WHEN you walk down Star Street in Ryde and gaze at the Commodore bingo hall and cinema, it’s hard to imagine that back in the ‘50s, thousands mingled around the building to see pop idols like Tommy Steele, Lonnie Donegan, Frankie Vaughan and Marty Wilde appear live on stage.

Other names associated with this famous local venue include Wilson, Keppel and Betty, Matt Monro, Anthony Minghella, Roberts Brothers Circus, the Ted Heath Orchestra, Bernard Delfont, Jane from the Daily Mirror and Dusty Springfield.

In the glory days of the Commodore, it had a huge 2,000 seater cinema/theatre, a ballroom, restaurant, cafe, and the most impressive foyer ever seen on the Island.

There were two superb staircases either side of the box-office which was designed like a ship.

When it was built in 1937-38, it was owned by Colonel FCR Britten from Bembridge.

He also owned the Medina Cinema in Newport, and they often shared movies and live stage shows.

They did this for pantomimes, often a matinee at one and an evening show at the other.

The cast went by coach and the scenery via a lorry.

I recently caught up with Sheila Orchard and her brother, Frank junior.

Their father, Frank, was the stage manager for many years, and the Commodore virtually became their second home — and they only lived in nearby Warwick Street.

Young Frank ran errands and was the call boy.

He would knock on the doors of the artists to let them know when they were due on stage.

Apparently, he enjoyed knocking on the door of the chorus girls’ room best of all.

When Cinemascope came in, they only had one special gate adapter for the projectors at Ryde and Newport, so he would take the one to the other on the bus.

Sheila, who was mesmerised by stage shows, became a young ice cream girl.

Initially, the Commodore was mainly a cinema, and managed to survive the war without any serious damage.

The live stage shows really got underway around 1946, and the man who brought all the top names to the venue was Bernard Delfont.

Later, he became the most famous impresario in Britain, and as Sir Bernard, he always welcomed the Queen to the Royal Variety Performances.

In those days, the dance bands were the pop stars of the day and their singers became very famous and often went on to become huge stars in their own right.

Among the bands who came to the Commodore were those fronted by Ted Heath, Nat Gonella, Harry Roy, Felix Mendelssohn and Billy Cotton.

Stars of the era also made visits to the theatre.

These included Richard Tauber, Charlie Chester, Anne Shelton, Arthur Askey, Jimmy Wheeler, David Nixon and later, Harry Secombe.

In 1946, the Commodore boasted it had the Island’s biggest summer show, presented by Bernard Delfont.

Times were different just after the war, and it was simply called The Gay Revue, as were many shows around Britain.

It was nightly at 8.15pm, with matinees on Tuesday and Thursday.

Wilson, Keppel and Betty, who were massive stars at the time, were among the regular cast, and top names stayed with a landlady nearby.

They demanded no extortionate riders in those days like some of today’s egotistical stars, and despite having no bathroom or hot water, and only an outside toilet, they still came back.

The Commodore also had regular dancing in the ballroom every night of the week, and sometimes live acts.

One of the world’s great songwriters, Don Black, whose songs include Diamonds Are Forever, Walk Away and Ben, once told me he died a death as a comedian in the ballroom.

That finally persuaded him to give up comedy and become a songwriter.

Now he’s a millionaire ­— and nice with it.

In the early ‘50s, the London Philharmonic Orchestra appeared in a Sunday concert, and they also presented shows by The Isle of Wight Grand Opera Company.

When the famous Jane of the Daily Mirror came to appear live on stage, they had police standing at the back.

Jane, a stunning looking lady, was permitted to briefly appear in the nude, but was not allowed to move.

The coppers were there to make sure she didn’t ­— much more enjoyable than working on today’s speed traps.

Many could hardly believe it when the theatre advertised that the famous Roberts Brothers Circus was coming to the Commodore.

They paraded their animals through Ryde and even had several elephants.

Luckily, Wright’s Bakery, opposite the theatre, was empty at the time, and they managed to house the elephants in that building.

They asked if they could put a hose through a hole into the house next door to provide water for the huge animals.

Apparently, the old guy who travelled and slept with the elephants seldom washed and smelt even worse than the animals.

They had to have a special ramp at the back of the theatre to get the animals into the building, and on another occasion, a lady called Koringa appeared on stage with her crocodiles and snakes.

She got into her tank with a crocodile and put her head into his jaws.

When skiffle swept the country, due to Britain’s Lonnie Donegan, groups sprang up everywhere.

They had skiffle contests at the Commodore, and one of these was won by a local group called the Nomads.

When Donegan came to appear live in January, 1957, it was a sell out.

He lost a guitar that night and was not too happy about it.

Names like Tommy Steele, Dusty Springfield, Craig Douglas, Anthony Minghella and the Island’s Cherokees will feature in the second part of the Commodore story.