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Give My Regards to the Old

BROADWAY…

By Shane Moore

There has to have been something a
bit special about the Broadway
Camberwell, to hold out for as long as
it did as one of the last three theatres of
the original Hoyts suburban circuit of
Melbourne. When more distinctive
examples were long gone, the extra
years earned by the Broadway, the
Bentleigh and the New Malvern, say
something about their locations in
communities prepared to watch
television and go to the pictures. This
was the local picture theatre for my
family, where we had regular Saturday
night bookings. Early habits bring a
lasting affection, despite knowing that
my theatre was not exactly the pride
and joy of the Hoyts circuit.
The suburb of Camberwell is nine
km. east of the city and has always
been well served by public transport, a
vital ingredient for a ‘local.’ The
original theatre was built for Our
Theatre Company, a syndicate of local
business people headed by real estate
agent W.J.P Davies, who had his offices
in the Davies Building on the north side
of the train station. The theatre was to
be a few doors further up the Burke The exterior of the Broadway was its best feature. Arched windows were part of the
Road hill, on the same side as, but well original building but the modifications begun in 1936 enhanced them. Dorothy Lamour
away from Holland’s Camberwell in The Hurricane dates this photo as 1938.
Picture Theatre and the Rivoli,
already locked in competition at the
Theatre seemed to be the one doing it At this time George Griffiths Snr. of
Camberwell Junction.
hard. A Health Department summary of Hoyts and F. W. Thring were finding
Our Theatre was designed by
the theatre’s first decade may be not be common ground in the running and
Christopher Cowper while he was still
accurate, based as it was on occasional expansion of their suburban chains. The
in solo practice. Later, the firm he
visits, but in their opinion, ‘This theatre formation of Hoyts Theatres Ltd. in
founded - Cowper, Appleford and
has always been poorly attended. From 1926, cemented their working
Murphy - would continue as specialists
1922 the maximum attendance relationship, which in practice meant
in cinema design. The new building
observed was 61 percent.’ that every Associated Theatre was run
was opened 28 June 1921, five weeks
Early in 1924 the Davies group sold under the Hoyts banner.
after the Rivoli. From the glowing
Our Theatre to F. W. Thring’s Both companies were also happy to
account of opening night, the theatre
Associated Theatres Pty. Ltd., a chain work with exhibitor Robert McLeish
would seem to have had a delightful
with an audience reach equal to that of when it suited, a man with more clout
interior (See box, opposite). However,
a still fledgling Hoyts. In 1926 in the industry than his personal theatre
an absence of any pictorial record, and
Associated re-named the theatre and holdings might have suggested.
the fact that the theatre was later
gave it local resonance: everyone knew Associated placed the Broadway
vigorously re-modelled, suggest a
of Broadway New York, and the first under the supervision of McLeish, a
different reality.
street north of the theatre was The delegation which lasted until 1943,
Now there were three theatres on
Broadway. after which time the theatre passed
the same side of Burke Road, and Our
snugly into the Hoyts camp.
22 2005 CINEMARECORD