Page 25 - CinemaRecord #79

The same company which ran the Lincoln,
(Gladstone Theatres Ltd which had been
formed in August 1925) opened the Embassy
Theatre in 1935 but the proprietors must have
been feeling the pinch of competition, because
prior to the opening of the Embassy, the
Lincoln started advertising for the first time in
the Gladstone Observer newspaper.
In fact, the heading to the advertisement
reads: “Three years silence – and now The
Lincoln Speaks! With better times come
better Pictures, and better Pictures demand Theatre Royal reborn
more extensive publicity… The Observer as the Trocadero Hall.
now brings you weekly news of the Wonderful
Shows being presented at the LINCOLN.”
Despite this, the Lincoln could not compete
with the new theatre, and was soon closed.

The Embassy Theatre was an ambitious
project for Gladstone Theatres Ltd, a
company whose chairman of directors was
local businessman and grazier, Walter Ferris.
Other directors were Hugh Neill Ballantine,
Dennis Connellan, Edward Colyer and Henry
Ambrose. It was a large building between
the Royal Hotel and the Commonwealth
Bank, near the intersection of Goondoon and
William Street.

The most luxurious picture theatre ever
built in Gladstone, the Embassy had seats
for 1000 patrons, modern décor, and a
beautifully appointed dress circle. The theatre
was managed by Stan Clapham who took
ownership the following year.

Last days of the Lincoln Theatre.

1949 Cyclone. March 1949 cyclone damage to former Lincoln.

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