Page 27 - CinemaRecord #77C

hile on a visit to his home town of
WHamilton, in Western Victoria in
December 2012, Cinema Pioneers member,
Frank McKenzie, passed away just a few days
before Christmas at the age of 94 years.

I first met Frank almost at the end of his Toorak Drive-In.
cinema years when I was doing some relief
projection work at the Village Drive-In at
Toorak. Myself also having recently returned Frank Mckenzie The introduction the “R” classification film from
from Hamilton (where I had been living for the early 1970s saw young families replaced by
a number of years) Frank and I had much to a liFetiMe at the Drive-in young adults as the main drive-in audience. The
talk of in sharing our cinema interests. By Ross King family night out at the drive-in became a rarity.
This was coupled with the introduction of
Frank had started in the picture business at
an early age, following his father as a touring colour television in 1974 a decade later by the
picture-showman around the small towns of advent of the domestic video recorder, thereby
the Victoria’s western district. While the larger making watching movies of choice at home
towns had established purpose built picture- very economical as opposed to paying cinema
theatres such as the Casterton Theatre, the Star admission prices.
at Portland and Prince Regent at Hamilton, most 70mm at Toorak Drive-In.
smaller towns relied on the travelling showmen However, probably the biggest factor in the
for their picture - going entertainment. demise of the drive-in theatre was by the
Advancing technology and great social spreading of suburbia
Frank with his friend, Tom Pearson, change was taking place. Whereas the .
established a circuit setting up in the local introduction of television in 1956 had The very demographic that had spawned its
Mechanics Institutes and community halls. adversely affected the suburban hard-top success, now began to devour the drive-in, as the
(Tom Pearson continued running country cinemas, the increased post war affluence of once cheap land on which theatres were built,
hall shows well into the 1960’s). Australians acquiring motor cars, led to more became favoured sites for redevelopment with
drive-in establishments of all descriptions. many becoming housing estates to accommodate
With the experience gained as a touring an ever increasing population.
showman, Frank was in a good position when Drive-in theatres were constructed on the
Village Theatres decided to establish their first outskirts of the major cities and towns where By 1985 Melbourne’s suburban drive-ins at
country drive-In at Hamilton, and engaged Frank land prices were relatively cheap, and from Wantirna, Burwood, Preston, Doncaster, Altona,
to set-up the operation. these locations they prospered for years. Brooklyn, Dandenong, Rowville, Sunshine,
Reservoir, Essendon and Toorak had all closed
with the same rapidity as had the suburban hard-
Hamilton’s Village Drive-In proved so
successful, that Frank moved to Melbourne to tops twenty or so years earlier.
supervise the developing Village circuit with
their new drive-ins at suburban Brooklyn and the At the time of these closures, Hoyts managing
country locations of Wangaratta and Traralgon. director, Mr Terry Jackman, said: “Although
This was followed by a move to the independent there is still a strong market for drive-in
Sunset Drive-In at Maribyrnong, and then to patrons, Melbourne has been over-serviced
Hoyts at their new Altona Drive-In - reputed to with screens compared to other Australian
be the most modern in the southern hemisphere. capital cities.” (21 in all!)
.
With the closure of the Toorak Drive-In and
consequential sale of its prime site (a former
brickworks) Frank decided to call it a day.
Following his retirement, Frank still
maintained his life-long interest in movies
and the picture business and despite ongoing
health issues, was a frequent participant at
Cinema Pioneers functions. H

References:
Conversations with the writer.
th
Brooklyn Drive-In. The Age 12 Aug 1984 and Senior News, 2008.
Photographs from the collection of Kevin Adams.

CINEM AREC ORD 2013 27