Page 26 - CinemaRecord Edition 3-2002 #37

That morning Ern Bruhn got back they were a give-away price - all the
from his green grocer delivery run and projection and stage equipment,
found my crew stranded at Inverloch seating, and a piano in the one at
with no vehicle to move the rest of the Pakenham.
plant to Poowong. So Ern put all of The equipment was silent, single
our gear into the back of his family's machines. We used our mobile
Citroen and took it there. equipment in the building at Pakenham
Travelling could be a problem, the as part of our circuit, and we got the
roads were so bad. Where there was a old projectors from both places and
hard road it was plain blue metal, just took them along to Fred Bevans an
blue stones, spikes sticking up out of it electrical engineer in charge of R.C.A.
and all sorts of things. Then you'd in Melbourne until he went into
come to gravel roads used by horses, business on his own. He was clever, his
carts, drays, the lot. The roads broke sound was really good. I asked Fred to
up very quickly, so we rarely got a make up a plant to go into the theatre at
good one to drive on. What we did to Berwick. It worked beautifully. The
that old Model A Ford was nobody's Berwick fit out gave us our first
business; just as well it was a good car. Pakenham Hall becomes a permanent permanent plant in a theatre, and we
Andy Anderson from British cinema. Pakenham Gazette Friday 16 ran it every Saturday night.
Dominion Films said to me one day, march 1934. Mum was dead against us buying
"You fellows took a risk going out like Image courtesy of State Library of Victoria the theatres at Berwick and Pakenham.
you did. Everyone expected you'd go She called us fools. "You'll go broke.
We bought a new Ford panel van
broke." We didn't make any money out You're doing all right now, why do you
each year from 1935 to 1938. We used
of it for a long time. We just kept going want to do that?" The same thing
the generator on the front of the
and whenever we got a few bob happened when we bought the other
original van, but when we bought the
together, back into the business it went circuits. Every additional step we took
first of the new vans we also bought a
for new equipment. It was all on time she was against. Mum didn't like to
spare gearbox and had an adaptor
payment. The total amount owing take risks.
made to give us power-take-off from it.
would be divided into thirty six After we got Berwick and
Now we could drive the generator
payments and we had to write out Pakenham going I said to Jossie, "I
directly from the gearbox and leave it
promissory notes for each one of them. think we should see about getting
permanently mounted in the back of
Then off to the bank we'd go with the another car to go and pick up a few
the van. We used the same adaptor and
notes and they would pay it. I was more towns." He thought that was a
gearbox on all subsequent vans until
always a one-track mind sort of a bloke, good idea so I went home and talked to
the van on which it was fitted crashed
I could only think of the business. Mum about it. At that time she had a
in 1936.
When we expanded we were big Austin 20 car, a massive long thing
A hall in Pakenham and one in
running in twelve towns. Tommy it was. Finally she agreed to lend it to
Berwick had been fitted out for
Atkinson who had been at The us so we could try a few towns out.
pictures but both were closed because
Princess in Spring Street with Jim The plant we had in the theatre at
the owner went broke. Lawrence
came to work with me when it closed Berwick was portable, we were only
Brothers were showing fortnightly in
for a time. (Tom’s story follows this using it on Saturday nights and for the
the Pakenham Mechanics Hall, and
one.) Tommy and his assistant George rest of the week it just sat there. So we
we had a decent sort of business there.
Bray, who had also been at the used this plant and Mum's car and we
I went to see the owner of the two
Princess, would head off for three went out a couple of nights a week to
halls, a man called George Bayley. He
days and do Somerville, Hastings and try new places. We were a bit limited
ran a hay and corn store in Narre
Flinders while I came back to town. in where we could try because we had
Warren. He was a bit of a rough
Then George would come back and I'd no spare generator, but we did pick up
diamond. "Well, what do you want?" I
do the rest of the circuit. I did the a few towns. When we got them going
said, "I'd like to talk about these
booking of films and the work on the we bought another van, a 1934 model,
theatres. We'd like to take the lease
circuit, and Jossie looked after the but still had no generator, so we could
over and open them up." He wasn't
accounts and the books. only use it in towns that had power. To
interested in leases. "Why don't you
One time Tommy and I decided get the most from our equipment we
buy them? I'll sell them to you cheap."
that we needed a proper balance sheet changed the circuits around a bit to
I said, "Right-Oh, what price do you
to record all our expenses and takings. make two circuits of twelve shows,
reckon?" "Oh about £2,000 for the two
Next time I was in town I spoke to one was towns with power, and the
of them." So I said, "I'll talk to my
Stan Cherry at Columbia Pictures other was the places where we needed
brother in town about it. When are you
about this. Stan was one of the the generator.
going to be in Melbourne and where
stalwarts of the business. He went off For a while we must have had a few
can we meet you?" He nominated the
and came back with a balance sheet vacant nights because we put on three
corner of Elizabeth Street and Bourke
from one of the big theatres. "See what or four shows down at Barwon Heads
Street. We met there, shook hands on
you can make of this." Tommy and I and I know that ‘Brusher’ McNiell and
the deal, paid him £2,000 and the
sat down and used Stan’s sheet as a I put on at least one show at Melton.
theatres were ours. This was 1934;
guide to make up our own. It's a suburb now, but it wasn't then.
26 2002 CINEMARECORD