Page 15 - CinemaRecord #11R.pdf

The size of theatres in the Brisbane suburbs did not reach into the two or three thousand seat range as they did
in the southern states. A "large theatre" example would be the Roxy Theatre at Coorparoo which held 1400,
and was closed in 1965 and since razed_ The Roxy was one of several theatres operated by Roy Fielding.
Unlike the Morningside Astra, the Roxy had a more attractive interior with better lighting_ The auditorium
contained lined ceilings, but possesed the large wooden members which were slightly decorated and painted.
It can be seen from the illustration showing the demolition how much timber was used in its construction. Also
to be noted, from the architects point of view especially, is the large A-frame roof and the amount of room
available between the roof to ceiling void. This theatre also has very low-set walls.

Located on the north side of Brisbane is the Imperial at Lutwyche, a cinema I visited several times. The
Imperial is perhaps more akin to the type of cinema found in the southern states. There were no primitive
features here, even canvas deck chairs were only to be found in a few rows of the front stalls. The rest of the
seating being of the more conventional type. Of Moderne design, its interior is considerably newer than the rest
of the building, which appears to date from the early twenties. A photograph of this theatre showing the interior,
complete with theatre organ dates from 1967. The colour scheme used here was very typical of the latter part
of the 1950's. Dark pink splay walls with shades of pastel blue, cream, and mid-grey used on walls and
ceilings. The house curtain was also grey. The Imperial was operated by the Savoy Picture Company which
also conducted the larger Savoy at Clayfield. In latter years the exhibitor was Reg Marlowe.

The absence of large national theatre chains operating in the suburbs of Brisbane was indeed an oddity. The
suburbs were the domain of the independant exhibitor, at least until recent times. To the best of my research,
there seems to have been at least a few extensive independant circuits, one of those being the Munro Stevens
company.

City theatres by comparison were very diverse. The difference between the lack lustre Lyceum in George
Street, and the highy ornate Regent theatre in Queen Street had to experienced to be believed. The Regent
was designed by Melbourne architects C.N. Hollinshead and Aaron Bolot.

Lyceum Theatre - George Street Brisbane

The Regent was the largest theatre in Brisbane with seating for 2,583. It was the flagship of the Hoyts Theatres
chain in that city. The entrance was beneath a small office building, not unlike that used at the Melbourne
Regent. The entrance hall was very impressive. Slightly Romanesque in design, a distinctive feature was a
barrel-vaulted ceiling coloured in copper and bronze tones. Painted murals could be seen above the entrance
to the second, or main, reception area.