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My

Esquire

Years

by Gil Whelan

I started at the Regent and the
Plaza as a 15 year-old pageboy. By 17
I was Treasurer of the Plaza, as most of
the older fellows had joined the
services. I also joined the RAAF
ground staff, returning after the war to
my old position at the Plaza. After a
few months I was transferred to the
DeLuxe, and started there on the very
The Premier of Victoria Sir Henry Bolte and Lady Bolte with the manager of the Esquire
day it became the Esquire. I was later
Mr. Gil Whelan at the premiere of South Pacific February 1959.
made assistant manager and the next
step was to manager, a position I held - the same distributor had a
with some gaps for relief work and print of a film that had done
other duties around the Hoyts City well in the past. If so, it
Circuit - until the theatre closed in would be sleaved in so that
1976. both the film company in
I think Hoyts held the lease for the question and Hoyts would
entire building. The basement at the get a better return than if the
rear housed the V8 standby motor and failed film had been kept on
ventilation fans and above it was a for a second week. The
ladies staff room. One floor on Little decision to change was the
Bourke Street was the Hoyts ‘take off’ figure, which if
upholstering department where all memory serves me right was
slashed seats from around the circuit Saturday and Monday. If the
were repaired. Another floor was the takings exceeded a certain
pick-up point for the films and the Val. figure, the film would
Morgan advertising slides going to the continue for another week
suburban theatres. The top floor was until such time as the two
the Hoyts Art Dept. with Bernie days takings fell below the
Lawson in charge. When Hoyts ‘take-off.’ With these shows
discontinued their own art work Bernie the composition of the
Lawson ran his own commercial art audience was about 60
business as a tenant to Hoyts. Much percent male.
later, Peter Jackson had a clothing shop The Esquire was the first
on-the ground floor and his theatre to show a 3-D
hairdressing saloon on the first floor. feature, and it also screened
Charles Fredericksen was a likeable the one which has acquired
fellow who had an eye for the ladies. the reputation for the best in-your –face A queue for a 3-D experience at the
He worked from about lunchtime until use of the medium: House of Wax. I Esquire in 1953.
the start of the matinee and was back cannot remember any technical glitches
again from 7 p.m. until the start of the during the 3-D period. Two
evening session. He sometimes varied projectionists and an assistant worked
his hours and worked for twenty each shift. The difficulty was making
minutes or so before the morning sure the polaroid glasses were collected
session. after each performance. Additional
The action films of the fifties were male ushers were engaged to watch and
always on a two-week minimum. Many police all exits. A fee had to be paid to
of them failed in the first week, so we the Polaroid company for each pair of
would look through the records to see if glasses lost. They were really only bits
of wire.

28 2005 CINEMARECORD