Page 24 - CinemaRecord #83

Japanese roofing iron profile differed to the
Australian made product, it was difficult to roll
the iron for the curved roof. Some second-hand
materials were gleaned: a heating system was
obtained from the fire-damaged Liberty
(Odeon) in Melbourne as well as a pump for
the septic sewerage system and a fan for the
ventilation system. As bricks were
unobtainable, the exterior walls of the building
were made from reinforced concrete.
Regulations at the time permitted the use of
concrete, providing the cement was sourced
from outside Victoria.
The external roof line was complemented by
a curved ceiling of acoustic tile sheets
(approximately 1.8 m x .9 m). This proved to
be an attractive part of the decor. A stage area
was built to accommodate the screen, sound
equipment, curtains and machinery. Instead of
building a proscenium, the straight auditorium
ceiling finished at the stage curtain (which was A crowd gathers to watch the fire
headed with valances). Decorative plaster
swirls were applied to the front of the stage and The decor of the lounge foyer was completed Premiere for the local hospital building appeal.
down the side walls of the stalls. The indirect with the use of cream brocade curtains (to the Mr. Ern Pollard was the theatre's projectionist
house lighting was set into troughs at the top front windows), sections of mirror tiles, for seven years.
of the walls. standard lamps and vinyl divans. The stalls
foyer was utilitarian, and contained a central With better access to first release films,
The theatre was designed to seat 808 on a ticket box, a curved candy counter, and poster Lawrence Brothers were able to rapidly build
single raked floor. Film Weekly at the time panels fixed to the eastern wall. A forward their business. First release contracts were
records the seating capacity as 850; there is no reservations/manager's office and pram room arranged with RKO, Warner Brothers, Fox,
explanation for this difference. The auditorium also opened off the lounge foyer. British Empire Films, and Universal. The
was divided into both lounge and stalls "Town Hall Talkies" retained exclusive
sections. The foyer areas were at the front of In 1942, Lawrence Brothers had purchased two release of MGM, United Artists and Paramount
the building (beneath the lounge) and down the 1940 model, Simplex projectors from the product for a short while, until the distributors
left hand side of the auditorium. The stalls Royal Australian Navy (Flinders Depot). decided where their best interests were. An
were accessed from the side foyer, and seated These were stored until they were aggressive advertising policy was used with
472 on 19 inch wide, burgundy coloured vinyl, “temporarily” installed with a Western Electric such slogans as "It's best (... warmest, pleasant)
flip-up seats in curved rows. The lounge, sound system in the new theatre. From all in The Valley” being used.
which was centrally accessed from the front accounts, they provided trouble free service
foyer, seated 336 on 20 inch wide, mushroom and were sold to the Cameo (Belgrave) when From the start, the Valley Theatre screened
fabric covered, Dunlop chairs. The rows in the the theatre closed. They are now owned by a six nights a week, with Saturday, and often
lounge were straight. The auditorium and Melbourne CATHS member. midweek matinees. Three program changes
foyers were painted in a combination of white, were made each week, because of public
grey and subtle shadings of pink. The entrance Excluding the projectors, the total cost of the demand and the availability of films. Patrons
and stalls foyer floors were covered with building, furnishings and equipment, totalled flocked from all parts of Gippsland to this
brown and beige asphalt tiles. The lounge £66,000. Apart from a minor alteration to the comfortable theatre. The construction camps
section of the foyer, stairs, aisles and stage roof line to accommodate CinemaScope provided the theatre with a large, ready-made
crossovers were covered in a burgundy in 1955, the building remained structurally patronage base, and the workers were bussed
patterned carpet. unaltered until its closure. The Valley Theatre to the Valley. It was interesting to note that the
opened on 19 December 1951, with a Charity "Town Hall Talkies” continued to screen up
Below: The stadium style layout to five nights per week, with a Saturday
matinee, for over a year after the Valley
Theatre opened.

During the afternoon of 27 February 1956, a
suspicious fire damaged the stage area, the
centre of the first three rows of the stalls, and
caused extensive smoke damage to the whole
auditorium. Only for the fact that the manager
and his staff were on the premises taking
reservations for A Man Called Peter, and that
a patron smelt smoke, the theatre may well
have been totally destroyed. The press report
estimated the damage to be in the order of
£8,000 – £10,000.

After a hasty clean-up, the theatre re-opened
on 8 March, utilising a standard screen and
sound system. A disclaimer, concerning
damage to patrons' clothing, was placed in the
Traralgon Journal at the time of re-opening.
Screening continued during the subsequent
refurbishment, which included the

24 CINEMARECORD # 83