Page 17 - CinemaRecord #11R.pdf

52. Rex Theatre Charlton by Geoff Edwards

The Rex Theatre was built by Keith Theatres Pty. Ltd. of Wychitella and opened to tt.le public on Saturday
October 1st, 1938 (Charlton Show Day). The opening program was "A Star Is Born" with Janet Gaynor and
Frederick March (Not Suitable for General Exhibition), and the supporting feature was "Paradise For Two"
starring Jack Hulbert and Patricia Ellis (General Exhibition).

The theatre is situated at 30 High Street Charlton. It was built by Mr. Gorse of Boort, and the bricks were made
on site by Mr. Sam O'Brien of Charlton. Electrical wiring was done by Howards of Bendigo and projection
equipment was installed by Ralph Stratton of Boort. Holding in excess of 600 people, the cinema screened
three times a week, on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Keith Brothers Pty. Ltd. sold the cinema to Charles Taylor of Mentone, who in turn on the 21st of May, 1968,
sold it to Nulty's Pictures, who had their head office in Oke Street Ouyen. Nulty's Pictures ran a chain of country
theatres in Victoria and South Australia. They also ran touring pictures. All Nulty theatres were called "Roxy",
so the "Rex" became the "Roxy" Charlton.

The Roxy was almost full on Saturday nights and there were many permanent bookings. The second world war
was in progress (1939- 1945). There was no television and petrol rationing was in force and it was difficult to
travel to other places for entertainment, so, like the city theatres and those in the larger provincial cities,
Charlton's Roxy flourished.

Television came to Australia in 1956, first to the cities and gradually to the country areas, and attendances
began to fall and screenings were reduced. Eventually Nulty's put the Roxy up for auction, as they were
consolidating their holdings in Mildura. The theatre was passed in at auction and later sold to Mr. and Mrs
Matthews of Wedderburn on September the 1st, 1969. They hoped to convert the theatre into a large shop with
offices upstairs where the dress circle is, but before this happened Mr. Matthews died suddenly.
The building was left unoccupied, except for the two shops facing high Street. Mrs Matthews carried on her
dress shop in number 34 and the A.M.L. & F. stock and station agents rented number 30. Nulty's removed the
equipment from the theatre, including the seats. The projectors had been C & W's with RCA sound heads.

On the 12th of October 1971, with the assistance of local estate agent Charles McKinley, brother and sister
Geoff and Joan Edwards purchased the freehold. Mrs Matthews continued on her dress shop as before. In
1972 we started to renovate the building. As we were both working, weekends were the only times that we were