Page 15 - CinemaRecord #79

- The Selleck Group - By Mel Elliott.

rank Selleck served in the First World After seven years the idea of a new theatre
FWar and had an officer ranking. After was dropped and the Argosy was sold. It was
the war he set up in business as a public a great little theatre and did well. Selleck did,
accountant. He had a number of old army however proceed with the construction of
mates that were in business as well. They all the Civic Ashburton, which opened in 1949.
worked together in various ventures, so a lot
of business came his way. The Mayfair Gardenvale was also a Selleck
and Ward theatre. It was a little run down, so
The Selleck office was on the 6th floor at they offered me a one-fifth share to manage
368 Collins Street, Melbourne (near Queen and operate the place, which I did. For some Lord Major, Frank Selleck.
Street). After stepping out of the lift I was seven years, at weekends, we showed MGM,
always interested to read the registered office Paramount and BEF films. On Monday, During my time with the Group, Frank
listings with which he was associated. ‘The Tuesday and Wednesday it was foreign films. Selleck was elected to the Melbourne City
Selleck Group’ was not a business name, it Council and was Lord Mayor during the
was short-hand for his theatre interests, often 1956 Olympic Games. He was knighted
in partnership with Robert Ward. Gardenvale billboard. soon after. We managers enjoyed an
The individual theatres were independent invitation to lunch and a Christmas party at
companies and listed as such in trade the Melbourne Town Hall.
directories. When the Waverley opened in
late 1936, Frank Selleck was the company Frank Selleck had connections with a lot of
Secretary. By the 1950s he was a Director. theatres over the years and his son Bruce
continued that interest. The re-vamp of the
The Savoy in Russell Street, famous as Capitol, Swanston Street into a single level
the home of European films, was perhaps theatre by Selleck, Sillman and Sharp in
his best known venture in Melbourne, in 1976 was one of Bruce’s projects.
partnership with singer Peter Dawson. The
Burnley Theatre may have been his first The Frank Selleck cinema interests that I
suburban acquisition. remember are:
Adelphi Carlton, Argosy Murrumbeena,
I first worked for the group as an assistant I did the place up, things went well for all Burnley Burnley, Civic Ashburton, Dendy
in the box in 1942 at the Western, West of us, but then TV came. The Mayfair went Brighton, Mayfair Gardenvale, Plaza
Brunswick before I was called up for service back to three nights as well as the Western. Frankston, Paramount Maryborough, Savoy
in 1944. After my discharge I went to the I ended up managing the two theatres and – Melbourne (and Sydney), Waverley East
Adelphi Carlton. Later I was back at the was projectionist at the Western for about 15 Malvern and Western West Brunswick,
Western and obtained my licence sometime months. Then both theatres closed for good. Elwick Drive-In Hobart, Launceston and
later. On Friday and Saturday nights at the Frankston Drive-Ins.
Western, a special tram would be waiting at
the end of the show to take the crowd home
to West Coburg. Photographs from the CATHS Archives and the
Kevin Adams collection.
Next I took the position of Manager/Operator
of the Argosy Theatre Murrumbeena. It was Frankston Drive-in.
only a weekender, bought by Selleck and
Ward. Their long-term plan was to build
a theatre in the main shopping area once
building restrictions had been relaxed. I took
on a daytime job in the city as well.

Murrumbeena Argosy. Frankston Plaza.

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