Page 8 - CinemaRecord Edition 3-2002 #37

Joseph Cotton in Love Letters and it
stayed with Paramount, MGM and
British films and the later inclusion of
continental films.
And what of the story that the
theatre was once The Nepean? Brian
Miller offers two suggestions.
The word Nepean was definitely
there in render on the façade. Possibly
the theatre did open under this name
earlier than 1925. Hoyts may have
The Mayfair: decided to re-badge it when they took
Gaps in the Record over. Another possibility is that the ➧
If there was such a thing as an owners intended to open it as The
orphan theatre then Gardenvale would Nepean but when Hoyts became the An important footnote to our story. The
Herald Sat. 8 August 1925. For the curious
surely qualify. No commercial photos lessee they had other ideas. If it did reader struggling with the fine print the
of the building have come to light, it operate for a time as The Nepean what theatres in the Circuit at this time were
may have been closed for extended years were they? And for how long was Cinema Richmond, Palace Glenferrie,
periods, there is uncertainty about an it closed in the thirties? Perhaps the Kinema Albert Park, Renown Elsternwick,
alternative name and there is no Health local Brighton papers hold the answers. Hoyts Camberwell, Hoyts Clifton Hill,
Department file on The Gardenvale, A reader may like to be the sleuth. ★ Hoyts Canterbury, Dux Albert Park, Hoyts
The Nepean nor The Mayfair to Essendon, Hoyts Glenhuntly, Hoyts
solve the puzzle. In other words it is Ivanhoe. (Source: State Library of
what CATHS-V research is all about. Victoria.)
The opening date for the New
Gardenvale under the Hoyts banner is
clear. After the formation of Hoyts
Theatres Ltd. the company changed
their advertising policy. From about
1927 the programs for premier suburban
theatres were the only ones which
appeared in The Herald. Most suburban
theatres at this time relied on day bills
and posters in shopping centres.
The Herald remains a blank on the
‘lesser’ theatres until 1936 when
theatres started to advertise under one
of three mastheads. By this time the
New Gardenvale had lost the ‘New’
and was simply The Gardenvale. It
had also transferred to the
Independent Theatres column. The
theatre was allegedly closed for some
of those ‘missing years.’
After showing Sweethearts with
Jeannette MacDonald on Friday 8
Sept. 1939 the theatre was absent from
the column for five weeks, presumably
closed for renovations. It re-opened
Sat. 14 October with Robert Donat in
The Citadel. Can a change of address
mean more business? For this hard
luck house anything was worth a try.
The first appearance of the Independent
The theatre was now listed as the
Suburban Theatres column – The Herald 2 May
North Brighton Gardenvale and 1936. The suburb of Gardenvale has the
stayed that way until 1946. Gardenvale Theatre.
The first night as The Mayfair
Gardenvale was Frid. 5 July 1946
when the theatre was the venue for a
direct broadcast of the 3KZ Sports
Parade from 7.30 pm. Saturday night Change of suburb. The theatre is
now in Brighton North. The Herald
was films again – Jennifer Jones and
Wed.17 Jan. 1945.
8 2002 CINEMARECORD