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At the Rialto the main feature Fast Facts Acknowledgments:
usually screened first, which was par Rialto Theatre, Kew My thanks to Mona Fiander and her
for a ‘lesser’ theatre swapping with a 218-220 High Street son Trevor for their kind cooperation;
'superior'. Built for: Rialto Theatre Co. to Eric White for passing on Greg
CATHS’ member Phil O'Kane, at Ltd. Lynch's stories and to Roderick Smith
that time assistant projectionist at the Architects: Purchas and Teague for the transport information. Ross
Thorne commented on the décor.
Regent Gardiner, remembers the
Seats 1921: Stalls 812
Regent sometimes swapping with the
Balcony 457
Rialto. This was a distance of seven “ Pictures of the coming week
Total 1,269
road km., a time feat impossible to What's the cause of all the
1950s: Total 1,154
replicate in today’s traffic. cheering
Opened: Wed. 31 Aug. 1921
An easier switch would have been
Lessee/ Owner: Associated Theatres On this sunny summer’s day?
with the Palace Glenferrie, Broadway
Pty. Ltd. 1921-26; Is it Hughes electioneering
Camberwell or Time Balwyn, but they
Hoyts 1926-61
were in different weeks. The regular Or some football team at play?
Sound: November 1929
switch was more likely with Robert Or perhaps a crowd recording
Western Electric
McLeish’s Northcote Theatre, one Racing victories miles away?”
Ventilation and 1927 Mechanical
loosely allied with Hoyts and closer
heating: fans and electric “No, its just the kids applauding
than Gardiner.
radiators At Rialto’s Matinee.”
The introduction of CinemaScope in
1935 Hydronic (foot
1954 posed new problems, including Kew Sentinel 4 Nov.1922
plates)
the need to widen the proscenium and
CinemaScope: Thurs. 9 Nov. 1954
alter the stage apron. This also reduced
The Robe,
the seating capacity from the original
Richard Burton Odd Spot
1,257 to 1,154.
Projectors: C&W; Calder arcs
According to former Rialto Hoyts’ structure was in part the sum
Restricted Sat. 22 Oct. 1960 of the small companies brought in
projectionist Greg Lynch, the
screenings from:
downstairs projection room was an along the way. Each one was retained
Closed: May 17 1961 as a legal entity, required to submit a
ongoing source of problems, mainly
Last show: Don’t Go Near The report in accordance with the
sound transference and overheating. A
Water, Glenn Ford; Companies Act.
new wall was built and packed with
Jeopardy, Barbara
sound absorbent material. Hoyts In 1944 the Rialto Co. report
Stanwyck
legendary technical wizard Arthur included this statement:
Demolished: 1983
Pyers built a slide machine for this ‘In the matter of National Security
room. (Enemy Property) Regulations, (we)
Forum Theatre on Flinders Street.
Stereophonic sound was another declare that not more than twenty
The former Rialto building was
persistent problem, but on the first percentum of the number of shares in
demolished in 1983 to be replaced by
night of The Robe the obvious problem the Rialto Theatre Company Limited
the office of the Education Credit
was the state of the curtains: after a are held by, or on behalf of enemy
Union.
special wash for the occasion, they had subjects.’
If the enthusiasm of Trevor Fiander
shrunk! A valance was fitted to hide the Hotbed of Nazi intrigue?
and his mother Mona is typical, then
gap. Surely not!
many Kew residents have fond
When the television tsunami ran
memories of the theatre.
over the cinema landscape it was
Sometimes the most vivid relate to
usually the biggest and often the best
minor mishaps. According to REEL
theatres that went under first. Hoyts
projectionist Greg Lynch, the worst
began closing theatres in 1959, but the
example of programming in his time
less pretentious Rialto survived the first
was a double feature of 1955 - Rock DEALS
wave.
Around The Clock with Bill Hailey and
From 22 October 1960 screenings
the Comets and Sincerely Yours with
were reduced to Saturdays only (a KEEPING FILM
Liberace: a near riot ensued and the
matinee and evening session). The rockers stormed out. ★
theatre finally closed on 17 May 1961. COLLECTORS IN TOUCH
Even then it wasn’t lost to the moving References: ENQUIRIES:
image. On 28 June of the same year Public Records Office:
Artransa Park Telemedia Pty Ltd (1) File 7882P1 Unit 354 MIKE TRICKETT
moved in to use it as a production (2) Company records. 25 Fairlie Street
studio for commercials. Kew Sentinel. Various issues. North Geelong Vic. 3216
Table Talk 8 September 1921
In January 1969 the building Phone: AH 03 5278 1986
The Film Weekly - Motion Picture
became the Melbourne Revival Centre. Fax: 03 5278 3545
Directory 1957-58
It remained a church until about 1982,
James Griffin: John Wren, A Life Email: filmman@ncable.net.au
when the Revival Centre moved to the Reconsidered. Scribe Publications 2004
CINEMARECORD 2007 15