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LIVES OF A BRISBANE FILM RUNNER

Silent films could cope with pent-up to be threaded through the projector very
audience enthusiasm, which would precisely. Any length of film cut-out to
break out as hissing, cheering and make a repair had to be replaced with
booing. Any pause for lovers’ kisses blank film of exactly the same length.
brought forth groans and moans, while One of our repairs resulted in the
the poor pianist played on regardless, dialogue, “What a lovely day with all
adding dramatic or ghostly music as this sunshine,” spoken from a blank
required. screen. There were many problems with
The projectors at the Lyric were this system, including scratched records.
Kalee. When talkies came, silent It was not long before I was re-
projectors were often converted for winding film, and joining the breaks. If
sound. Later of course new projectors the film broke as it ran through the
came equipped for sound. The source projector, it was repaired on the
(1)
of light was an elongated light tube. projector, the assistant hastily putting a
In 1927 my memory (not always the slide on the screen urging patience
best for detail from so long ago) from the audience. This was greeted
suggests that the Wintergarden in with much jeering.
By Harry Leech Queen Street Brisbane was the first I was helping in any way I could,
cinema to show a talkie in Queensland wanting to learn it all. By taking care of
- Al Jolson in The Singing Fool. Like some of the mundane things in the box,
Indooroopilly, a suburb on the north
everyone who saw it I was impressed, the projectionist was free to experiment
bank of the Brisbane River about five (2)
but it was only a part-talkie. with the sound. I watched as he pulled
miles from the city, was the home of
At first the word around a transformer to pieces, then wound
the Leech family from 1924. The
Indooroopilly was that the Lyric would many turns of fine insulated wire
suburb lacked some of the niceties of
not get talkies for many years. Falling around the plates from its core. I
life, but boasted its own picture theatre,
attendances, with some patrons going remember his explanation, “The more
the Lyric.
far away from home, pushed the ‘Pilly’ plates you put in the middle the more
The auditorium had two classes of
to do something about sound. They put bass you get, and the more turns you
seats. Those located in the centre, with (3)
in synchronised sound from a record - put on the outside the more treble”.
the best view of the screen, were
the biggest gramophone record I had One time the projectionist invited
‘comfortable’ canvas deck chairs,
ever seen. me to go with him to watch a
fenced off from the outside seats. Those
By this time I was a regular visitor to demonstration of television. Up to this
on the sides were like elongated garden
the bio-box. On Saturdays I would do time I had no idea - and I was not alone
seats, the least comfortable imaginable
clean-up jobs and be a willing learner - that there was such a thing as
and the floor under them was gravel.
for anything that was available. A large television. We had only just accepted
Audiences had very active
sound horn was now behind the screen crystal radios as an everyday sort of
imaginations, riding Tom Mix’s horse
and the pianist had been sent on holiday, thing. We marvelled at being able to
Tony and chasing and booing the
a long holiday. Because of the need to have earphones on and listen to the
baddies; no one cared about comfort.
synchronise sound and film, the film had clock at the Brisbane Town Hall striking
On the screen Buffalo Bill might be
tracking down outlaws and shooting
any man who had placed a damsel in
distress. Mass shootings on screen were
normal. All the goodies, Hoot Gibson
and so on, seemed blessed with the
ability to dodge any bullet aimed at
them. All the heroes had fine-looking
faces and horses that could outrun any
outlaw's horse. Baddies were always a
scruffy lot.
The program usually started with a
Newsreel, and no program was
complete without a cartoon. Mickey
and Minnie mouse were very popular.
Yet even as a kid I grew tired of the
sameness of the westerns. Occasionally
there would be a thriller or some
outstanding adventure film.
The Wintergarden, Brisbane opened in 1924. Image courtesy of Ross Thorne.

10 2008 CINEMARECORD