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MONTROSE PUBLIC HALL REFLECTIONS by Noel Kerr

Driving past the Montrose Public HaU a couple of weeks every night of the week. The seats were hard but we didn't
ago brought back a flood of memories of the times. as a seem to mind, as it was the flicks we went for, even the
youth, 1 visited this quaint little theatre/hall, which I be- rain on the roof seemed to add to the fun. As for the cold I
lieve still has the bio-lbox intact. The hall exterior doesn't don't think we even noticed it. The movies, good or bad,
seem to have changed much since the I 950's, a rare thing always seemed to hold our attention.
in this area.
I was recently talking to Mrs Alice Cooper who ran the
During the late 40's and 50's I spent nearly all roy holi- sweet shop near the theatre and was a regular herself along
days at my grandparents home in Mt. Evelyn. During this with Tvy Kernohan (wife of Jack Kernohan, "The
period 1 had got to know another boy named Bill who also Bookman" of Montt·ose). Alice thinks the last person to
came to the district for bis holidays. Bill and I became show movies at the hall was someone by the name of Loyd
good friends and attended many movies at the Montrose who lived near the 5 ways.
Hall.
Today the hall is nm by the Japara Neighbourhood House
Transport was our big problem as the hall was about two Inc. During the 70's dances and discos were held there,
miles from where we stayed. We soon found out that Bob along with Guides and Brownies meetings, and wedding
Adams (owner of the "Do-Drop-In" cafe, now "York on parties. Today it is used for community gatherings.
Lilydale") ran a bus service from the Mt. Evelyn township
to the Montrose Hall, and return after the show.

The memory sticks in my mind of the first time we waited
at the corner of lnvemess Road for the bus. We saw the PARAMOUNT STUDIOS- 1929
bus coming along the road at high speed and waited for it
to slow down and pick us up. Well it came, passed, then
disappeared in a cloud of smoke. We tumed to each other A letter to AI K01{/inan - /3/8/1929
and*%? +#_!! told the bus what we thought of it.
Dear AI
Not to be put off we decided to walk to the hall as we had
set our minds on seeing the advertised show. We arrived May I suggest for the Revue (Paramount On Parade- 1930)
about half way through the movie to find nobody there to that we might do something ve1y amusing on the contrast
pay our entraLlce fee to, so being good lads we snuck into of silent pictures and talking pictures?
a couple of seats at the back.
As an initial idea along these lines, we might have a very
At the end oftbe show we were first out to the bus to make romantic love scene played without voices being heard,
sure we were not left behind this time. Bob Adams told us first advising the audience to put their own interpretation
that he didn 'I see us waiting as he was running late and on the dialogue which they cannot hear, and then playing
besides, nearly everyone he took to the hall left from the the exact same scene with ridiculous and amusing dia-
Mt Evelyn township. He said not to wony. .. he wouldn't logue, completely contrary to what the audience has
charge us for the return trip! thought it to be.

Tt appears that Bob drove up to pick up the handful of folk An idea something along these lines was used in the
from the township, took them to the theatre and retumed "Music Box Revue" in New York some years ago, when a
home for a snooze until it was time to return and pick ve1y melodramatic scene was played with nonsensical dia-
them up again. He said he never went to the movies and logue. We have an excuse for such a scene, which they did
on a couple of occasions overslept and returned to the hall not have.
to find some of his passengers had walked halfway home.
Bob was a. character who knew my grandparents quite You know from experience that often in silent pictures
well. ve1y romantic love scenes were played with actors talking
about a party the night before, or some other totally irrel-
All this stopped when Mt Evelyn built their own picture evant subject.
theatre. During the year movies were held at the Montrose
Hall on a Wednesday and Saturday night with a matinee Signed. David 0 Selznick
'Saterdee arvo'.
(This article, of historic value, was submitted for
At Christmas time the theatre went upmarket with printed printing by Ken Tulloch)
programs distributed showing a different double feature

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