Whispering Smith published in the Littlehampton Gazette August 22nd. 2013

WHILE the ADC endlessly consider the future of cinema in Littlehampton they might want to take note of the latest statistics issued for 2012 by the British Film Institute. UK cinema receipts rose by 6% last year, and that is competing against the Jubilee, the Olympic and Paralympic Games. But the most important statistic and, to some, the most surprising stat of all is the fact that persons over the age of 45 now make up the largest proportion of cinema attendees. You only had to go to the Windmill to see that to be a fact with such diverse movies as Quartet and The Marigold Hotel being so well attended, which shows that the British film industry also recognise that fact and are catering more and more to that age group. I expect Song For Marion and the new Alan Partridge movie would have put bums on seats as well.

ALWAYS something to see on a walk in and around our town. For instance, where Sea Lane meets Sea Road the shingle and rocky beach corner there is frequented by oily black, glistening crows, gloomy looking birds with a morbid air about them. I watch them for a while and sometimes I fancifully wonder if they are the wandering souls of long dead mariners.

EVERYWHERE I go these days I seem to see Liam Gallagher lookalikes. Is the singer being cloned by aliens? Is there a secret site somewhere in the West Country creating beings in his image? Are they simply another figment of my over active imagination? Look out for them. They are everywhere, you will see what I mean…

THE PEOPLE speak and I listen! Mr Benham and friends – Gazette Letters August 14^th – are none too happy with the initials often used to identify Littlehampton and I must confess that I have never really been too comfortable with their usage either. So, whenever space permits, I will use the full name of our fair town and consign the LA initials to Room 101.

THE SEARCHERS: Dragged my sorry backside over to Brighton last week to see The Lone Ranger, would have been so much easier and cheaper to have moseyed on down to the Windmill, still, ‘a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.’ 197 days closed now and counting…