Colour Supplement: Reports from the Rear, by JD

My local Working Men’s Club used to show feature films once a week and they were usually about a year after being shown in the cinemas. This was in the early 1970s and it proved to be very popular. There was a man came with a 16mm projector and two maybe three reels of film. When a reel ended it was lights up for a ‘beer break’ while the following reel was loaded and then the film would start again.

One day he brought what was probably the ‘most offensive’ film of all time; Blazing Saddles, a spoof of the Western genre by director Mel Brooks which pokes fun at everyone and everything. Mel Brooks also had a starring role in the film. In case you are unfamiliar with the plot “A corrupt governor grants a reprieve to an African American convict if the condemned man agrees to serve as sheriff of a small Western town, believing that new sheriff will only live long enough to serve the needs of the governor and his nefarious railroad-baron backer.” It is certain that Brooks would never be allowed to make a film such as that today!

The man with the projector visited various Clubs in the area and he was obviously familiar what would appeal to his audience. I had already seen the film in the local cinema and it was a chance to enjoy it again.

And so we watched and laughed and then it came to this famous scene with cowboys sitting around a camp fire feasting on plates of beans -

You can no doubt guess the reaction, lots of working men with a couple of beers inside started laughing then tears of laughter turned into howls of laughter which must have been heard outside so loud was it.

It just so happened that this scene came at the end of a reel and the ‘buzz’ continued through the ‘beer break’ and on into the next reel and on, with many more funny scenes adding to the fun until the end of the film.

I would say that was undoubtedly one of the most enjoyable nights I have had in the Club, and there have been more than a few.

The set up for the films was in the Concert Room which is now known as the Functions Room The film shows ended many years ago and one of the things the room is now used for is dancing. Real dancing, i.e. ballroom dancing as in waltz and quickstep etc and it has been proved to be very popular. How times change. It also shows how the Club Committee is in tune with the members and know what will be popular and this is how and why the Club is thriving while pubs everywhere are mostly dying on their feet.

We need more laughter to counteract the dismal everyday news bulletins!