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Harold Aspinall in the projection room of
the Athenaeum.

About the author
Harold Aspinall’s first cinema job
was as assistant projectionist at Hoyts
Trocadero, Footscray in August 1955.
He moved to the Athenaeum in
January 1957.
After a stint at the Lyceum Bourke
Street (then Hoyts blood-house), he
became bored with Hoyts, obtained his
Broadcast Certificate and went to
television at HSV-7.
Harold’s list of cinemas as relief
shifts include the Merri North Fitzroy,
Barkly Footscray and the Capitol
Swanston Street.
He did a few shifts at the Esquire
running South Pacific on the new
Phillips projectors.
After four years at the Teletheatre
mixing sound on 7’s top shows, he
moved on to Channel 0 (now 10)
eventually joining the ABC as a music
Top: All lenses on Maria of Sunnyside Up. producer.
Above: The telecine room with 16mm Harold kept in touch with the movie
JAN projector. business with relief shifts at the Trak,
Brighton Bay and at Village
multiplexes. Still going strong at 67, he
original studios. Although some great does two shifts a week at Sorrento.
shows were produced there, the
Teletheatre had shortcomings, which
probably hark back to its origins. The Special Offer
last use of the Regent Fitzroy for
television was in 1975. Sunnyside Up Revisited is a CD
of 24 items recorded by Harold
The old theatre enjoyed a brief
Aspinall in 1963, at either the
period of revival as a ‘live’ venue when
Teletheatre or the Telefil studio.
the Rocky Horror Show was presented
there starting in October 1975. Harold is offering copies to
readers at the special price of $10
The building was sold off in 1979
(includes postage).
and demolished. With it went 70 years
of entertainment history from this one Ring, write or email:
site. ★ 041 600 6361
PO Box 103 Mt Martha 3934
Photo credits: John Budge
bighi@iprimus.com
The story of the Regent Fitzroy as a
cinema is told in CR Issue 43.

CINEMARECORD 2007 21