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A PASSION

FOR PICTURES
My Life in Melbourne Film Distribution Centres 1953 to 1997 - 44 years inclusive

By Barry Hall
hen I left school in 1952, I had Sometimes a print was shared by
Walways had a passion for the two theatres, for instance Brunswick
movies and one day I was walking up and Coburg cinemas, where a courier
Lonsdale Street in Melbourne when I on a motor bike would deliver the reels
passed Twentieth Century-Fox Film separately between them with the
Distributors. starting times at least 30 minutes apart
I stopped to look in their windows to ensure they got there on time.
at the movie posters and photos on After about 18 months in despatch,
display and thought to myself “Here I transferred into advertising and
goes, I’ll go in and see if there are any publicity for all the movies we
positions available!” distributed. We had daybills, one-
Well, it must have been my lucky sheeters, three-sheeters, 24-sheeters, as
day as they were going to advertise for well as glass slides, advertising blocks
a film despatch boy, so after an for newspapers, lobby cards (eight to a
interview — and much to my surprise set), black-and-white 8 x 10 photo sets
— I was given the job! and Press-Sheets.
In 1953 it was three years before For me, this was great fun and I got
television and movies were big time. We still had film vaults for the to know almost every theatre manager
We had a large number of cinemas, highly flammable nitrate prints at the in the business as publicity was the
both suburban and country that films back of the exchange for safety reasons. most important part of a movie’s
were sent out to. Later on, all films were printed on much promotion.
In those days, the movies were less volatile safety film and were in
despatched on 10-minute single reels in trunks or reels of 20-minutes’ duration
silver tins and it took eight to tens or each, which was much easier to handle.
more reels for each feature title. Each film was examined by film re-
wind girls and boys to ensure there
were no repairs needed.

You needed to have the passion of
the Golden Days of Cinema and a
dedication to what you were selling for
public viewing — thankfully for me
personally, I loved my job!
Fox had the use of a little theatrette
in Swanston Street Melbourne, known
It was my job to label the trunks for as the Woodrow Private Cinema. It
despatch to various cinemas and there was actually under a jeweller’s shop
were also film couriers who delivered and was used to preview all the new
the films personally on behalf of the film product — staff only. I remember
company. my first film, Father’s Doing Fine.

26 2010 CINEMARECORD