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SILVER SCREENS

The town hall was also Star Pictures (1940) Lyric theatre, early 1920s (Murray Bridge Historical Society).

Drive-in site in 2006: soon to be all
housing. (Ken Wells)
D. Clifford Theatres Ltd. (1923),
was originally the Star Theatre chain
(c.1916), and Jack Brook mentioned
earlier, was the spool boy at Clifford’s
latest venture.
The Lyric had a spacious single-
level auditorium with a capacity of 928
seats. It was decorated with garden
Cameo Cinema, 2006 murals on the walls and windmill
murals on either side of the proscenium.
Before the Lyric became a reality, almost impossible to find a vacant date
There was also a large illuminated
another proposal did the rounds. In on the list of this hall, and a high rental
pendulum clock below the left
June 1922, The Murray Bridge Coffee is paid by a picture show company for
windmill, which alerted patrons to train
Palace Ltd. published a prospectus to Wednesday and Saturday nights only.
times for nearby Tailem Bend!
raise £50,000 ($100,000) to build and Although this prospectus preceded Community singing often preceded the
operate a Coffee Palace and construct a the Lyric proposal by about six film screenings, the words for the songs,
Picture Theatre on portion of Railway months, nothing came of it. (4,10) projected by the ‘Magic Lantern’. (4,6,9)
Terrace opposite the railway station. Instead, the Lyric opened on Bridge
In September 1929, Holland’s
Street at the corner of West Terrace as
Talkies screened at the town hall. This
planned, the dream of a group of local
travelling show featured a sound system
business identities. In 1922 they had
of Australian manufacture. They toured
formed The Murray Bridge Picture
Tasmania and South Australia,
Palace Company Ltd., anticipating a
complete with their own electricity
population explosion in the town due to
generating plant. This independence
the construction of a new bridge across
enabled them to operate successfully
the Murray.
Source: Harold McLaren anywhere, free from concerns about the
The consortium chose architect reliability and standard of local power.
The Coffee Palace (above) was to Chris. A. Smith from Adelaide, and in
be a grand building of three stories, February 1923 tenders were called for Holland’s program included Peter
providing an up-to-date hostel with construction of a theatre and nine Dawson, a popular singer, Cecil Parkes
special regard to bath and lavatory shops. Opened as the Lyric Picture and his violin, from radio station 3LO
accommodation. The two-level picture Palace on 16 April 1924, it was Melbourne and The Dixie Melody Four.
theatre, it was claimed, should be a operated by Daniel Clifford, who It would be highly unlikely that this
profitable venture, as there is only one controlled a large circuit in South was a sound on-film program; rather
licensed hall in the town, and it is Australia. sound-on-disc, with the artists miming
their own recordings for the camera.
CINEMARECORD 2007 11