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Waterfall Curtains Most waterfall examples in
Australia were not rouched. In repose
Australia they hung in vertical folds like any
curtain. The difference became
Tony Froude’s article Waterfall apparent as they rose. In waterfall,
Curtains: The New Zealand Experience equi-spaced ropes attached at the
(CinemaRecord 48), set off enquiries to hemline are winched upwards,
gauge the extent of their use in imparting a scallop pattern to the rising
Australia. Readers are invited to write base. Lower layers meet higher ones in
in with other examples. horizontal gathers. It is when the
This summary accepts all variants curtain is lowered that the waterfall
of Waterfall, also known as cascade, effect is seen. The best examples of this
festoon and contour curtains. In type of curtain were installed by MGM
Victoria the definition of a waterfall in some of their city and suburban
curtain was set by the example at the theatres.
Regent, South Yarra in 1925. This With lighter fabrics and advances in
magnificent curtain was rouched: at rest winching mechanisms, waterfall
the pockets of material suggested curtains are enjoying a revival in some
ripples of water, like the water-wall at prestige, refurbished cinemas.
the National Gallery of Victoria Examples in Victoria include the
The curtain and its winding Rivoli, Camberwell, Palace Cinemas
mechanism were probably imported Balwyn and the Sun Yarraville. H
14 percent. STS has moved location from America. This heavy, rouched
a bit, but has been at the current style became traditional in later Regent
address in the Centreway Arcade theatres.
Collins Street for 8 years.
All the original staff have
retired, but at STS the memories of
eccentric clients and their requests
live on. One lady would never
accept a number 13 theatre seat or
anything to do with the figure 13. If
that number was the price of a
ticket, she would be told that the
cost of the seat was 12 shillings and
six-pence plus six pence ($1.25 plus
$0.05). Requests these days are Regent South Yarra: the theatre and the curtain that set the standard.
more mundane. Most people only
want tickets for shows. Waterfall Examples 1920s-1950s
I have happy memories of the Qld NSW Vic. SA WA
STS service: best available seats,
Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Adelaide Perth
and one time using STS to smooth a
Metro Capitol Plaza Metro Piccadilly
night out on the town for my Century Regent Olympia Regent
parents. On this occasion, STS Liberty Regent
picked up the bill at a city Regent
restaurant for their dinner, arranged Town Suburbs
for tickets to be left at the Tivoli Metro Malvern Suburbs
Regent Fitzroy Odeon Semaphore
theatre, and organised a late-
Suburbs Regent Sth Yarra Picadilly Nth Adelaide
evening supper at a Collins St. cafe.
Cinema Granville Victory St. Kilda Windsor St. Morris
Everything went to plan and they
Hoyts Woollahra
had a great night out. The account
Orpheum Cremorne Regional Regional
was of course, sent on to me. H
Palatial Burwood Regent Ballarat Capitol Mt Gambier
Update: Regal Liverpool
Soon after this article was Star Bondi Junction
written STS moved from the
Centreway Arcade to St.Kilda Road. Regional
Enquiries suggest that it is no Kinema Narooma
longer in business. Strand Newcastle

Tasmania: No examples of waterfall are known.
Reporting by:
Colin Flint, Ian Hanson, Brian Pearson, Ray Peck, John Thiele and Les Tod.

CINEMARECORD 2005 31