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Metro Bourke St.

Hoyts Willoughby

Lindfield Kings

My parents then moved to Melbourne Melbourne’s State Theatre was also a When our family moved to Sydney and
where I attended Xavier College. favourite of mine. Going there was a I became even more of a cinema fan.
real event and people used to dress up
I’m ashamed to say I spent lot of for the evening sessions. We originally lived in Chatswood where
time wagging school to go to the I was a regular at all three local cinemas
movies - and twice to the (live) Tivoli At the Collins Street Regent (which was plus Hoyts Willoughby - and would also
Theatre - which didn’t seem to be grand but seemed a bit cold before it’s re- hop on a train to the Lindfield Kings,
very wide or deep, but quite high. At vamp) and the neighbouring Metro Collins the Roseville Cinema (just one level)
the “Tiv” I saw Tommy Steele live on Street (not so grand) I became friendly and also the Kings at Gordon. I even
stage - and also The Black & White with the staff who used to regularly tell me ventured to Cronulla once - just to see
Minstrel Show which would be banned to “just go in” without paying. Probably the Odeon Theatre.
these days! because I drove them nuts!

In Melbourne I loved the Metro
sBourke Street where I saw Gigi - great
sound and wide screen, but I’m pretty
sure that it wasn’t in 70mm. I also saw
The Parent Trap there at least three times!

I saw This Is Cinerama at the Plaza in
Collins Street and was taken on a behind-
the-screen look (I can’t remember by
whom, but I think it was a box-office lady)
and I was intrigued at how the special
Cinerama screen was in fact made up of long
separate louvers.

I was there when they remodelled the
Capitol in Swanston Street, which
re-opened in its reduced size with
The Great Race.

The Esquire in Bourke Street was also
exciting because when they played
South Pacific, all the usherettes were
in muu-muu’s and wearing lei’s (I’m
not sure what the guys wore, but I
would have remembered anything
out of the ordinary). The front-of-
house display was just like a tropical
island. Magical! Melbourne Capitol

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