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Two Projectionists reminisce about

showing movies at Melbourne’s
historic Athenaeum Theatre

Memories from the Bio Box

I arrived in January 1957 (aged 17) A big event in 1957 was the release
Harold Aspinall during the run of The Baby and the of Ingrid Bergman’s ‘comeback’ film
Battleship with John Mills and Richard Anastasia with Yul Brynner leading the
he 168 year-old Melbourne Attenborough and a slew of well- cast.
TAthenaeum is Melbourne’s oldest known British comedy players. Although under the banner of 20th
cultural institution. I had the pleasure to Over the two years I was there we Century-Fox and filmed in their new
work there for two years in 1957/8 as had a steady run of quality British process CinemaScope, the movie was
an assistant projectionist during the films, mostly comedy but with a few made in Britain and, in addition to the
period when it was a cinema operated meaty dramas thrown in. leads, featured a marvellous British cast
by Hoyts Theatres. However, over the with Akim Tamiroff, Felix Aylmer,
years it has had other uses. Martita Hunt, and locations in Paris and
The land was purchased in 1840 Below: View from “The Gods” c.1957. Copenhagen.
and a two-storey “Hall of the Arts” was Photograph by Harold Aspinall
constructed. The first tenant was the
Melbourne City Council until the Town
Hall was completed in 1852. Various
modifications were made to the
building over the years and it was used
as the Melbourne Mechanics’ Institute:
hall for hire, museum, meeting rooms,
art gallery, live theatre, lending library
and, in the 20th century, a cinema.
Dame Nellie Melba performed there
as well as Mark Twain and it was the
venue for the screening of the early
feature film The Kelly Gang. In the
1920s it was the first Melbourne theatre
to show sound film with a season of
The Jazz Singer – under the
management of Frank Talbot.
In the 1950s it was well established
as Hoyts’ “All-British House”, showing
particularly all those wonderful British
comedies we remember so well.

28 2010 CINEMARECORD