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the seasons longer than one week. Also, The Tibor Rudas Tivoli-style revue
the name of the exchange next to each Ca C’est Paris in 1964, (p164) despite
film would have given readers an idea a successful five week run, was pulled
of the release patterns of Hoyts and off at the insistence of film distributors
Greater Union Theatres in particular. who threatened to transfer product to
But these are quibbles, and the lists Greater Union. When the Fox western
Book Review make interesting reading. The Horse Soldiers failed at one week,
Hoyts put in a split week of King and I
Inevitably, a book which covers
many theatres will have a few mistakes. and Carousel; the only time such a split
The Picture Palaces A specialist publication like happened at the Regent.
CinemaRecord is the place to point
Of Melbourne them out. Some corrections and a little Plaza
Trevor Walters After Hoyts closed the
additional explanation follow.
Regent/Plaza buildings, the Plaza is
Available from: Borders, Dymmocks Regent said to have ‘remained derelict for
and the author, PO Box 194, Mentone twenty six years’ (p282). Not quite that
RRP $45 Destroyed by fire on 29 April 1945,
page 162 says that the theatre was long: after some years, it was converted
By Ian Williams closed for twenty months. In fact the to shops by the Melbourne City
It is always good news when a book re-building took thirty-one and a half Council, one of the unsuccessful
comes out on theatres of the ‘movie months – the theatre did not re-open attempts to make the early City Square
palace’ era, (particularly until 19 December 1947. public friendly.
theatres on one’s own patch!). Capitol
Most are soon out of print and Page 40 has the comment
some, like Ben Hall’s The Best that ‘a very good line up of
Remaining Seats and Fox, the films screened at the Capitol
Last Word fetch high prices in this year’. (1946). This was
second hand book shops - if because the Capitol was
you are lucky enough to find a screening films that would
copy at all! otherwise have gone to the now
As the title suggests and the burnt-out Regent.
introduction makes clear, Page 80 shows a ticket for
Picture Palaces of Melbourne is the Deluxe Lounge, attributed to
principally about the State, the Hoyts period. In fact this
Regent and Capitol. The other ticket has to be from the later,
third of the book gives a context single-level Capitol, when all
to film-going from the forties, seats were known as Deluxe
with sections on other picture Lounge. Hoyts Capitol only
theatres of the central city, had four or five lounge rows,
suburban theatres and not enough to extend to row L,
recollections about industry and on the block tickets these
identities. seats were called ‘loges.’
The ‘personality’ of a theatre Athenaeum.
which is formed by the public is
Page 226 claims that the
defined in part by the films or
proscenium of the theatre had to
the shows which pass though it.
be changed for Cinemascope.
The author has gone where no
The extreme angle from the
one previously had the
projection room may have
endurance to go, and listed
called for adjustments to the
opening date, and title of every
angle of the projectors, but it
film screened at the three ‘great’
was still mandatory to lower the
cinemas, and given a selected
fire curtain, so there was not
list for the Plaza. Having done
much chance to change the
some research myself using the film-
The theatre’s longest run, The Robe, stage frame. A wider screen was
strip versions of newspapers at the
at sixteen weeks (p163), was held over installed and the correct ratio achieved
Public Library, I admire and sympathise
for about four or five weeks at the by lowering the top masking.
with any one prepared to take on the
insistence of Fox (which controlled Liberty
task and give readers the results. I wish
Hoyts) so as to convince independent
though, that the author had gone one The demise of this theatre is passed
exhibitors to spend thousands to install
step further and included the length of over as, ‘On 11th of October 1950 the
‘Scope!
each run in weeks to allow the reader an Liberty Theatre closed…’ (p230). It
The longest run at the Regent
instant appraisal of popularity, without closed because of a fire and was rebuilt
entirely on merit was The Best Years Of
the need to do any mental arithmetic for as the Odeon.
Our Lives (eleven weeks in 1949).
30 2004 CINEMARECORD