Page 26 - CinemaRecord #77C
P. 26
These were the golden days of Hollywood
when releases here were about a year behind
America. And the further you were from
a capital city in Australia the later you got
them. This meant we were straight after the
city, with the film still in good condition.
Mostly at the New Windsor we had the
luxury of not switching film with another
theatre during the run of the film. I am sure
others had a story to tell about the fingernail
biting of three-way switching.
The new film delivery on a Friday evening
was often just in time. This night I had the
first half of the program all made up and
the first reel ready on a projector when
word came through that the Regent South
Yarra had had an accident and would take South Yarra Regent
our first half, and we would have to run
our second half first, and then send it to
them. That was a rush! My audio equipment experience told me
it would be a microphonic valve in the
The Regent South Yarra bio-box - and I pre-amplifier section which I, not wanting
emphasise `box’ - was hung on the back of to be there half the night, proved by
this large theatre (as an afterthought) and tapping the first valve - Ring, Ring. End of
supported, including the stairs, by an open story. We went home.
metal framework. It got the full sun (and rain)
from the west and was a real boiler room. Reading The Complete Projectionist and
Talk about working like galley slaves! Richardson’s Blue Book of Projection wasn’t
helping to ease the tedium. Maybe just
It was cramped to the point where the fire as well, because my parents’ words were
water buckets had to be kept on the landing at starting to nag me a bit and because you had
the top of the stairs, next to the biobox door. to have something go wrong before there
The night was wet, the stairs were slippery, was something different to do.
and the film went - into the fire bucket! The
show went on; the audience never knew. The As part of a projectionist’s job at that time
film was recovered later by laying it across the it was required that you did some hours of
auditorium seats, emulsion side up, to dry. maintenance to theatre equipment.
During the second half of one night’s Outside the annual springtime competition
screening an usherette rang through to say mentioned previously, I had not and
that there was an intermittent ringing of a didn’t know anyone who had done any I turned up at 7 o’clock that night and found
telephone in the film, but it didn’t pertain to maintenance, except in the projection or one of the Regent City’s assistants at my
the story line. emergency generator rooms. bench winding film. I had been sacked! I took
my radio, got on my bike and left forever.
The operator decided to wait until the show I was told I was required to get up in the
was over and then tackle the problem. When roof and clean the miles of ceiling light But isn’t it marvelous how often, when a
the audience had gone he started substituting troughs. This was a 40 degree summer chapter in your life is dragging, fate steps in
valves in the amplifier power supply. week, so I declined! and makes the big decision for you?
And as fate would have it, the arrival of
television brought movies into the home,
but to the detriment of cinema attendances
and eventually caused the loss of most of the
suburban theatres and their projectionists in
the decades following.
It also caused me to meet up with Mrs.
Kennedy again - at her home when I was
asked to service her television set. I also met
Graham there. His mother had married again
and was now Mrs. Smith!
For me, technically, television was a
natural progression when it came, and
mum and dad were right - there was
no future for me as a projectionist! H
Used with permission from Radio Waves Jan.2013.
South Yarra Regent Photos: From the collections of Mel Elliot; Brian
Pearson; Kevin Adams and the CATHS archives.
26 2013 CINEM AREC ORD