September 1929
Magdalen Green Shows
Magdalen Green folks may not be pleased with shows on the Green, but on Monday crowds of Dundonians of all ages and classes thronged the Green demonstrating their interest in the stalls and shows. Dundee gets more out of the Green during the week of the Flower Show than during the other 300 odd days of the year.
Tom's Handy Mac
The demand for this coat has been an eye-opener. Last Saturday I was cleaned out of every size almost. I have another big consignment on the way, and expect delivery this forenoon. They are offered in three shades - grey, fawn and navy blue. 12/6 each. Another big demand expected. Roll up.
Tom Gardiner, Raincoat Specialist, 52 Wellgate.
Young man, widower, wishes woman for cleaning, washing & c.
For working man's house; home every night. Apply No 56 Journal.
Book Reading
The Dundee Free Libraries are being extensively patronised, and never before has there been such a demand for books. During August 96,000 books were issued, and it will not be long ere the 100,000 mark is reached. Book-reading is not only maintaining but increasing its popularity in spite of many counter-attractions. Wireless is now an old rival, but the "talkies" are here, and the dance halls are doing exceptionally well, but people still find time to read books.
Hospital Vegetables
A vegetable collection on behalf of Dundee Royal Infirmary by Mattocks W.R.I. resulted in a contribution of 5 cwt.
Shopkeepers Fined
Sheriff Malcolm on Tuesday dealt with two contraventions of the Shops Act. A & R Lamb, tobacconists, 79 Nethergate, were fined 15s for having sold on a half-day holiday, by the hand of an assistant, a six penny packet of cigarettes. Mark Cohen, 98 Hilltown, was fined 15s for having sold, also through an assistant, half a pound of grapes worth 3d and oranges worth 1s outwith the permitted hours.
Strange Cargo
Kippers and apples do not mingle happily yet in the West Port at the beginning of this week I noticed a hawker had displayed on his handcart two boxes of kippers along side a box of candy apples, melting away as it happened, in the heat of the afternoon. He must believe in catering for all tastes.
Are You Aware That
The Black Friars' Convent was perhaps one of the latest foundations of the kind in Dundee. It stood on the West side of the Franciscan Monastery, which was situated on the ground now occupied by the Howff, and was separated by the street, Friars' Vennel, afterwards the Burial Wynd, but now known as Barrack Street.
The site of the Black Friars' Convent has been long occupied by other buildings, and at present the building, formerly Willison Church, stands on part of the ground which its precinct enclosed.
The brethren of the Order of St Dominic were called Black Friars from the colour of their habit, and Preaching Friars from their custom of preaching sermons. The erection of the convent is attributed to Andrew Abercromby, a burgess, but there is no mention of the time, though the date of the foundation is supposed to be during the 14th century.
Of the endowments and properties which the Friar possessed, very little is known, yet it may be supposed that the field immediately on the north side of the site called the "Laigh Ward" or Low Hospital Ward and perhaps the ground beyond that on part of it which was chiefly occupied by the Constitution Road Cemetery, had belonged to it.
The convent, with is precincts, including garden and orchard grounds, extended downwards along the west side of the Vennel and thence westwards in the direction of Windmill Hill, which was quarried away to make room for Lindsay Street. Some old sasines mention the convent as a boundary to several properties in both Barrack Street and Overgate.
Development of the Cinema - "Talkies" Come to Stay
"I feel convinced the talkies will survive" said Mr Victor Hamilton, manager-director of the Kinnaird Picture House, in the course of an address entitled "The Talkies", which he gave on Thursday at the luncheon of Dundee Rotary Club. "I further believe that most pictures will be in colour".
Mr Hamilton, after sketching the development of the cinema since 1897, went on to say that the talkies were not new. "Many of us", he said, "recall Hepworth's apparatus, and some may recall Gaumont's. These early talkies were not a success commercially. The sound was produced through an ordinary gramophone horn situated behind the screen. It was difficult to get sufficient sound to fill the hall".
The making of a modern talkie was described in detail by Mr Hamilton. The varying currents produced in the microphone by the recording of the sound were amplified and passed through a special discharge tube. Light from the tube shone through a narrow slit, and was brought to focus by lenses.
When the film was developed, the sound appeared as a series of alternate light and dark lines of varying space and density.
To produce the film, the reel was run through a standard projector fitted with a sound attachment. A beam of light shone through the sound record and emerged with varying frequency according to the arrangement and the sound lines. The light fell upon sensitive photo-electric steel, and gave electrical variations corresponding to the original sound variations.
These were amplified and conducted to powerful loud speakers - five in number - situated at the screen. Perfect synchronisation of the sound with the picture was thus obtained.
Mr Hamilton concluded his address with a description of coloured pictures. Colouring was a very costly process, he said. There were sixteen small pictures to every foot of film, and each of these scenes had to be specially coloured by hand. Immense labour was required to colour a short strip of about 270 feet.
Have you heard that
The old Theatre Royal in Castle Street was closed down 44 years ago, the last dramatic performance taking place on Saturday, 26th September, 1885.
Previous to the commencement of the nineteenth century, Dundee has no regular theatre, but the town was frequently visited by troupes of strolling players. The first theatre in the town stood at Yeaman Shore, and was opened on the evening of Wednesday, 23rd July 1800, by Messrs Moss & Bell. The building which was described as being "fitted up in a very elegant and superior style" was inaugurated by a performance of "The Merchant of Venice".
A larger and more attractive place was found to be necessary, and accordingly in 1808 Mr Samuel Bell was instructed to prepare plans for a new theatre, a site for which had been procured in Castle Street.
The Theatre Royal was opened on the evening of 27th June 1810, by a miscellaneous concert given for the benefit of the funds of the band of the Western Regiment of Forfarshire Local Militia. The first dramatic performance was given on 13th August of the same year by the Edinburgh Theatre Royal Company, when the comedy "The West Indian" and the farce "Fortune's Frolic" were produced.
Many prominent actors "strutted across the stage", but the theatre suffered at times from the lack of support, and changed hands many times. Ultimately on Saturday, 26th September 1885, the theatre was closed, the "benediction" being pronounced by Miss Jennie Lee in "Jo".
It had been thought for some time that a more pretentious theatre would have more success, and following the formation of the Dundee Theatre Opera House Company Ltd., Her Majesty's Theatre, in Seagate, was opened on Monday, 19th October 1885, at a cost of £9,800. The celebrated "Castle" Company occupied the boards with a comedy drama entitled "Birth of the Legend of the White Lady".
Her Majesty's was sold as a cinema house in 1919, the closing performance being "The Only Way", by Sir John Martin Harvey and his company.