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Everything went alright until the didn't see one inch of film until eight ventilators were just beneath it. All the
last reel and the leader came on, so we o'clock on the opening night." gases from the arcs came blowing
showed a white screen. Metro While I was talking to him, one of back in there. When I went in the
reckoned we'd done it on purpose and the assistants I had at the time came poor blokes in the box were damn
wanted to sack us. That was MGM for down and said, "Here's another one." near dead.
you. After that no one ever stayed for He handed me the film and sure The last thing I did before I left
long because they got fed up. enough there was one. was to call up the manager about the
One day there was an argument I handed it to Freeman. What had ventilation. I said, "Look, I've been
going on in the office when Bert happened was that they had it done on talking about this for months and
Cowin was still the manager. Perc the cheap. Metro were always getting nobody's done a damn thing about it.
Telfer was saying, "But Bert, you can't things done cheaply. Instead of a You're going to have trouble, and I'm
do it that way." Bert put his hand in continuous printer they had given it to finishing tonight. I won't be here
his pocket and took out the keys and someone with an old 'rack and tank'. I tomorrow, somebody's got to fix this."
said, "There you are, there's your wouldn't be surprised if they'd picked They did get it fixed. Billy Newman
keys." He dropped them on the table Herschell Studios to do it. Oh that was there, I suppose he might have
and walked out. That was how he bloody plant was terrible. had something to do with it.
handled it. After Bert left we started It was only a small business in I was chief projectionist at the
getting all the knocks about the place, Jolimont using the old system of Metro from the time it opened in
while he was there he had been taking printing. They'd roll the film out on to 1934 until December 1935 when I left
most of it and not worrying us with it. cages, dump the cages in a big tank of Australia with my wife and family to
The sound in that theatre was developer then join it all up. Each live in England.
terrible, they'd had the place stripped cage, or rack, held about five hundred We returned to Australia in
back to the walls and could have got it feet of film so there was a join every February or March of 1939, but I
right The place was full of echoes, the five hundred feet, or about every five didn't go back to working in the
whole theatre sounded terrible. minutes of watching time. If the joins picture business until December 1951
One day Bernie Freeman came weren't good there was trouble. Later when I became the manager of the
over and I was talking to him in the they got a continuous developer. new Valley theatre at Traralgon, part
lobby about some film we had been Metro was a terrible job by joves. of the chain of Lawrence Bros.
having trouble with. I said to him, And here's another worry from that Theatres which were owned by my
"This print is terrible." time. They made a mistake in the brothers Alf and Joss. ★
He said, "But it's been made with ventilation. There was a high office Edited from a transcript of
modern machinery." I said, "There's building in front of the Auditorium. interviews conducted between 1984
an awful lot of joins in it." "Joins? One day there was a bad storm from and 1987 with the Lawrence Brothers
There's no joins in it at all." the south west, the day the Southern by their niece Pauline Gaunt. ©
"Isn't there? That's what the Cloud aircraft was lost. Bert Pauline Gaunt. Reproduced by
trouble was on the opening night. One Emmerline, the Chief Engineer for permission.
of those joins came undone and we Union Theatres was on that plane. The Next Issue: Part 2 - Alf’s story
hadn't had a rehearsal." He said, wind was blowing up against the high
"Didn't you have a rehearsal?" “We wall of the office building and our Advertisements: State Library of Victoria.

The Cinema And Theatre Historical Society Victoria is proud to have
The Sun Theatre Yarraville as our major sponsor.

The Sun Theatre is the home of The Sun Film Society and MGS Infa Set.This unique cinema
offers comforts for all to enjoy in delightful art deco surroundings and is available for hire.
In conjunction with the Sun Film Society, the Sun Theatre offers you a wide selection of films.

For program and venue hire inquiries, contact Theatre Manager Ms PinaVirtuoso
on Tel: 9362 0999 ◆ Fax: 9362 0338 Website: www.suntheatre.com.au
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Email: sun@mgsgroup.com

8 Ballarat Street, Yarraville 3013

CINEMARECORD 2002 25