Page 27 - CR

From Left to Right: Peter Marett (Hoyts),
Robin Senior (UA), Bert Manning (Fox),
Graham Burke (Kirby), Barry Hall (Fox),
Geoff Gunst (Fox), Tom Hayes (GFD),
Tim McNair (UA), Rees Jones (MGM),
Ray Fry (UA), Daniel Maskiell (UA),
Ted Stephens (Repatriation Dept),
Frank Fordyce (UI).
From- Australasian Exhibtor Magazine
In late 1953, the CinemaScope
process was introduced by Fox with y favourite suburban cinema was
The Robe at Hoyts Regent Theatre in M the Padua Theatre in the
Collins Street. The new wider screen northern Melbourne suburb of
was built out over the orchestra pit, Brunswick. This was located in Sydney
wall-to-wall, it was fantastic. Then later Road and near the corner of Stewart Then, in 1953, Paramount Pictures
on down the track they reduced the Street, where I actually lived. came out with VistaVision for the film
screen size to fit within the original White Christmas — this was depth-of-
The projection box was wall-to-
stage and behind the curtains. vision clarity in a wide-screen format.
wall, the same as the Regent Collins
Before The Robe opened, the Fox Street. This cinema was a Hoyts outlet I eventually went into the film
staff and invited guests were given a and when they screened slides, they booking department doing nature
demonstration of both Standard and were shown on a round screen, then programmes for the Hoyts suburban
CinemaScope ratio films to make you when the lights went out, the stage circuit and later on into the 16mm
realise how much bigger and better the revolved around to reveal the normal division. I stayed with Fox for 12
picture would be. standard ratio cinema screen - this was years, then went to 16mm Australia
(located above the Majestic Theatre in
before CinemaScope came in.
Flinders Street) which became Bell and
I went to this particular cinema for Howell “the Camera People”.
over 27 years, as well as numerous
others around the suburbs. I recall that
CinemaRecord did a wonderful story on
The Padua, which I have in my
I remember Gentlemen Prefer
collection and greatly treasure.
Blondes being shown on the
CinemaScope screen with Marilyn
Monroe performing the song Diamonds
are a Girl’s Best Friend. They stretched
it out to a wide-screen format, but you
could see the Fox parking lot in the
background. We were also shown some
advance trailers such as How to Marry
a Millionaire and Beneath the 12-Mile
Reef etc. This was wonderful
experience at the time. The Majestic.

CINEMARECORD 2010 27