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hyllis Harris (nee Mudford) held an Both the Melbourne Regent in Collins Street
Penviable position at the Regent South (1929) and the Swanston Street Capitol
Yarra at a time when competition for any employed sixteen ballet girls, a thirty
job was intense. Margaret Curnow has piece orchestra and a Wurlitzer organist.
written this account of her mother’s life. Vaudeville-film mix was popular. The
nearby Tivoli imported overseas acts such as
In 1924 at the tender age of 14 Phyllis the Tom Katz Sax Band and singer Sydney
Mudford became an office junior at Hoyts’ Burchall - and in agreement with Hoyts and
Melbourne Head Office (in the DeLuxe Union Theatres, they performed at picture-
Theatre, Bourke Street), earning 12/6 a theatres for the first half of the program, then
d
week (that’s $44 today*). Two years later at the live Tivoli after interval.
she transferred to the suburban South Yarra
Regent and by age 17 was the manager's
secretary, paymaster and in charge of the Box
Office. At that time the theatre manager was
Joe Walker, later to become Circuit Manager
for all Hoyts Suburban Theatres. From the time the Jazz Singer screened at the
Athenaeum in 1929, audiences demanded
The Regent at South Yarra was so different ‘talkies.’ American companies owned the
to what had gone before. It was a city picture sound equipment which they leased, and the
theatre in the suburbs. For a time it had only high rentals caused economic difficulties in
one peer, the Capitol in Swanston Street. theatres desperate to attract patrons.

The film industry's difficulties began in Hoyts began what insiders called the ‘Free Gift Phyllis said that despite the hard times there
1928 just as the Depression was beginning. Racket’, a weekly lottery using lucky seats was some money for pictures, which were
There was a shortage of films, and most of or numbers on handbills. Prizes were bikes, known as the poor-man’s entertainment.
the popular works of literature had been tennis racquets and even suites of furniture. Children scrounged bottles and papers to sell
made into pictures. Ben Hur had been filmed Maple’s Stores displayed furniture in theatre to earn a three-pence ($0.88) for admittance
five times, Jane Eyre four times and the Ten foyers. Managers had to think up new ideas for to the matinee. Others would stand outside
Commandments twice. To bolster dwindling attracting customers to present to Hoyts weekly the theatre begging, "Shout us in mister?”
audiences lavish stage presentations were meetings. This ploy was very successful, but
featured with films. was later stopped by the Film Distributors. Adult admission prices were: Front stalls 1/1 ,
d
d
1/2d
½d
Back stalls 1/7 , Lounge 3/3 , circle 2/8 and
back-circle 2/2 . (Those prices equate to $3.82,
d
$5.60, $11.50, $9.40 and $7.64 today). They
included the Commonwealth Entertainments
Tax imposed as a temporary measure in 1918.
As Secretary at the South Yarra Regent
Phyllis was earning £3- 5-0 a week, later cut
by 25 percent to £2-10-0 ($229 to $176).
Usherettes were paid 6/ ($23) for each
6d
performance and door keepers 7/7 ($27).
d
Married women were not employed, so
many claimed to be single. The projectionist
received £6- 3-0 per week ($433) and his
assistant £2- 6-3 ($163).

I found it interesting to learn that Charlie
Fredrickson, known to all Melbourne as the man
outside Hoyts, was so good at spruiking and
The Regent Theatre at South Yarra. persuading the passing public to buy tickets in the
city, that he was paid more than the manager!

36 2012 CINEM AREC ORD