Page 26 - CR

MGM’s The Bushranger starring Tim
McCoy and Dunedin’s Dale Austen (winner
of the 1927 Miss New Zealand Contest)
played from April 12 to 18, 1928 - double-
billed with The Wizard.
After the final screening of The Wagon
Show with Ken Maynard and Synthetic Sin
with Colleen Moore the theatre closed on
Saturday 17th of May 1930 for the
installation of sound equipment and a new
projection plant.
A new pair of Ernemann II projectors,
(type E) with low intensity arcs were installed
along with the latest sound equipment and on
May 23, 1930 the theatre re-opened with the
Fox feature The Sky Hawk.
Screening with Innocents In Paris,
Ernemann.
Maurice Chevalier’s latest film from 17
June, was the special Fox Movietone
featurette The Arrival Of Miss Amy Johnson On March 15, 1935 George Johnston
In Sydney. The tag-line was “Miss Johnson changed the theatre’s name from Britannia
talks to you”! to Roxy (after the famous 3000-seat palatial
At this time Johnston entered into an New York Theatre) and leased it to
arrangement with Kemball Theatres Ltd for Amalgamated Theatres for five years. This
film supply. He would pay them a set gave Amalgamated a third house in
percentage and they would look after the Wellington (State 1933, Plaza 1934, they
film supply using their booking power to get had yet to take-over the Kings and Shortts
top films at the best possible rates and terms. – later Tudor/Lido).
The Britannia catered to everyone, Opening films at the re-named Roxy
especially shift workers and shoppers – it were My Song for You and 365 Nights in
was the only theatre in Wellington to have Hollywood. After Amalgamated’s lease
an illuminated clock mounted on the left expired, Johnston took back control.
hand side of the stage for the benefit of
patrons. It was also the first theatre in later
years to run “G” Certificate films during the
day and “Restricted” ones at night.
Front-of-house alterations took place
around this time, the large foyer full of
displays for coming attractions that opened
on to the street disappeared and the area
was enclosed with glass doors.
There was indeed “silence” on
November 22, 1934 when the Australian
film The Silence of Dean Maitland ended its
successful season.

Roxy 1946.

26 2011 CINEMARECORD