Page 21 - CinemaRecord #81

Paramounts only entry in the 3D stakes,
Sangaree came to the Kings in November 1953.
A plantation melodrama, its polaroid glasses
were an advance for the gimmick, but the wait in
the dark at every reel change seemed primitive
for a city theatre.

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screened at the Kings, but its usual fare was
Paramount’s second-tier features, those unlikely
WR ¿OO *UHDWHU 8QLRQ¶V State in Flinders Street.
Anticipated mega-hits, such as Sabrina, Shane
and White Christmas (VistaVision 1954), were
either released simultaneously in both theatres,
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theatre.

The Kings became the Melbourne home for
every Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis comedy,
beginning with At War with the Army (1951).
A double feature revival – Alan Ladd in Two
Years Before the Mast and William Holden in
Dear Ruth - ZHUH WKH ODVW ¿OPV LQWR WKH Kings. It
th
closed on Saturday 13 February 1958.

Now owned by Sir Norman B. Rydge, the
Managing Director of Greater Union Theatres,
the building was gutted and converted into
the smart two-level Barclay Cinema with a
cantilever dress circle. Backstage the building
was basically unchanged. ZĞĨĞƌĞŶĐĞƐ
ZŽƐƐ <ŝŶŐ͕ ƉĞƌƐŽŶĂů ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƟŽŶ͘
So remnants of the Kings survived for another dŚĞĂƚƌĞ ŝŶ ƵƐƚƌĂůŝĂ ďLJ :ŽŚŶ tĞƐƚ ; ĂƐƐĞůů ƵƐƚƌĂůŝĂ
18 years, in itself a source of pleasure for those ϭϵϳϴͿ ĂŶĚ dƌŽǀĞ͕ ƚŚĞ ŽŶͲůŝŶĞ ŶĞǁƐƉĂƉĞƌ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ ŽĨ
who had appreciated this work-horse of a ƚŚĞ EĂƟŽŶĂů >ŝďƌĂƌLJ ŽĨ ƵƐƚƌĂůŝĂ͕ ǁĞƌĞ ŝŵƉŽƌƚĂŶƚ
theatre. sources for much of the early history of the theatre.
WŚŽƚŽŐƌĂƉŚƐ ĂŶĚ /ŵĂŐĞƐ͗ Provided by the authors
ĂŶĚ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ĐŽůůĞĐƟŽŶƐ ŽĨ͗ ƌŝĂŶ WĞĂƌƐŽŶ͖ ZŽƐƐ <ŝŶŐ͖
K. Adams; Gordon Turnbull.

CINEMAREC ORD 2014 21