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The stalls were separated from the circle by a wall about ten feet high and four loges extended along the sidewalls from the
circle. These contained a total of twenty-one seats on each side. A touch of class for patrons in the boxes.

The lolly-boys started their selling careers downstairs with ice-cream only trays at threepence and sixpence (5 cents)
each. With experience, you graduated to a sweets and ice creams tray, then transferred to the dress circle and finally to the
foyer counter or main counter. if you showed any talent.

Commission was a penny in t.he shilEng ( lc in 1 Oc), any shortages deducted from your pay. If you worked three nights
and a matinee, you could earn about forty-five cents a week and free admittance to the films on Friday night and Saturday
afternoon. No wonder my school results began to look rather shaky!

Up to twelve staff were used on a big Saturday night, four downstairs. and two upstairs, two in the foyers and four in the
shop. Very labour intensive by today's standards. [ntervals were no longer than ten or twelve minutes as the films were
often being switched to Elsternwick or North Brighton. At least two competing milk bars were located immediately
opposite to share in the trade. Weeknights were up to six staff, according to demand.

The War worsened on the 6 December with the attack on Pearl Harbour (Hawaii) and things changed rapidly. All outside
display lighting was switched off for the duration. Streetlights and outside exit lights were fitted with smaller globes and
shaded with black painted jam tins. All interior lighting was reduced to half to conserve power.

Occasional vaudeville acrs such as Nellie Kolle and her "Burlington Bertie" routine were discontinued but a serial or
cartoons were shown at 7.30 pm on Fridays. Program dates were Saturday to Tuesday and Wednesday to F1iday bur as
shops were now forced to close on Friday nights, screenings were Friday to Monday and Tuesday to Thursday. Some
major films ran a full week.
Hoyts stopped screening Warner Brothers product from 1942 to 1945 and filled in the gaps with one-night revivals.
which must have given the projectionists plenty of extra work. As kids, we didn't mind the old classics, as we were too
young to see them 01iginally. These included "Rebecca·· and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame·· which still appear on
video to this day.

The Government increased the entertainment tax and all admission prices went up. Weeknights ranged from one shil-
ling and threepence (15c) to two shillings and seven pence (26c) with a maximum of three shillings and threepence (33c)
on Saturday nights an.d holidays.

Sugar rationing sta11ed to take effect and our stock rapidly diminished. Apart from loose sweets in the shop, our trays
consisted of ice cream and a few packets of Butter Menthols and Throaties.

Before the stock was depleted, the Americans anived. On one quiet weeknight I was just finishing in the circle, when a
Yank and his local girl friend ordered two large ice creams and a large box of "Old Gold" chocolates, a total of tl1irty-five
cents. He gave me a pound note ($2.00) just as the lights faded and I said I couldn·t change such a large amount. Our
hero, not knowing a US dollar was worth only fifty cents and thinking a pound was much the same, to impress his lady,
uttered the immortal words. ''that's ok boy, keep the change"! No one has left an auditorium faster, as the tip was worth
about three week's work!

[n the early hours of Tuesday 29 December 1942 fire broke out in the lounge/circle area after a screening of Abbott and
Costello in "Keep 'em Flying". This was mentioned in the morning "Sun" newspaper and my first thought was there goes
the pocket money and free ftlms.

Amazingly, Miss Steele, the wartime manageress organised an army of cleaners to dismantle the wet stalls seating and
put them out in Manchester Grove to dry. The stalls carpeting was removed and not replaced until repairs were completed
three months later. AI though there was a mess upstairs and an intense smell of burnt wood, they screened as usual that
night to about six patrons. Despite the fire and spartan conditions downstairs, we didn't lose our jobs, although the shifts
were probably reduced temporarily.

The theatre conrained two foyers at ground level, an outer foyer mostly occupied with a marble-clad staircase leading
straight up to the cenltre of the cross aisle separating the lounge and dress circle, and an inner foyer. The second foyer
stretched the full width (up to forty one seats in the stalls) of the building. The auditorium featured an attractive ceilu1g
of mock wooden beams and again, quite different to other theatres.

As there were three other internal staircases. the architects in rebuilding the theatre, removed the main staircase from the
outer foyer which greatly improved the crowd flow and added about twenty seats to the circle. Patrons conlinued to the
inner foyer and turned left for the lounge/circle and right for the stalls. [n the auditorium, the stage and front stalls area
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