Page 4 - CR

CINEMA AND Your
THEATRE Letters
T
C A H S (continued)
have a late 40s photograph of Palais
I Pictures in St.Kilda (Vic) taken before
HISTORICAL SOCIETY the cinema was renamed the Palais Theatre,
ESTABLISHED 1989
and wonder if anyone could advise when the
name changed from “Pictures” to “Theatre”
Australia and also when the domes were built on the
ABN 37 195 378 179 twin towers?
Reg A0020747R
Also, I believe that an organ was to be installed
The aims of CATHS are: to record the in the theatre, but for whatever reason, never
history of cinemas and theatres, and to was. Can anyone confirm this? With the installation of CinemaScope,
promote interest in theatre heritage and some changes to the projection room layout
architecture, and other related areas. As far as I am aware, very few Melbourne occurred. The projection room floor was
Patrons: suburban theatres had an organ - with of extended above the rewind room for the
Frank Van Straten OAM course, the exception of the (1940) Dendy installation of the Westrex 4-track sound
Peter Smith OAM Theatre at Brighton where one was not system. The original Western Electric
Committee: installed until 1967. amplifier located downstairs in the old rewind
President: Gerry Kennedy 0432 434 169 room was retained for the AP channel. A new
Vice President: Ross King 9370 9479 I attended the Dendy regularly from the 1960s rewind bench was built on the new annex
Secretary: Mike Trickett 5278 1986 until its demolition (and reconstruction) in upstairs, which saved the assistant many
Treasurer: Rodney Bendix 9563 2927 1984, and heard the organ played frequently. trips up and down the stairs.
Editor/Committee: Kevin Adams It’s something I sorely miss!
0409 946 066 The projection equipment was also upgraded,
Committee: Shane Moore Peter Woolnough the heads updated to C&W H-models with
+ Kyogle, NSW. contra-rotating shutters and Peerless arcs.
Qld. Convenor: The old universal base sound head was
Steve Maggs 0413 805 320 i Kev. You have done a really good job retained and a Westrex magnetic sound head
+ Hon the Brisbane Lyceum story (CR.71). was mounted on top of the heads.
Archivist: Gerry Kennedy 0432 434 169 Top marks. Incidentally, the guy standing
Events Co-ordinator: outside the Bio Box on the interior shot is Al The projection room layout was a bit here and
Les Auld 9689 2765 Burne (this is the spelling on the back note there. The non-sync was away from the slide
Publications Sales: on the photo.) machine on the other side of the projection
James Barrand 0418 520 315 room, the lighting dimmers were behind
Membership Secretary: Peter O’Reilly He was one of the Burne Brothers who shot a the projectors, and the curtain and masking
PO Box 476 Bentleigh Vic. 3204 lot of film around the Brisbane area and had a switches were between the projectors. The
CinemaRecord Editor: laboratory. I saw it as it was being pulled apart Westrex sound control panel was mounted
Kevin Adams and it still had the deep slate-lined developing with the amplifiers in the new annex. Each
cinemarecord@hotmail.com tanks in the floor of the darkroom. projector had both optical and magnetic pre-
CATHS website: amps mounted on the front walls adjacent to
www.caths.org.au Ah, them were the days! the projectors
Postal address:
PO Box 476, Bentleigh 3204. Ron West Screen results were quite good, and the
+ Pomona.QLD. 4-channel magnetic sound was very good.
Membership My first experience with magnetic sound
Annual membership subscription is $45, was a “Six Years In Six Nights” week!
(overseas subscribers $50) and members
receive four copies of CinemaRecord, When Sayonara was released as an optical
notification of events, and copies of the print, there were lots of complaints from
agenda and minutes of all meetings. patrons that they could not understand
There is no joining fee. Marlon Brando. To improve the sound, old
Meetings stage curtains were placed over the speaker
Meetings are held on the last Sunday of assemblies behind the screen. It was thought
February, April, June, August, n opening CinemaRecord Issue 70, that the deep back stage area was causing an
October & November. OI was pleasantly surprised to see the echo, muffling the sound.
Archive
The Archive is located in the Prahran Barkly Theatre Footscray depicted. I remember meeting Harold Aspinall when he
Mechanics’ Institute, 140 High Street I started my career as an assistant was at the Athenaeum. I covered some sick
Prahran, 9510 3393. The Archive will projectionist with Hoyts at the Barkly in late leave on the opposite shift for a few days. I
be open between 9.30am and 12.30pm 1958. The projectionist was Alex Boyce and was transferred from the Barkly to the relief
on the Saturday before each meeting the Manager was Bruce Hooper. roster, where you went to a new theatre every
(see above), and at other times by three weeks. This was a terrific experience,
appointment with the archivist. Our family ran a one night per week show at mind you some of the travelling to and from
Publications Melton for a number of years in the late forties
Back issues of CinemaRecord, other early fifties. Although, too young to work in a other suburbs was a bit difficult, as being still
publications, CDs and videos are projection room, I was tasked with film make- under 18, trains, trams and buses were the
available at meetings. Items are also up and break-down at home in the garage. When normal method of transport. In those days I
available by mail. Please contact James old enough, the desire to become a assistant lived in Ormond.
Barrand on 0418 520 315 for details.
projectionist was very strong! Keep up the good work with CinemaRecord.
The article by Jim White was very interesting, Kevin. W. Swiggs
bringing back some fond memories. Casuarina, NT.

4 2011 CINEMAREC ORD