier, Frankie Laine and Liberace. Jazz concerts and boxing matches were also staged there.

On June 2, 1953, a 24-foot-wide television screen was installed for a full house to watch the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II live.

Declining cinema audiences and a reduction in film production forced the venue to close in May 1959. A few weeks later it was demolished.

An office block called Davis House now stands in the place of this great theatre.