Page 28 - CinemaRecord #76C

2012 - From the rear gallery.
It was around 1953/4 that I travelled on The standard-ratio cartoons were stretched
S.S. Iberia. the second voyage of the P&O ship Iberia with the anamorphic lenses to give a
back to Adelaide with all my possessions, CinemaScope effect. I did all my training
including my car. Arriving back with nothing with Hoyts including day time cleaning, and
particular in view, my strict father pressured bookwork. At night I wore a dinner suit!
me to find work quickly.
Interestingly, in Adelaide the suburban
I decided to seek employment with the Hoyts operations of Hoyts Ozone and GU Clifford
Ozone theatre circuit. This suburban circuit theatres had rights to all film product, this
included theatres at Endfield, Prospect, flexibility did not exist in Melbourne.
Unley, Goodwood, Semaphore, Port
Adelaide, Marryatville and Glenelg as well Then Alan Barr approached me and we
as country cinemas. discussed that fact that television was
coming to Adelaide and that they had enough
Joint General Managers were Alan Barr experienced managers and so they would
(from Hoyts Sydney) and Ted Harvey. I not be able to keep me on once the effect of
joined the Hoyts Ozone and Alan Barr took TV kicked in. However, Allan at that time
me on as a trainee relief manager working in (c.1958) told me that Greater Union was
all the suburban theatres in the circuit and in about to refurbish the old Civic Theatre into
the country at Port Pirie. the State Cinema and would be requiring an
assistant manager.
Alan Barr was mad on theatre inspections. The
managers were very mindful of these inspections Alan Barr wrote to Jim Begg the senior
and kept their theatres in tip-top condition. manager of Greater Union (GU) in Adelaide,
on my behalf. Jim Begg was also the manager
Then I went into the Hoyts city theatres, the of the Sturt Theatre (a GU British house),
Adelaide Plaza. Rex and Plaza, as a relief manager. The formerly known as the Mayfair and Grand.
Plaza was a new theatre that opened with Jim had come from the GU Strand in Hobart
Around the World in 80 Days in 70mm. It (Tasmania). The Strand was subsequently
had evolved out of the Embassy Ballroom modernised to become the Odeon.
which was situated behind the Regent.
Dick Lawless was at Wests theatre in
Rex Vincent managed the Rex and Ted Adelaide. Gordon Wright became the
Winter the Plaza. George Kimlin was the manager of the Sturt Theatre. Jim Begg
manager of the Regent as well the senior moved from the Sturt to the State theatre
manager of Hoyts Theatres Ltd in Adelaide. as senior manager. Greater Union ran three
The Hoyts Ozone suburban, country and city city theatres: the Sturt, State and Wests.
theatres were operated separately. GU also had an extensive suburban circuit
(formerly the Clifford circuit). I became a
I then went back to the Hoyts Ozone suburban relieving assistant manager. Earnie Sharp,
Adelaide Plaza. circuit for a while, working at the Ozone at from GU’s suburban Clifford Theatres, also
Unley where Bill Woods was the very strict came in as a relieving manager. Apparently
manager. I remember the man in grey out the I must have been doing an excellent job as
front of that theatre. Jim Begg also promoted me as a relieving
manager (on manager’s wages) of the State,
Wednesday Ranch nights (with two cowboy Sturt and Wests.
films) were very big at all the Hoyts Ozone
theatres. They also had a cartoon on these I thought a lot of Alan Barr and his operations
nights which was screened at the end of and I learnt a lot from him. Jim Begg and
the program to send everyone home on a Dick Lawless (a promotions expert) also had
happy note. a great influence on me.

Unley Ozone. Unley Ozone.

28 2012 CINEM AREC ORD