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Memoirs of a

FILM

DISTRIBUTOR

Peter Broome spent 43 years with
20th Century Fox Australia, rising to
the position of Chairman and
Vice- President of Fox International.

Part One - From Publicity to Film This was before the phrase ‘sexual which I knew little) and an ardent
Booker harassment’ had been coined. Liberal Party supporter (about which I
When I completed school in 1947 I By early afternoon Despatch had knew a lot as a Young Liberal). Ray
declined my father’s offer of a dealt with our parcels and we went was an aspiring actor, performing with
University degree and other advice to about invoicing the orders for inclusion an amateur group in such plays as An
enter accounting or banking, so he on exhibitors statements - always Inspector Calls and Night Must Fall on
suggested four possible employers for payable in seven days - or sometimes in Sunday evenings at the Minerva
whom he acted - Eveready Batteries, advance. In those days there were some Theatre Kings Cross, which I
Hoyts Theatres, Colgate Palmolive and 900 theatres in NSW alone. frequently attended. Ray and I
Twentieth Century Fox. In later years my cheeky sons would remained friends until his death.
After my interview at Colgate, and ask how a dope like me managed to Another of Ray’s friends in his
a job offer, I took the tram to the Fox become a Vice-President, and my acting group was Nigel Dick, later
building, located by regulation - answer was always, “with lots of luck - Managing Director of GTV-9
because of the flammable nature of film and packing the best parcel in the Melbourne.
- exactly a mile from Sydney’s GPO. business.” In 1948 Fox made the film
The Fox building, complemented by Early on I realised the importance Kangaroo in South Australia, and to do
Paramount and adjoined by Motor of attitude to the job and the fact that if their bit for publicity, the stars Peter
Traders, occupied a diamond-shaped performance was a mere five percent Lawford and Maureen O’Hara visited
block in Brisbane Street. better than average one would be our building. Maureen shook hands and
On entering the art-deco lobby with noticed. In that era many young people had a few words with everyone. Years
the famous Fox logo emblazoned on displayed antagonism to the boss, but I later I sat beside her on a PanAm flight
the floor in terrazzo, I had already always regarded a boss as having my from LA to New York. She
made my decision. My interview was best interests at heart. remembered her 1948 visit exactly.
with Managing Director Sidney Work hours were 8.45am to She was the first of many celebrities I
Albright. He must have seen those stars 5.30pm with 40 minutes for lunch. This came to know, and probably the nicest.
in my eyes, said I was just the sort of discipline was strictly policed by means
lad he was looking for, and sent me to of a time book. We were required to
the NSW Branch Manager, Percy work on alternate Saturday mornings in
Kingston who offered me a job in case of an emergency.
Advertising Sales. And so commenced Tea breaks were shared with our
my 43 year career with Fox, colleagues from Despatch and the film
appropriately enough, on April 1, 1948. vaults located next to us in the
Fox had branches in every State and basement. The flat roof of the building
employed some 350 people, about half was available as a sunny spot to eat
in the Sydney Head Office and NSW lunch if the weather was right.
branch. My first boss was Clive Despatch was managed by Jim
Dieppe, ex-army WW2, who had the Barnett, who also controlled the rewind
distinction of being the most-escaped room staffed by ten or so ladies Maureen O'Hara and Peter Lawford:
POW from Crete. managed by Marcia McGinty. A clerk Kangaroo
Well in advance of screening dates, in these departments was one step up In Sydney Fox had a staff social
five or six of us spent mornings the ladder from Office Boy of which club which organised weekly
packing slides, posters and stills in there were always three or four under screenings of new films in a lavish
accordance with our copy of the the direction of a ‘Sar Major’, who also theatrette. By coincidence, the bas-
advance list brought to us daily by the controlled a petty cash box and stock of relief murals decorating the theatrette
Film Bookers’ secretaries. These young postage stamps. had been sculpted by my Aunt, Jean
ladies were ‘sent up’ unmercifully and My first friend in the business was Norton-Broome whose work is
only allowed to come down to our Ray Heaps, a devout Catholic (about represented in every State Gallery and
department in pairs. the National Gallery.

10 2006 CINEMARECORD