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Does this mean that each projector
had a special filter in front of the
lens? About The Metro
Yes, to match what the glasses did.
Without the glasses you saw two
overlapping identical images. And there
was a big argument - Metro had
brought their glasses in from Japan.
They looked like sunglasses, with a
grey plastic frame. The Polaroid
Corporation said Metro should have
been using their glasses. After each
screening the glasses were handed in
and sterilised backstage by a chap
given that specific job.

So as many as 1,300 or 1,400 glasses
might have to be sterilized?
For a full house, yes. They had
ample glasses. They used to put them
on big metal trays and spray them with
some liquid and then get a hairdryer
and dry them and then put them in
paper sleeves ready to hand back to the
next audience. When news of the imminent have refrigerated air-conditioning)
At one session one of the footage closure and destruction of the Metro and it always smelled nice. It was
feeders became damaged - the footage Collins Street became public, nary a the perfect home for the ‘high-
feeder counts into the film, counts protest was heard. Perhaps it was formal’ style characteristic of MGM
down from 12 feet to the start of the fatigue after adjusting to the for the next 20 years.
film - and the assistant said, “I’ll put a uncertain fate of four other theatres, The writer for Building magazine
new leader on.” Well, he joined it on or did the silence show a sense of praised the way the interior
and at the next session we came up out ambiguity about the Metro? maintained the tonings of the foyer -
of sync, terribly out of sync, so we had Here was a theatre of restrained deep brown and putty colours near
to halt and re-register one projector opulence, worthy of its prestige eye level, grading into tans and
against the other with the footage address. The problem was that it was creams, then a discrete use of a soft
numbers on the side of it, which were only a few doors from the Regent creamy green near the cornice and
printed on the side of the reel. You’d be and comparisons were inevitable. If dome. There was a wiped bronze
yelling across to the other operator, there is any truth in the adage that finish to the plaster caps of the
“I’m on IA 642” or some such thing. good taste is the enemy of art (or double pilasters.
Pop it in the aperture, start up and we architecture), then the Metro was The cove lighting of the ceiling
were back in sync again. There were probably a victim of it. dome provided most of the
only two or three stops in the whole
Architect and theatre historian illumination. The dome and its
season of Kiss Me Kate in a season of
Ross Thorne has commented that the patterned margins had modelled
about 12 weeks, so we were pretty
choice of a modified French Empire- figures in cream-grey and ivory
lucky.
Louis XV1 style was curious for azure with gold enrichments. The
At one stage we damaged some 1934. wall-lamps throughout were topped
sections in the right-hand reel. Each left with naked globes, typical of the
Construction was supervised by a
and right reel had an identical sound ‘rich yet simple’ effect overall.
representative from Loews’ Theatres
track. We had a pile up one day and the
New York, at a time when the studio Photos of the stage have never
bits we damaged on the right-hand reel
arm - MGM, had Cedric Gibbons done it justice. It's best look was a
had to be cut out and replaced with
designing contemporary interiors for 1950s simplification to a satin
black bits of film to keep it in sync
films like Grand Hotel and Dinner traveller curtain covering the
with the left reel. This was better than
At Eight. Clearly separation of Panoramic Screen.
the other solution of doing more
powers ruled at Loews Inc. If this Metro was never on a list
damage by cutting bits out of the left
Whatever the theatre may have of ‘palace-style’ theatres, it was next
hand reel to match a shortened right-
lacked in ‘wow’ factor, it made up in line to the claim. ★
hand reel.
for in the quality of its finish. No - I.S.
other city theatre used timber
panelling, had deeper pile on the See also From Concert Hall to
carpets, or more comfortable seats. It Cinema by Ross Thorne, Kino 78
was cool on the hottest days, snug in and The Auditorium - Birth of a
winter (the first in Melbourne to Showcase by Fred Page, CR 33
14 2008 CINEMARECORD