FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 9 - 15 MARCH 1976
This week's many stories include the dog packs spreading terror in Sutton, Terence Lennon's Rolls Royce has a smash, there's criticism of pirate taxis in St Helens, the gay men causing a nuisance in Queen's Park, the boy scalped at Silcock's fair and proposals to lower the age of consent for sex are given short shrift by St Helens folk.
St Helens Council's own newspaper in the 1970s was called St Helens Scene and it was controversial – although not particularly with the public. Instead it was councillors that criticised what was written in their own municipal magazine! In September 1974 Councillor Gerald Baxter said at a meeting: "The people who run this are more interested in sensationalism than anything else." And others including council leader Len Williams agreed.
On the 10th of this week Conservative councillors criticised the latest edition of the Scene, furious about an article on housing. That led to a proposal to scrap the council's own civic newspaper, which was rejected after a discussion.
On the same day the pupils and staff of Cowley Girls School attended their annual Founder's Day service, which was held at the United Reformed Church in Ormskirk Street.
Terence Lennon had a lot of trouble with his Rolls Royce cars. In 1970 the supermarket tycoon rang up Maclean and Appleton's garage to see if his Rolls was ready for collection after its service and cleaning. The confused receptionist at the Prescot Road garage broke the news that Lennon's £12,000 Silver Shadow had been driven off several hours earlier.
A man had imitated the millionaire businessman's voice over the phone and told the garage that he'd send someone to collect his custom-built car. Ten minutes later a well-dressed man appeared and was handed the keys to the Rolls, which was driven off in the direction of Liverpool. Terence Lennon was generous about the affair, making it clear that he did not blame anyone at Maclean and Appleton, saying the garage staff had simply been kidded.
On the 11th of this week, Lennon's latest Rolls Royce – a Carmargue that had cost over £80,000 and was regarded as the world's most expensive production car – was involved in a smash. The incident happened in Park Road during the early morning rush-hour when the car collided with a dray lorry.
The vehicle – that carried Mr Lennon's personalised number plate which had cost a further £2,000 – was currently being transported back to its makers in Crewe to be repaired. And Rolls Royce said they thought that it was the first Carmargue in the country to be damaged in a crash.
"Dog packs are spreading terror among schoolchildren," wrote the Reporter on the 12th. The article described how Cllr Jim Bond had been "swamped with complaints" after three children had been bitten by a dog in the playground of St Anne's Primary School. Cllr Bond said he believed that many of the roaming animals had emanated from the nearby Beth Avenue estate in Sutton:
"The problem of dogs seems to be getting worse. Some of them may not be from the estate, but many certainly must be. I've seen packs of up to 15 dogs roaming round, and I'd like to think they are all strays – but the answer possibly lies with the people of Beth Avenue. I would appeal to them to keep their animals under control, both for the sake of the dogs and that of other residents."
In a separate article it was described how a man had been fined £50 in St Helens Magistrates Court after shooting a dog with an air-gun. The father-of-three told the court that too many people in Grange Park allowed their pets to roam the streets. "My concern is the damage dogs can do to children", he said. The dog called Laddie had survived but needed stitches inserting at a vet's.
Alice Ashley of Herbert Street in Sutton was complaining in the Reporter that her 85-year-old mother had been discharged from the Peasley Cross Geriatric Unit and left in her home in Griffin Street without heating or food. Mrs Ashley said when she returned home from work she found a note pushed through her door informing her that her mother had been returned home.
She said that when she went to see her mother soon afterwards, she found her slumped on her bed without any heat, food or light after falling. As a result of Mrs Ashley's complaint, an inquiry had now been launched.
The National Council For Civil Liberties had recently made some extremely controversial proposals for changes to Britain's sex laws. They included lowering the age of consent generally to 14 and as low as 10 when both partners were under 14. The group that is now known as Liberty also wanted the crime of incest to be abolished.
The Reporter, from time to time, liked to go out onto the streets of St Helens to test new ideas. Often a range of views were elicited, however, these proposals went down like a lead balloon with all respondents firmly against them. Lily Langley of College Street said: "This is absolutely ridiculous. It's shameful that such a responsible body should come up with such ludicrous, disgusting proposals."
And Eileen Boardman of Lingmell Avenue in Clinkham Wood said: "The whole idea is absolutely disgusting. There is a limit and I think we have reached it already, without sinking further down into the depths of depravity."
Michael McBride was featured in the Reporter after being "scalped" by teenage muggers at Silcocks Fair. Four lads had attacked the 10-year-old from Redgate Drive, who attended Allanson Street School, on the fairground in Parr Stocks Road.
"They asked me for money and when I said no they hit me in the face," explained Michael. "Then three of them held me while the other cut my hair with a razor blade. They ran away then. I was terrified, but they didn't get any money."
Michael's mother, Joyce McBride, said: "It was a very neat job, as though they scalped him. He's very upset about it. It was a terrible thing to do. Michael is such a shy boy, and he's really self-conscious. It's a shame when children can't even go to the fair."
The Reporter began one prominent article with these words: "Loitering homosexuals, who use an old public toilet as a rendezvous, are bringing protests from residents – and now, Emily Reynolds is campaigning to have the graffiti-daubed toilet pulled down." Mrs Reynolds from Lingholme Road had written to St Helens Council calling for the toilet in question in Queen's Park to be demolished, telling the Reporter:
"These men come in cars, and go to this toilet to other men. We all know this. Sex – that's what they go in for. There are lots of children round here, and that toilet's not safe for them. It's indecent. And it's not nice for women going through the park." The walls inside the toilet were described as "scrawled with obscene diagrams" with "messages about men's ‘dating’ arrangements".
There was another complaint in the paper about so-called pirate taxis. Bill Packard, the secretary of the St Helens Hackney Vehicle Proprietors Association, claimed that people who rode in them were putting their lives in danger.
Mr Packard claimed many of the vehicles were unsafe, as they had not undergone the rigorous tests that the local authority put legitimate public hire taxis through prior to granting a licence. Such unregistered vehicles were also only likely to be covered by third party insurance in the event of an accident.
At the Capitol Cinema for 7 days from the 14th, 'The Man From Hong Kong' starring George Lazenby replaced 'Death Race 2000' starring David Carradine. Meanwhile at the ABC Savoy, 'The Street Fighter' starring Charles Bronson replaced 'Great Expectations' with Michael York.
And finally, at the Theatre Royal for a week commencing the 15th, Brian Rix, Terence Alexander and Jane Downs starred in what was billed as a brand new comedy called 'Fringe Benefits'.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the woman who jumped on a car bonnet to try and stop robbers, the fake bomb in Rainford, why it had to be socialism or soccer for Leslie Spriggs and the woman celebrating 25 years of being the Savoy's guiding light.
St Helens Council's own newspaper in the 1970s was called St Helens Scene and it was controversial – although not particularly with the public. Instead it was councillors that criticised what was written in their own municipal magazine! In September 1974 Councillor Gerald Baxter said at a meeting: "The people who run this are more interested in sensationalism than anything else." And others including council leader Len Williams agreed.
On the 10th of this week Conservative councillors criticised the latest edition of the Scene, furious about an article on housing. That led to a proposal to scrap the council's own civic newspaper, which was rejected after a discussion.
On the same day the pupils and staff of Cowley Girls School attended their annual Founder's Day service, which was held at the United Reformed Church in Ormskirk Street.
Terence Lennon had a lot of trouble with his Rolls Royce cars. In 1970 the supermarket tycoon rang up Maclean and Appleton's garage to see if his Rolls was ready for collection after its service and cleaning. The confused receptionist at the Prescot Road garage broke the news that Lennon's £12,000 Silver Shadow had been driven off several hours earlier.
On the 11th of this week, Lennon's latest Rolls Royce – a Carmargue that had cost over £80,000 and was regarded as the world's most expensive production car – was involved in a smash. The incident happened in Park Road during the early morning rush-hour when the car collided with a dray lorry.
The vehicle – that carried Mr Lennon's personalised number plate which had cost a further £2,000 – was currently being transported back to its makers in Crewe to be repaired. And Rolls Royce said they thought that it was the first Carmargue in the country to be damaged in a crash.
"Dog packs are spreading terror among schoolchildren," wrote the Reporter on the 12th. The article described how Cllr Jim Bond had been "swamped with complaints" after three children had been bitten by a dog in the playground of St Anne's Primary School. Cllr Bond said he believed that many of the roaming animals had emanated from the nearby Beth Avenue estate in Sutton:
"The problem of dogs seems to be getting worse. Some of them may not be from the estate, but many certainly must be. I've seen packs of up to 15 dogs roaming round, and I'd like to think they are all strays – but the answer possibly lies with the people of Beth Avenue. I would appeal to them to keep their animals under control, both for the sake of the dogs and that of other residents."
In a separate article it was described how a man had been fined £50 in St Helens Magistrates Court after shooting a dog with an air-gun. The father-of-three told the court that too many people in Grange Park allowed their pets to roam the streets. "My concern is the damage dogs can do to children", he said. The dog called Laddie had survived but needed stitches inserting at a vet's.
Alice Ashley of Herbert Street in Sutton was complaining in the Reporter that her 85-year-old mother had been discharged from the Peasley Cross Geriatric Unit and left in her home in Griffin Street without heating or food. Mrs Ashley said when she returned home from work she found a note pushed through her door informing her that her mother had been returned home.
She said that when she went to see her mother soon afterwards, she found her slumped on her bed without any heat, food or light after falling. As a result of Mrs Ashley's complaint, an inquiry had now been launched.
The National Council For Civil Liberties had recently made some extremely controversial proposals for changes to Britain's sex laws. They included lowering the age of consent generally to 14 and as low as 10 when both partners were under 14. The group that is now known as Liberty also wanted the crime of incest to be abolished.
The Reporter, from time to time, liked to go out onto the streets of St Helens to test new ideas. Often a range of views were elicited, however, these proposals went down like a lead balloon with all respondents firmly against them. Lily Langley of College Street said: "This is absolutely ridiculous. It's shameful that such a responsible body should come up with such ludicrous, disgusting proposals."
And Eileen Boardman of Lingmell Avenue in Clinkham Wood said: "The whole idea is absolutely disgusting. There is a limit and I think we have reached it already, without sinking further down into the depths of depravity."
Michael McBride was featured in the Reporter after being "scalped" by teenage muggers at Silcocks Fair. Four lads had attacked the 10-year-old from Redgate Drive, who attended Allanson Street School, on the fairground in Parr Stocks Road.
"They asked me for money and when I said no they hit me in the face," explained Michael. "Then three of them held me while the other cut my hair with a razor blade. They ran away then. I was terrified, but they didn't get any money."
Michael's mother, Joyce McBride, said: "It was a very neat job, as though they scalped him. He's very upset about it. It was a terrible thing to do. Michael is such a shy boy, and he's really self-conscious. It's a shame when children can't even go to the fair."
The Reporter began one prominent article with these words: "Loitering homosexuals, who use an old public toilet as a rendezvous, are bringing protests from residents – and now, Emily Reynolds is campaigning to have the graffiti-daubed toilet pulled down." Mrs Reynolds from Lingholme Road had written to St Helens Council calling for the toilet in question in Queen's Park to be demolished, telling the Reporter:
"These men come in cars, and go to this toilet to other men. We all know this. Sex – that's what they go in for. There are lots of children round here, and that toilet's not safe for them. It's indecent. And it's not nice for women going through the park." The walls inside the toilet were described as "scrawled with obscene diagrams" with "messages about men's ‘dating’ arrangements".
There was another complaint in the paper about so-called pirate taxis. Bill Packard, the secretary of the St Helens Hackney Vehicle Proprietors Association, claimed that people who rode in them were putting their lives in danger.
Mr Packard claimed many of the vehicles were unsafe, as they had not undergone the rigorous tests that the local authority put legitimate public hire taxis through prior to granting a licence. Such unregistered vehicles were also only likely to be covered by third party insurance in the event of an accident.
At the Capitol Cinema for 7 days from the 14th, 'The Man From Hong Kong' starring George Lazenby replaced 'Death Race 2000' starring David Carradine. Meanwhile at the ABC Savoy, 'The Street Fighter' starring Charles Bronson replaced 'Great Expectations' with Michael York.
And finally, at the Theatre Royal for a week commencing the 15th, Brian Rix, Terence Alexander and Jane Downs starred in what was billed as a brand new comedy called 'Fringe Benefits'.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the woman who jumped on a car bonnet to try and stop robbers, the fake bomb in Rainford, why it had to be socialism or soccer for Leslie Spriggs and the woman celebrating 25 years of being the Savoy's guiding light.
This week's many stories include the dog packs spreading terror in Sutton, Terence Lennon's Rolls Royce has a smash, there's criticism of pirate taxis in St Helens, the gay men causing a nuisance in Queen's Park, the boy scalped at Silcock's fair and proposals to lower the age of consent for sex are given short shrift by St Helens folk.
St Helens Council's own newspaper in the 1970s was called St Helens Scene and it was controversial – although not particularly with the public.
Instead it was councillors that criticised what was written in their own municipal magazine!
In September 1974 Councillor Gerald Baxter said at a meeting: "The people who run this are more interested in sensationalism than anything else." And others including council leader Len Williams agreed.
On the 10th of this week Conservative councillors criticised the latest edition of the Scene, furious about an article on housing.
That led to a proposal to scrap the council's own civic newspaper, which was rejected after a discussion.
On the same day the pupils and staff of Cowley Girls School attended their annual Founder's Day service, which was held at the United Reformed Church in Ormskirk Street.
Terence Lennon had a lot of trouble with his Rolls Royce cars. In 1970 the supermarket tycoon rang up Maclean and Appleton's garage to see if his Rolls was ready for collection after its service and cleaning.
The confused receptionist at the Prescot Road garage broke the news that Lennon's £12,000 Silver Shadow had been driven off several hours earlier.
A man had imitated the millionaire businessman's voice over the phone and told the garage that he'd send someone to collect his custom-built car.
Ten minutes later a well-dressed man appeared and was handed the keys to the Rolls, which was driven off in the direction of Liverpool.
Terence Lennon was generous about the affair, making it clear that he did not blame anyone at Maclean and Appleton, saying the garage staff had simply been kidded.
On the 11th of this week, Lennon's latest Rolls Royce – a Carmargue that had cost over £80,000 and was regarded as the world's most expensive production car – was involved in a smash.
The incident happened in Park Road during the early morning rush-hour when the car collided with a dray lorry.
The vehicle – that carried Mr Lennon's personalised number plate which had cost a further £2,000 – was currently being transported back to its makers in Crewe to be repaired.
And Rolls Royce said they thought that it was the first Carmargue in the country to be damaged in a crash.
"Dog packs are spreading terror among schoolchildren," wrote the Reporter on the 12th.
The article described how Cllr Jim Bond had been "swamped with complaints" after three children had been bitten by a dog in the playground of St Anne's Primary School.
Cllr Bond said he believed that many of the roaming animals had emanated from the nearby Beth Avenue estate in Sutton:
"The problem of dogs seems to be getting worse. Some of them may not be from the estate, but many certainly must be.
"I've seen packs of up to 15 dogs roaming round, and I'd like to think they are all strays – but the answer possibly lies with the people of Beth Avenue.
"I would appeal to them to keep their animals under control, both for the sake of the dogs and that of other residents."
In a separate article it was described how a man had been fined £50 in St Helens Magistrates Court after shooting a dog with an air-gun.
The father-of-three told the court that too many people in Grange Park allowed their pets to roam the streets. "My concern is the damage dogs can do to children", he said.
The dog called Laddie had survived but needed stitches inserting at a vet's.
Alice Ashley of Herbert Street in Sutton was complaining in the Reporter that her 85-year-old mother had been discharged from the Peasley Cross Geriatric Unit and left in her home in Griffin Street without heating or food.
Mrs Ashley said when she returned home from work she found a note pushed through her door informing her that her mother had been returned home.
She said that when she went to see her mother soon afterwards, she found her slumped on her bed without any heat, food or light after falling.
As a result of Mrs Ashley's complaint, an inquiry had now been launched.
The National Council For Civil Liberties had recently made some extremely controversial proposals for changes to Britain's sex laws.
They included lowering the age of consent generally to 14 and as low as 10 when both partners were under 14.
The group that is now known as Liberty also wanted the crime of incest to be abolished.
The Reporter, from time to time, liked to go out onto the streets of St Helens to test new ideas.
Often a range of views were elicited, however, these proposals went down like a lead balloon with all respondents firmly against them.
Lily Langley of College Street said: "This is absolutely ridiculous. It's shameful that such a responsible body should come up with such ludicrous, disgusting proposals."
And Eileen Boardman of Lingmell Avenue in Clinkham Wood said: "The whole idea is absolutely disgusting. There is a limit and I think we have reached it already, without sinking further down into the depths of depravity."
Michael McBride was featured in the Reporter after being "scalped" by teenage muggers at Silcocks Fair.
Four lads had attacked the 10-year-old from Redgate Drive, who attended Allanson Street School, on the fairground in Parr Stocks Road.
"They asked me for money and when I said no they hit me in the face," explained Michael.
"Then three of them held me while the other cut my hair with a razor blade. They ran away then. I was terrified, but they didn't get any money."
Michael's mother, Joyce McBride, said: "It was a very neat job, as though they scalped him. He's very upset about it. It was a terrible thing to do. Michael is such a shy boy, and he's really self-conscious. It's a shame when children can't even go to the fair."
The Reporter began one prominent article with these words:
"Loitering homosexuals, who use an old public toilet as a rendezvous, are bringing protests from residents – and now, Emily Reynolds is campaigning to have the graffiti-daubed toilet pulled down."
Mrs Reynolds from Lingholme Road had written to St Helens Council calling for the toilet in question in Queen's Park to be demolished, telling the Reporter:
"These men come in cars, and go to this toilet to other men. We all know this. Sex – that's what they go in for. There are lots of children round here, and that toilet's not safe for them. It's indecent. And it's not nice for women going through the park."
The walls inside the toilet were described as "scrawled with obscene diagrams" with "messages about men's ‘dating’ arrangements".
There was another complaint in the paper about so-called pirate taxis.
Bill Packard, the secretary of the St Helens Hackney Vehicle Proprietors Association, claimed that people who rode in them were putting their lives in danger.
Mr Packard claimed many of the vehicles were unsafe, as they had not undergone the rigorous tests that the local authority put legitimate public hire taxis through prior to granting a licence.
Such unregistered vehicles were also only likely to be covered by third party insurance in the event of an accident.
At the Capitol Cinema for 7 days from the 14th, 'The Man From Hong Kong' starring George Lazenby replaced 'Death Race 2000' starring David Carradine.
Meanwhile at the ABC Savoy, 'The Street Fighter' starring Charles Bronson replaced 'Great Expectations' with Michael York.
And finally, at the Theatre Royal for a week commencing the 15th, Brian Rix, Terence Alexander and Jane Downs starred in what was billed as a brand new comedy called 'Fringe Benefits'.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the woman who jumped on a car bonnet to try and stop robbers, the fake bomb in Rainford, why it had to be socialism or soccer for Leslie Spriggs and the woman celebrating 25 years of being the Savoy's guiding light.
St Helens Council's own newspaper in the 1970s was called St Helens Scene and it was controversial – although not particularly with the public.
Instead it was councillors that criticised what was written in their own municipal magazine!
In September 1974 Councillor Gerald Baxter said at a meeting: "The people who run this are more interested in sensationalism than anything else." And others including council leader Len Williams agreed.
On the 10th of this week Conservative councillors criticised the latest edition of the Scene, furious about an article on housing.
That led to a proposal to scrap the council's own civic newspaper, which was rejected after a discussion.
On the same day the pupils and staff of Cowley Girls School attended their annual Founder's Day service, which was held at the United Reformed Church in Ormskirk Street.
Terence Lennon had a lot of trouble with his Rolls Royce cars. In 1970 the supermarket tycoon rang up Maclean and Appleton's garage to see if his Rolls was ready for collection after its service and cleaning.
The confused receptionist at the Prescot Road garage broke the news that Lennon's £12,000 Silver Shadow had been driven off several hours earlier.
A man had imitated the millionaire businessman's voice over the phone and told the garage that he'd send someone to collect his custom-built car.
Ten minutes later a well-dressed man appeared and was handed the keys to the Rolls, which was driven off in the direction of Liverpool.
Terence Lennon was generous about the affair, making it clear that he did not blame anyone at Maclean and Appleton, saying the garage staff had simply been kidded.
The incident happened in Park Road during the early morning rush-hour when the car collided with a dray lorry.
The vehicle – that carried Mr Lennon's personalised number plate which had cost a further £2,000 – was currently being transported back to its makers in Crewe to be repaired.
And Rolls Royce said they thought that it was the first Carmargue in the country to be damaged in a crash.
"Dog packs are spreading terror among schoolchildren," wrote the Reporter on the 12th.
The article described how Cllr Jim Bond had been "swamped with complaints" after three children had been bitten by a dog in the playground of St Anne's Primary School.
Cllr Bond said he believed that many of the roaming animals had emanated from the nearby Beth Avenue estate in Sutton:
"The problem of dogs seems to be getting worse. Some of them may not be from the estate, but many certainly must be.
"I've seen packs of up to 15 dogs roaming round, and I'd like to think they are all strays – but the answer possibly lies with the people of Beth Avenue.
"I would appeal to them to keep their animals under control, both for the sake of the dogs and that of other residents."
In a separate article it was described how a man had been fined £50 in St Helens Magistrates Court after shooting a dog with an air-gun.
The father-of-three told the court that too many people in Grange Park allowed their pets to roam the streets. "My concern is the damage dogs can do to children", he said.
The dog called Laddie had survived but needed stitches inserting at a vet's.
Alice Ashley of Herbert Street in Sutton was complaining in the Reporter that her 85-year-old mother had been discharged from the Peasley Cross Geriatric Unit and left in her home in Griffin Street without heating or food.
Mrs Ashley said when she returned home from work she found a note pushed through her door informing her that her mother had been returned home.
She said that when she went to see her mother soon afterwards, she found her slumped on her bed without any heat, food or light after falling.
As a result of Mrs Ashley's complaint, an inquiry had now been launched.
The National Council For Civil Liberties had recently made some extremely controversial proposals for changes to Britain's sex laws.
They included lowering the age of consent generally to 14 and as low as 10 when both partners were under 14.
The group that is now known as Liberty also wanted the crime of incest to be abolished.
The Reporter, from time to time, liked to go out onto the streets of St Helens to test new ideas.
Often a range of views were elicited, however, these proposals went down like a lead balloon with all respondents firmly against them.
Lily Langley of College Street said: "This is absolutely ridiculous. It's shameful that such a responsible body should come up with such ludicrous, disgusting proposals."
And Eileen Boardman of Lingmell Avenue in Clinkham Wood said: "The whole idea is absolutely disgusting. There is a limit and I think we have reached it already, without sinking further down into the depths of depravity."
Michael McBride was featured in the Reporter after being "scalped" by teenage muggers at Silcocks Fair.
Four lads had attacked the 10-year-old from Redgate Drive, who attended Allanson Street School, on the fairground in Parr Stocks Road.
"They asked me for money and when I said no they hit me in the face," explained Michael.
"Then three of them held me while the other cut my hair with a razor blade. They ran away then. I was terrified, but they didn't get any money."
Michael's mother, Joyce McBride, said: "It was a very neat job, as though they scalped him. He's very upset about it. It was a terrible thing to do. Michael is such a shy boy, and he's really self-conscious. It's a shame when children can't even go to the fair."
The Reporter began one prominent article with these words:
"Loitering homosexuals, who use an old public toilet as a rendezvous, are bringing protests from residents – and now, Emily Reynolds is campaigning to have the graffiti-daubed toilet pulled down."
Mrs Reynolds from Lingholme Road had written to St Helens Council calling for the toilet in question in Queen's Park to be demolished, telling the Reporter:
"These men come in cars, and go to this toilet to other men. We all know this. Sex – that's what they go in for. There are lots of children round here, and that toilet's not safe for them. It's indecent. And it's not nice for women going through the park."
The walls inside the toilet were described as "scrawled with obscene diagrams" with "messages about men's ‘dating’ arrangements".
There was another complaint in the paper about so-called pirate taxis.
Bill Packard, the secretary of the St Helens Hackney Vehicle Proprietors Association, claimed that people who rode in them were putting their lives in danger.
Mr Packard claimed many of the vehicles were unsafe, as they had not undergone the rigorous tests that the local authority put legitimate public hire taxis through prior to granting a licence.
Such unregistered vehicles were also only likely to be covered by third party insurance in the event of an accident.
At the Capitol Cinema for 7 days from the 14th, 'The Man From Hong Kong' starring George Lazenby replaced 'Death Race 2000' starring David Carradine.
Meanwhile at the ABC Savoy, 'The Street Fighter' starring Charles Bronson replaced 'Great Expectations' with Michael York.
And finally, at the Theatre Royal for a week commencing the 15th, Brian Rix, Terence Alexander and Jane Downs starred in what was billed as a brand new comedy called 'Fringe Benefits'.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the woman who jumped on a car bonnet to try and stop robbers, the fake bomb in Rainford, why it had to be socialism or soccer for Leslie Spriggs and the woman celebrating 25 years of being the Savoy's guiding light.