Page 26 - CR

Balgowlah Matinee’s By Kel Woodside

liff-hanging serials, slapstick If you attended one of these matinees
Ccomedy, and a bunch of your anticipating being able to follow the
mates yelling at the love scenes …that’s dialogue of ‘the talking pictures’, you
how it was at the movies in the days of could forget it! The moment a tame
the picture-show man. film or love scene came on the screen,
shouting arose from the stalls.
When I was growing up in the 1930s,
my friends and I shared one regular Any theatre manager who thought he
and very special pastime—going to the could get away with less than two serials,
flicks on Saturday arvo. three cartoons, and an 80-minute Laurel
& Hardy, followed after the interval by
From the 1920s at least, and until The Mummy’s Hand, could put up his
well after World War II, every Sydney shutters! The children of those days
suburb and most small country towns knew how to shop around, as their 6d,
were graced by at least one picture 9d or 1/3d were too precious.
show—or cinema (if you were a Pom), So what were they like, these local
or theatre (if you wanted to put on a bit entrepreneurs who sought each Saturday
of the ‘dog’). Call it what you will, it to relieve kids of their hard-earned
was really ‘The flicks’. tray bits, zacks, bobs and deeners?
Though they didn’t have the status of a
In 1936/37, the Sydney (NSW) suburb local doctor or solicitor, each radiated a
of Manly had four picture shows. A certain aura as a born showman!
mile-and-a-half up the Sydney Road at Mr Ronald Spry, who wore evening
Balgowlah was another, and Mosman dress for the adults, was major domo of
had three. These were havens of the Balgowlah Theatre. Every kid from
escapism for both middle- and working- the Spit Bridge to Condamine Street
class citizens.
gave him total loyalty, and he knew that
For kids, the highlight of the week was tuxedos and the like cut no ice with his
the Saturday afternoon matinee. It was young patrons.
not a form of escapism for us! This
Saturday arvo gathering was a sort of So on Saturday arvos Ron roped them
club, giving us an opportunity to relate in with what was known as Uncle
to other kids as well as being with our Ross’s Birthday Club, where the
special mates. lucky Birthday kiddie was presented
on stage at the matinee with a free
tinted photo from the Dixon Studios in
Manly’s Corso.

There are no doubt many other oldies in
the area who recall the Little Showman
in the soft trilby and trench coat with
upturned collar, handing out free ice-
cream buckets in the foyer. +
(Used with Permission)

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26 2011 CINEMAREC ORD