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PROJECTIONIST TALES by Brian Miller

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MR . MURRAY P. CAMPBELL ORIGINALLY TRAINED AT THE LIBERTY THEATRE EAsT BRUNSWICK , HARRY DOIDGE S
AVOCA TOURING CIRCUIT, AND THE EMBASSY (LATER METRO) MALVERN . HE COMMENCED AS OPERATOR AT THE
CAMDEN THEATRE IN CAULFIELD AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR , AND REMAINED UNTIL TELEVISION REDUCED THE
SCREENINGS TO THREE NIGHTS AND MATINEE ONLY. HE THEN LEFT THE INDUSTRY TO PURSUE A NEW CAREER . As
I ALREADY HAD ONE OF HIS LETTERS DETAILING THE LIBERTY INCIDENT, I ASKED PERMISSION TO USE IT AND DETAILS
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OF THE "MRS CHIPS MISTAKE . THE FOLLOWING ARE EXACT REPRINTS FROM MURRAY S LETTERS .

I began work as an assistant projectionist at the Liberty Theatre in Lygon Street East Brunswick about 59 years
ago, and although sound on film had been around for some years, the sound on disc equipment was still operated
at the Liberty. We had Simplex projectors and Western Electric sound heads, and a device called a Motor Control
box which made it possible to slow down and speed up the motors. It was originally designed for matching the
projector speed to synchronise with the turntable, but we used itto lengthen or shorten the finishing time. By using
it very carefully we could gain or lose about 10 minutes over a full length programme.

I was an assistant projectionist when I first made my presence felt at the Liberty, by falling through the plaster
ceiling of the dress circle foyer, together with a large number of multi-coloured light globes, on a Saturday night,
just before the beginning of a show. I had been sent up there to get some spare globes which were used for stage
and proscenium lighting, and were stored in an inadequate storeroom adjoining the bio-box.
There was no proper floor in this room and in order to draw stores from it one had to stand on the floor joists and
be careful not to stand between them where there was only fibro plaster which formed the ceiling of the dress
circle foyer. At ten to eight on a Saturday night, I lost my footing and went through the plaster ceiling. I grabbed
a ceiling joist on the way through and was left hanging there, while a shower of broken plaster and exploding
lamps gave the patrons much more entertainment than the film that followed.

Don't know how I managed to avoid getting fired.

The episode concerning "Goodbye Mr. Chips" took place at the Camden Theatre in the early 40's I think.

We were sharing the program with the Embassy Theatre in Malvern, by means of what was called a "single reel
switch". One theatre began screening the film at 7.50 pm and immediately the first reel was finished with it was
sent down to the office and given to one of two motor cyclists who raced it off to the other theatre, who usually
began screening at perhaps 8.20 pm, so there was about 30 minutes leeway between the two screenings.

On the night of my debacle I was having trouble with one of the arc lamps. The automatic feed had broken down
and I was forced to feed it by hand. While trying to effect repairs as soon as that projecter became idle, I had
little time to attend to routine matters.

My assistant brought out a reel of film to load the next incoming machine, showed itto me saying "part 3", which
indeed it was- but it should have been "part 2".
Somehow the sequence of events seemed acceptable in the story. This was the first night and I certainly had
no time to watch the plot unfold, although the audience must have been a little puzzled.

Still pre-occupied with technical troubles I did notice that Mrs Chips lost her life in a mountaineering accident
in part 3, and the then I changed over to part 2- sounds incredible to me now, and Mrs Chips was jumping around
like a teenager.

Because we were shipping film away to the Embassy immediately it came off the machine I had difficulty in
finding out what I had shown, and what I had not. Worse still the Embassy ran out of film and had to close down
for about 10 minutes while I sorted it out. How I avoided getting fired I'll never know. Miraculously, I stayed at
that theatre for another 20 years. One must commend Fred Geomens for his faith.