THE Malvern News of a century ago carried an account of an early cinema show at the Assembly Rooms, precursor of today's Malvern Theatres.

The subject of the presentation was Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, under the direction of the famous Colonel W F Cody "which has left England for America, never to return to our shores again".

The paper reported: "The pictures are excellent, life-like representations, and as they were thrown in the screen, one could almost imagine he heard the war-whoops of the Red Indian, the cries of the cowboys as they mounted and ride their buck-jumping horses, the boom of the cannon, or the crack of Colonel Cody's rifle as he fired while on horseback.

"They were taken by the British Biograph Company, under the superintendence of Mr V Bertram. Four new machines fitted with the latest appliances for recording the most rapid of movements were used during the process and so successful is the record that not only are these faithfully reproduced, but also the prevailing atmosphere.

"The pictures are interspersed with clever variety turns by popular artistes, including Miss Lily Carrick, the favourite comedienne and dancer, Gilroy, ventriloquist and lecturer, and Mr Tom Carrick, comedian. Songs, duets, dances and humorous sketches are given between the unfolding of the remarkable pictorial record."