Page 23 - CinemaRecord #77C

Elsternwick.

This caused a gear pin to break. The Western
Electric serviceman fixed it but we had to run
single machine for a while. Shamefaced, I learnt
a valuable lesson: beware of moving machinery Rare photo of the burnt out Regent showing the
even if it looks docile. Needless to say, I disliked temporary roof over the Plaza Theatre underneath.
From the Bill Murdoch collection.
and spurned cotton waste from then on.
Having variable speed machines was handy, December 1947 saw the end of school days
providing you were careful not to make every and a meeting with Mick Bramley, Hoyts’ chief
character a Donald Duck. It got the kids’ engineer, outside the Regent Theatre in Collins
matinees out early! Street, Melbourne.
When the assistant went on holidays they Refurbishing was being completed (after
decided to use me as a temporary replacement. a huge fire in April 1945) ready for the
This meant studying and memorising the reopening on the 19th of December screening
presentation steps from notes at school The Home Stretch. The introduction, by my
while supposedly studying French which I father, was in spite of being told by my
rightly reckoned I’d never use. No computer parents ‘There’s no future in it. It’s a dead-end
programming in those days! job and you’ll have no social life.’ etc.

Remember house lights, slides, voice-overs, A week later I started in the position of Second
film ads, curtains, proscenium colour changes, Assistant Operator at the mighty Hoyts
background music etc? The management of Padua Theatre in Sydney Road, Brunswick.
these was the showmanship part of the job. A Compared to what I had been used to so far,
far cry from today’s multiplex where you can this was cinema big time! The auditorium
walk in to be greeted by open curtains, a blank seated nearly 2000 people with the luxury of
screen, no usher, no atmosphere, no music, foot-warmers and a large windowed `crying
nothing. Sometimes not even an audience. room’ behind the back stalls.

Padua.

Padua Crying Room.

Padua Theatre auditorium.

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