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rejected.
In May 1972, Kerridge booker Marge
Kennedy told Tom that the Regent at
Matamata would soon be available for
lease. A little over one month later Tom
Mellor took over this lease in a deal which
saw K.O. do all his film bookings and in
July he left the Roxy. (Tom later bought the
theatre and ran it until 1987 when he closed
it, sold everything and moved to Australia
where he died of a heart attack in February
2003 ).
Former Kerridge-Odeon manager Pat
Crowe (who at the time was working in a
nightclub) became the new manager. Both
the Roxy and Princess were turning a
healthy profit. Pat increased this by
changing the Roxy’s policy to horror
doubles at night. Patrons leave a 24-hour Horror Festival in July 1971.
When the distributors saw the theatre
taking more money in three days on second- Griffith was not interested. a small truck load away the day after
release than the films took in a week on While property developers bought up closure) were auctioned on site. Mrs.
their initial release, they offered new the shops, buildings and the old Duke of Griffith retired up North, Pat Crowe
product and the results were outstanding – Edinburgh Hotel, Dallas Griffith refused to returned home to Queensland and the
as were the promotional stunts. sell. In a classic stand-off she had a large nightclub scene where he died on
Towards the end of 1972 the lease on property company about to embark on a September 1, 1999.
the Princess expired and it reverted back to multi-million-dollar redevelopment project The property development company
owners Kerridge-Odeon. (K.O. would close over a barrel. To her it was amusing – why which owned the shops, hotel, theatre and
the Princess without any warning on should she sell, after all the Roxy was a adjacent land ran into problems and it was
December 24, 1975). The films kept coming very profitable business? Finally in not until the end of August 1975 that John
as did the money, however it just could not desperation they asked her to name her own Gapes Demolition Ltd began work. It took
last! price; she laughed at them, gave a high until October 22 for the site to be finally
Like Auckland, Wellington was being figure and promptly forgot about it. One cleared.
week later they accepted – it was the end!
rebuilt: our wonderful buildings with Delay was due to the Roxy, as when
distinctive design and architecture were Pat was given the job of informing all staff. stripped down to its shell, the structure was
being demolished. Our theatres with a style, On Tuesday January 22nd, 1974 a a mass of huge solid-steel beams and
class and character all of their own, were packed house of invited guests including girders which took a special team an extra
bulldozed to make way for modern steel, former staff, loyal customers, media and week to cut and dismantle the massive steel
glass and concrete high rise structures - industry people watched The Last Picture frame.
ugly monstrosities that were changing the Show (projected by Sid Vinsen) and the From a large vacant corner lot in
face of a city. sixty-one year old theatre closed its doors. Wellington's CBD there rose a modern
The after-show party lasted till 5am the next
The Roxy was situated on prime real- vibrant retail shopping-centre and the Dukes
estate at ground level on a main street in the day! Arcade. Few today will remember the
CBD. The land was worth a fortune, and the One week later all fittings, furniture, clinking of glasses, the cry of “time
developers soon came calling – but Mrs. chattels and some remaining posters (I took gentlemen please” as the customers spilled
out of the ‘old Duke’ into the theatre next
door as dapper Harry Griffith dusting off his
'House Full' sign promises them all “Action
in the Roxy Manner - You Said It”!

Photographs from the David Lascelles
Collection – with thanks to Robert Hatten
and Tom Shanahan.

SOURCES.
Wellington City Archives.
Eighty Turbulent Years - The Paramount
Theatre Wellington by David Lascelles.
Millwood Press 1997.
New Zealand Listener – July 23, 1973.
N.Z. Motion Picture Exhibitors Bulletin -
December 19, 1968.
Evening Post - January21, 1974.
Demolition in August 1975. Film Research (Theatre Files).
Rob Hamill (Dunedin).

30 2011 CINEMARECORD