Page 14 - CinemaRecord #11R.pdf

67. "An Empire Strikes Back" - With A Vengeance by Denzil Howson

In the 1980's we were thrilled when Harrison Ford triumphed over inter-galactic evil in "The Empire Strikes
Back". In 1997, another conflict, where an "Empire" has struck back and triumphed over apparently in-
surmountable odds, has been played out in one of Australia's largest provincial cities.

This is the story of "The Empire" at Toowoomba, one of the largest theatres outside of any Australian capital
city. Oddly, the chequered history of "The Empire" at Toowoomba almost mirrors the history of the Melbourne
"Regent".

The Empire Toowoomba, Queensland· 25th October, 1916

Toowoomba's "Empire" was opened on June 19th, 1911, and according to local newspaper reports there were
3,000 people in attendance. The theatre was designed to hold 2,200 comfortably, so on the opening night it
probably held 3,000 intimately.

It was designed as a live venue and as a cinema. In 1929, the first "Talkie" was "The Jazz Singer", with the
ubiquitous AI Jolson, black-faced and knee-high appealing to his "mammy" to wait for him.

In February, 1933, the "Empire" was gutted by fire (12 years before the "Regent" conflagration.) The Empire
was re-built-built and re-opened on November 27th of the same year. (Because of immediate post-war shortages,
Melbourne's "Regenr took two years and seven months to re-build.)

When Toowoomba's "Empire" was re-opened, AI Jolson took a back seat to Polish tenor Jan Kiepura who was
imploring Magna Schneider to "Tell Me Tonight". Then followed a veritable plethora of notable films (the "Empire"
was an MGM house) and memorable stage performances like the JCW lavish production of "White Horse Inn",
Gilbert & Sullivan operettas and solo artists like Sir Harry Lauder and Laurence Tibbett.

But in 1971 the ominous ogre of television closed the "Empire". Many people thought that would mean the end
ofToowoomba's favourite and famous entertainment centre. (The parallel between the "Empire" and the "Regent"
continues. The "Regent" was closed just a few months before the "Empire".)

Then followed a period of council debate on the future of the theatre. For a while, it served as temporary class-
rooms for local T.A.F.E. College courses. There were suggestions that it could be transformed into that anathema
of all theatre lovers- a Cinema Complex, or could become a storehouse of a supermarket.

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