Page 10 - CinemaRecord #83

complaint from both the neighbours and the
audience in the opposite field. Consequently
a large screen fence was built between the two
fields to improve privacy.

Video eventually took its toll on the Starline
and it was closed on 26 August 1992. The final
films were Basic Instinct (Field 1) and
Sleepwalkers and Gladiator (Field 2). The
drive in was then redeveloped as a housing
estate.

The hard-tops

The twin cinema which BCC came to operate
in the city centre evolved from their former
Earls Court theatre. This theatre and its
surrounding gardens originally occupied the
site in Denham St, between Alma St and Alma
Lane. A chemist shop now occupies the corner
of Denham and Alma Sts, which was once the
main garden of the Earls Court theatre. This
large single floored cinema of 2114 seats
became a victim of the times and was rebuilt
into two attractive smaller cinemas.
The Earls Court single level interior
During the 1970s the construction of twin
Regional Australia’s first twin drive-in 6000 ft. spools were used. Due to the power cinemas became very popular across Australia.
supply problems being experienced in north As well as newly constructed venues, many
In 1972 BCC spent $250,000 constructing a Queensland at this time, a standby generator single screen theatres were converted to twin
second screen on a field at the back of the was also installed. Given the capacity of the cinemas with seating capacities often in the
original theatre, which opened on twin theatre, traffic management was carefully hundreds. At the time, BCC had reduced its
28 November. A new projection room was considered. Four entrance lanes led to the venues in Rockhampton to three; the
built on the second field but the original common four booth ticket centre; two lanes Wintergarden and Earls Court theatres, and
cafeteria facilities were shared. The second then proceeded to each field. The second field the Starline Drive-in, in the suburb of Kawana
field added another 400 cars to the total opened withThe Cowboys (a John Wayne film). (also known as the Kawana Drive-in).
capacity that was then about 800 cars. This was
the first twin drive in built in Queensland, and The early 1970s saw the release of “R” rated As part of the rationalisation of BCC facilities
indeed in regional Australia. It is likely that a adult movies on the commercial circuits. in Rockhampton, the Earls Court theatre was
major reason for BCC’s twinning of the drive Drive-in theatre managements took to these closed on 9 September 1972 for conversion
in was to give the company an additional films as a means to build the business with into a state of the art twin cinema. That theatre
screen in the city prior to the rationalisation of young people. Unfortunately, these same films being of long rectangular shape, with a single
its two city hard-tops. were to contribute to the demise of the drive-in raked auditorium, was more suitable for
theatres by driving family audiences away. twinning than the traditional Wintergarden
New Cinemeccanica 35/70 mm water cooled With the Starline Twin situated in a housing “lyric style” theatre, with its extensive stage
projectors were installed in both theatres and area, the “R” rated films caused much facilities, balcony and upstairs foyer spaces.

The inside of the former
The rebuilt Earls Court as the City Cinema Centre Earls Court was gutted and
totally rebuilt. The rake of
the auditorium was
reconstructed to provide for
two parallel cinemas. The
entrance foyer containing
ticket box, a large candy
counter and access (to the
right) to new toilets. The
entrance foyer was located at
the top of 14 steps. This
unusual entry arrangement
was designed to allow for the
construction of a sub-
basement to house
refrigeration and storage
facilities. The building was
extended over the land to the
right hand side of the original
building. This extension
accommodated new toilets
for patrons, staff facilities and
a machinery room to house
the stand-by power generator
and air conditioning plant.

10 CINEMARECORD # 83