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
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