Page 27 - CR

1946.
Wednesday 24th of June 1942 saw a
severe earthquake centered in the Wairarapa
hit Wellington – almost every building
along Manners Street suffered damage.
The Princess Theatre which had only
re-opened three months previously after a
disasterous fire was again closed.
Williamson’s Regent further along the street
was so badly damaged that it would not
open again until April 6th, 1944. However
the Roxy remained firm, hardly a flake of
plaster fell as the paper of the day reported
1946.
and it continued screening. For
projectionists Andy Maxwell and Harry The theatre was playing every type of Jack (Harry) Griffith was a shrewd
Fantham the show went on! film available, anything they could get at a showman and tough businessman. Born in
For Christmas 1943 it was Ship Ahoy reasonable rate. Mixing programs they were Lancashire, England, he came to New
starring Red Skelton and Eleanor Powell – matching they were not! Distributors were Zealand in 1923 as a farm cadet.
and the “Dead End Kids” in Keep Em also not enforcing brand product on double His first venture into the movie business
Sluggin. Programming during the war years bills, it was seldom that a program played was purchasing a picture-theatre at Howick
didn't matter too much, anything filled two features from the same company. in Auckland. It went broke, so in 1934 he
theatres and made money. However with Customers were mostly shift and factory came to Wellington, formed a partnership
thousands of American servicemen in the workers, the usual “on strike” wharfies and with Fred Parker who had the Tivoli and
country, sometimes more action took place people wanting to rest for a few hours. In took over the old Star Theatre in
in the auditorium than on the screen! the evening pub patrons from the hotel next Newtown, which had been closed for a few
In May 1945 Alf Linley died in door would stagger in to ‘sleep it off’. months. They renamed it the Rivoli and
Wellington – an early pioneer of exhibition, opened for business on June 22, 1934.
his passing was a great loss to the industry.
Newtown Star.
Mid-August saw Juke Girl with Ann
Sheridan and Ronald Reagan played with
International Squadron described as the
“Heroic story of the French Foreign
Legion”. The theatre ended the year with
Universal’s Can’t Help Singing with Deanna
Durbin and Sherlock Holmes in Washington
starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce.

In 1937 Harry moved to the Paramount,
beginning a fruitful association with George
Johnston.
As the fifth decade of the Twentieth
Century dawned, Harry Griffith moved from
Advertising for Columbia’s big epic the Paramount to the Roxy as manager and
Arizona in October 1947 seemed to give the quickly began putting his stamp upon the
impression that a first release was taking theatre. And so began eighteen years of the
place, not so - first release films at the Roxy little theatre known as ‘Harry’s Place’. Over
would not begin until the end of the 1950s. time, both names would become
“Action the way you like it” was the synonymous with great entertainment … and
slogan that first appeared on February 23, a little bit of controversy.
1949 for the double-bill Atlantic Convoy The 1951 Waterfront dispute which
with Larry Parks, together with Linda plunged the country into a national strike
Darnell in City Without Men. and state of emergency saw the Roxy allow
A few years later the slogan would be workers to meet in the theatre on Sunday
modified and become as famous as the after they were refused hall hire throughout
1946. theatre itself. the capital.

CINEMARECORD 2011 27