Piccadilly Circus: 1975

This is a Colourmaster International postcard showing the view looking northwest across Piccadilly Circus towards Glasshouse Street with Shaftesbury Avenue on the right. They were a British company who rivalled John Hinde and J. Arthur Dixon in the quality of their images, sadly now out of business. The Neil Simon comedy “The Sunshine Boys” is playing at the Piccadilly Theatre starring Jimmy Jewel and Alfred Marks. It ran from 7th May until 12th July 1975. James Arthur Thomas Jewel Marsh aka Jimmy Jewel was a Yorkshire comedian who was in partnership with his cousin, Ben Warris for many years appearing on TV and in films. Alfred Edward Touchinsky aka Alfred Marks was an actor, comedian and singer who was the doyen of the TV chat show during the 1970s and 1980s and made several appearances on “The Good Old Days” with Leonard Sachs. The premises of H. Samuel on the corner at 1-3, Shaftesbury Avenue, had previously been the premises of Metropolitan Machinists who made the “Juno” bicycle in the early years of the 20th Century, it then became the premises of Saqui and Lawrence in about 1907, but as early as 1908 their extensive jewellery business had been acquired by H. Samuel. The Saqui and Lawrence sign can be seen outside the premises well into the 1960s, H. Samuel decided to change the name to theirs in about 1969. The business of H. Samuel dates back over 150 years and the “H” stands for “Harriet”, it is now owned by the Signet Group with over 300 stores, they also own “Ernest Jones” and “Leslie Davis”.

Done