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The Ivanhoe Theatre
738 Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe
Built for: John (J.J.) Denton
and George C. Dickson
Architects: Lewis Kaberry and
C. M. Chard
Builder: Dickson and Yorston
Pty Ltd, Caulfield
Cost: £25,000
Opened: Saturday 25 October
1924
A Reckless Age
Reginald Denny
Alterations:
1931 Façade and upstairs
apartments
1935 Stage front and piped
hot water Stark outline. Boarded up windows and protruding ventilation louvres mark the former
1939 Central entrance to theatre as a twenties design.
stalls
1959 Larger sweets counter literature I was surprised that the décor theatres in tropical climates. These
and folding doors to did not make more reference to Sir were later boarded up on the outside
shop Walter Scott’s hero. Perhaps Ivanhoe’s with large green plywood covers.
Projectors:
coat-of-arms, a shattered oak tree, was Between two shops in Ivanhoe
1924 – 1930 Powers 6B
1930 – 1954 Simplex; Western considered obscure or not sufficiently Parade was a tunnel connected to a
Electric sound visual. The classic symbol of both light well, with an emergency escape
1954 – 1968 C&W French and English kings may have ladder from the projection booth
Seating: 1,700 in 1924, then been a nod in the direction of the story. overhead. When the theatre was
progressively reduced A photo of the auditorium (after demolished in 1971 the projection
after 1931. In 1949 December 1939) shows wider seats in room still had the Western Electric
reduced from 1,381 to
the final 1,286. the stalls, back from the first seven ‘Universal bases’ from 1930.
Closed: Sat 29 June 1968. rows. The number of seats at this time My first recollection of a film at
Clambake, Elvis Presley was changed from 1,381 to 1291. (1) the Ivanhoe was a 1967 matinee The
Thunderbirds Are Go In the original theatre the stalls Golden Blade with Rock Hudson. At
entrance was on the right hand side of intermission the manager read out the
Personal Memories the foyer and along a ‘tunnel’. The lucky ticket numbers and the feature
thirties renovations introduced more was Mr. Hobbs Takes A Vacation with
of Hoyts Ivanhoe. symmetry, making this entrance more James Stewart. The theatre was
By Tim Armstrong central. Circle access was always from probably one-third full and the
My recollections of Ivanhoe stairs near the centre of the foyer. An acoustics were quite live. According to
Theatre go back to my earliest days ‘island’ ticket box and a soda fountain former manager Gordon Onans,
growing up in the area. The size of the buffet running the length of the former Ivanhoe was designated as a ‘B’
building and its high location made it circle foyer and stalls lounge were theatre, in a grading system A to E.
stand out over the rest of the suburb. removed in this change. In 1959 a In 1968, the front page of the local
The wide expansive roof with sweets counter was re-cycled from the paper read IVANHOE CINEMA
‘HOYTS’ splashed across it could be Merri, North Fitzroy and a direct CLOSES. (9) Some people say that the
seen from as far away as Northcote entrance opened to the sweets shop theatre later had a few private
(1)
and Kew. through folding doors . The foyer I screenings such as fund raisers for the
A wide, single level auditorium knew featured a curved wall covered in Fire Brigade.
with stadium seating, (no overhanging dark brown tiles with a ticket box on Two years later when a strong
balcony), the ‘circle’ was built over the right. On the left was the booking westerly wind blew off the roof above
much of the foyer area plus the staff office. the stage and also caused the collapse
areas and generator room. Dark wood Foot warmers with the name of the of the back of the stage of the nearby
panelling covered the lower walls and theatre cast on them were heated by an Town Hall, the theatre made the local
the rear of the stalls area. The walls oil fired boiler and forced air news again with a picture of the
and proscenium had decorative plaster ventilation at each side of the stage theatre’s ripped screen, under the
work painted in pale teal and the used two six-foot diameter fans (1) heading ‘THE ROOF GOES.’ (10) The
ceiling plaster work was painted gold. housed in outside compartments, one roof was repaired, bringing hope that
The original proscenium, with two overhanging the exit to Ivanhoe the building may be retained, whether
columns each side and a plaster lattice Parade. A photo taken in the or not as a theatre. Advertising posters
frame seems to have remained auditorium during the late thirties continued to adorn the foyer as if the
unaltered. The decoration of the shows daylight entering through slats management (and certainly the theatre’s
columns included the Fleur De Lis. along the walls which could be opened fans) were willing it to re-open.
For a theatre with a name from for natural ventilation, similar to

CINEMARECORD 2003 17