A rollicking day out at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, narrated through the medium of the saucy seaside postcard. Title – J Eric Hall presents Title – In the Mood On the promenade at Blackpool, a large sign outside the Funhouse reads “Laugh and the world laughs with you”, while in a glass case the Blackpool Laughing Man, a puppet sitting on a throne, laughs exuberantly. The filmmaker’s wife, Mrs Hall, chooses from a range of saucy postcards, and the pier is seen from the top of the Tower. Mrs...

A rollicking day out at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, narrated through the medium of the saucy seaside postcard. Title – J Eric Hall presents Title – In the Mood On the promenade at Blackpool, a large sign outside the Funhouse reads “Laugh and the world laughs with you”, while in a glass case the Blackpool Laughing Man, a puppet sitting on a throne, laughs exuberantly. The filmmaker’s wife, Mrs Hall, chooses from a range of saucy postcards, and the pier is seen from the top of the Tower. Mrs Hall sits on the beach and writes her postcards. She lays one in the sand beside her, which reads “We’re having plenty of ups and downs!” People ride the Grand National rollercoaster and a ferris wheel. And older man in a suit shoots out of the end of the helter skelter, followed by a pair of children and a woman with a young child on her lap. The next postcard, showing a man at a hoopla stall who has landed the hoop on the female attendant’s behind, reads “Wrap it up lady, I’ll take it with me”. A man auctions china and mirrors from the back of a van, to a crowd gathered in front of him. A postcard with the caption “Flying saucers are nothing new – but they can be dangerous” is seen in the sand. People enjoy fairground rides including the Dive Bomber, which has a pod for thrill seekers to sit in at either end of a large rotating arm. On the next postcard, a woman exclaims “Oh Percy, I always get the wind up when I travel by air”. At the fairground, two young women ride together in a rollercoaster that consists of rotating rocket ships. Mrs Hall continues to put postcards to one side throughout the film, each with some humorous connection to the next series of images. Young people roller skate around a rink, with a young couple arm in arm and a young boy nearly crashing into the hoardings around the edge. Elderly women in fancy lace bonnets stroll past the amusements. Men play a darts game at one of the sideshows and donkeys line up ready to give rides. A traditional carousel with brightly painted horses is popular with visitors of all ages, while a smaller equestrian-themed ride attracts the young children. People poke their faces through humorous cut-outs in order to take photos; two elderly ladies are thus transformed into can-can dancers who ask “I can – can you!” Small motorboats are driven around an artificial lake with the rollercoasters in the background, and a log flume splashes through the water at the bottom. A different amusement stand lets people race small model racehorses. An array of further rides are tried out by visitors, including dodgems, a raft that appears to race down a canyon river, and a small car ride for toddlers. The film ends with a view over the whole fairground, and another visit to the Laughing Man, after which Mrs Hall posts her postcards into a red pillar box. Title – The End