Page 20 - CinemaRecord #80
P. 20

f the dozen or so drive-in theatres that
                                                                                    Oonce dotted the suburbs of Sydney, the sole
                                                                                    survivor in 2013 is the one operated by Great Union
                                                                                    in the western suburb of  Blacktown.

                                                                                    This year has also brought about some major
                                                                                    changes to this popular outdoor venue, most
                                                                                    notably, part of the site being taken over for the
                                                                                    construction of a new hotel complex by the parent
                                                                                    company, Amalgamated Holdings.
                                                                                    This new construction encroached on the location
                                                                                    of the original giant movie-screen which was
                                                                                    demolished and replaced with a smaller version
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                                                                                    Following this, the theatre was closed for a
                                                                                    few months whilst a major refurbishment of
                                                                                    the combined cafeteria/projection building was
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                                                                                    the building.
                                                                                    The interior of the diner was completely made-
                                                                                    over in a 1950s  ³+DSS\  'D\V´ American  theme
                                                                                    celebrating the origins and nostalgia of a night at
                                                                                    the drive-in.
                                                                                    The newly refurbished theatre re-opened on Friday
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                                                                                    Gravity, plus the welcome addition of reverting to
                                                                                    its original name - Skyline.

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                                                                                    1950s era exceptionally well, the Blacktown Drive-
                                                                                    In is in fact a child of the 60s.


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