Critchlow, Cyril, 1923 - 2008
Dates
- Existence: 1923 - 2008
Biography
Cyril Critchlow was born in Staffordshire in 1923 and moved to Blackpool with his family as a teenager in the late 1930s.
Cyril developed an interest in magic from an early age and became known as a magician during the Second World War under the stage name of Reval.
Throughout his life in Blackpool, Critchlow became an avid collector of ephemera relating to Blackpool’s entertainment heritage from the 1860s to the present day and wrote several books on the subject. He was also a passionate heritage campaigner and in 1977 he fulfilled a lifelong dream when he opened The Museum of Entertainment on Coronation Street, where he displayed his personal collection of entertainment ephemera.
Critchlow presented magic shows and gave talks on Blackpool history of entertainment at the ‘Witches Café’ which he also ran. In 1980 he became the proprietor of a small theatre of variety and he even worked as a spotlight operator at the Winter Gardens Theatre for a while. In the mid-sixties he was elected town Councillor. Additionally, he was a founder member of the Blackpool Magicians’ club, becoming at one point President and Honorary Life Member. He was a member of Equity, The Magic Circle, Blackpool Heritage Forum and he was President of the North West Music Hall and Variety Friendship Society.
He was still entertaining with his magic act in his 80s performing as Wizardo, Harry Potter's grandfather and took part in Sheffield University’s Cabinet of Curiosities held at Blackpool in 2008.
Cyril Critchlow died after a short illness in 2008.
Found in 620 Collections and/or Records:
Postcards, 1987
Set of ten Punch and Judy postcards. Contain colour illustrations. Produced by magic Lantern gems, York, England.
Poster, c1900 - 1999
Colour illustration of Pierrots. Colour copy.
Posters, c1887 - 2010
Circus, variety, pantomime and magic posters including Argyle theatre, Liverpool Empire, Blackpool Tower Circus, Robert Brothers, Austen Brothers, Sorcar, Vesta Tilley, Ken Dodd, Dan Leno, Florrie Forde and others.
Preston New Road to Dev. Square West Park Drive Film, c1930 - 1999
Black and white film, silent. Original negative. 9.5mm.
Prince Edward Theatre Programme, 1993
London. The new Gershwin musical comedy Crazy for You, Kirby Ward, Ruthie Henshall, Avril Angers, Chris Langham and others. Includes three fold lose programme and contains colour photographs of the acts, 60p.p.
Prince of Wales Theatre Poster, c1982
London. Oi! The Flanagan and Allen Story, Underneath the Arches, Bernie Winters, Leslie Crowther and others. Contains colour photograph. Printed by The Schwartz organisation Ltd.
Prince of Wales Theatre Programme, May 1984
London. Little Me a musical comedy, Russ Abbot, Shelia White, Lynda Baron, Tudor Davies and others. Contains colour illustrations and photographs of the acts, 28p.p.
Prince of Wales Theatre Programme, April 1977
Same Time, Next Year by Bernard Slade, Michael Crawford, Michele Dortrice. Contains illustrations and photographs of the acts, 24p.p.
Prince of Wales Theatre Programme, February 1978
London. I Love my Wife, Richard Bekinsale, Ben Cross, Belinda Sinclair, Liz Robertson. Contains newspaper clipping of Cherry Orchard review as well as illustrations and photographs of the acts, 22p.p.
Print, 1990
A tribute from Cyril Critchlow’s Museum of Entertainment Blackpool. Limited edition of 300. Print no. 12 signed by Cyril Critchlow. Artist, Alan Art. Colour illustration portrait of Stan Laurel.
Print, 1990
A tribute from Cyril Critchlow’s Museum of Entertainment Blackpool. Limited edition of 300. Print no. 12 signed by Cyril Critchlow. Artist, Alan Art. Colour illustration portrait of Stan Laurel.
Print, 1989
A tribute from Cyril Critchlow’s Museum of Entertainment Blackpool. Limited edition of 300. Print no. 30 signed by Cyril Critchlow. Artist, Alan Art. Colour illustration of portrait of Frank Randle.
Print, 1989
A tribute from Cyril Critchlow’s Museum of Entertainment Blackpool. Limited edition of 300. Print no. 30 signed by Cyril Critchlow. Artist, Alan Art. Colour illustration of portrait of Frank Randle.
Print, c1990
A tribute from Cyril Critchlow’s Museum of Entertainment Blackpool. Limited edition of 300. Print no. 46 signed by Cyril Critchlow. Artist, Alan Art. Colour illustration of portrait of Al Jolson.
Print, Original c1990, Reproduction c1990 - 1999
A tribute from Cyril Critchlow’s Museum of Entertainment Blackpool. Limited edition of 300. Print no. 46 signed by Cyril Critchlow. Artist, Alan Art. Colour illustration of portrait of Al Jolson.
Print, c1980 - 1989
David Copperfield illustration.
Prof. Dan Leano Entertainer Handbill, Easter Monday 13 April 1936
Ex-Service Men’s Institute, Buckley Easter Monday. A Great magical review.
Professor Dan Leano and Company Poster, 19 August 1933
Little Wenlock Horsehay, Shropshire. Colour border and photograph. Printed by Edwin Jones & Son, Printers, 5, Argyle Street, Wrexham.
Professor Dan Leano and Company Poster, Monday 26 December 1938
Cemaes Bay Village Hall. Contains photograph.
Professor Dan Leano's Empire Combination Programme, c1910 - 1915
Programme for evening magic entertainment. Contains a photographs, 4p.p.
Additional filters:
- Type
- Archival Object 619
- Collection 1
- Subject
- Acrobats 15
- Aerialists 3
- Animal trainers 3
- Animals 40
- Business 52
- Circus 126
- Clowning 37
- Comedians 49
- Dance 36
- Equestrians 4
- Fairs 4
- Fakirs 3
- Family 9
- Fire eating 3
- Freak shows 3
- Gymnasts 1
- Jugglers 8
- Magic 104
- Male impersonators 3
- Menageries 2
- Mimes 3
- Minstrel shows 4
- Motion pictures 8
- Music 3
- Music-halls 12
- Musical performances 42
- Pantomime 31
- Performers 357
- Pierrot 9
- Puppets 24
- Showman 26
- Showwoman 12
- Singing 29
- Skating 3
- Stunt performers 3
- Travel 9
- Variety 267
- Ventriloquists 9
- Wild west 3
- World War, 1914-1918 5
- World War, 1939-1945 8
- Wrestling 4
- Zoos 3 + ∧ less