Page 33 - CinemaRecord #83

Howell modified to take an arc - was
positioned on the floor with a port hole for the
lens cut just above floor level. Hartley was
obliged to lie on his stomach to thread up.
Equally difficult was trimming the arc. Despite
these aggravations, he stayed for about two
years. 9

The Esquire moved into a column City and
Showcase Cinemas on 12 December 1968,
now identified as Elsternwick. For the first
time, the theatre would receive some bold
newspaper advertising. It was now a small
moon in the Roc Kirby solar system, still in its
‘big-bang’ phase, not yet ready to badge its
city and suburban houses as Village Theatres.
The block ads for Steve McQueen as Bullitt on
Friday 25 April 1969 made much of the fact
that the film was at three Showcase Cinemas;
one in the city (the Century), one north of the
city (Cinema North, Reservoir) and one south
(Elsternwick).

Curiously, the name ‘Esquire’ was re-instated A section of the new foyer space
for seven days! Then, overnight on Wednesday
October 1971, a fire in a state that the late Alan Simpson, the head
stairwell gained access to the programmer at Village saw an opportunity. He
roof and the theatre was forced invited Russell O’Regan to join him as partner
to close for repairs. It re-opened and joint lessee. Alan introduced the films at
on 27 January 1972, many sessions, and was especially effective at
resplendent in gold curtaining, arranging school screenings of films on the
matched by seats upholstered syllabus, while Russell was projectionist and
in gold fabric, all from Hoyts managed the theatre. In 1990 Russell became
Paris Bourke Street (the sole lessee until January 1997. (See My
former Lyceum). Classic Years - Page 35.)
An important earner for a As the Classic was the last cinema in the City
suburban hard-top in the 1970s of Glen Eira, a public meeting was called at
was a Ladies’ Day. The the Glen Eira (Caulfield) Town Hall to see if
committee of an organisation anything could be done to revive it. Before
or charity group would run a television, the then City of Caulfield boasted
fund-raiser, selling tickets seven screens, with another four just outside
amongst their members and its borders.
friends. A current film would
Now in the cinema mainstream (25 April 1969) be followed by a chicken Several CATHS’ members attended this
basket lunch, in this case eaten meeting where a representative from Kadimah
in the Classic’s restaurant. made an appeal for a tenant. The upshot was
that Mr. Eddie Tamir+ was prepared to re-open
CATHS’ member Gordon the Classic. In his words, “[I] simply put in an
4 June 1969, the theatre became the Sharon, Evans was a relief projectionist at the Classic offer to lease my childhood cinema and was
still showing the same film! The word has in the late 1970s. He remembers the projector accepted. The terms [were] written on the back
Hebrew connotations, but in the opinion of as a Toshiba, model TPS 1000. He felt that the of a theatre poster”. The theatre re-opened two
Kadimah Vice-President Rachel Kalman, her place was ‘running down’. It was while in this months later. In September 1999, in
organisation did not influence the choice. The
popular explanation is that the name was one
man’s tribute to his wife! In July 1969, fire
severely damaged the building, causing its
closure until 1970.

In November 1970, a fire finished off Hoyts’
Renown. The Renown had been screening
three nights a week for some time, while the
Sharon had maintained nightly screenings.
Seeing off its arch-rival helped the Sharon,
but its future in the Village group must have
still been fluid. On Wednesday 9 June 1971, it
again had a name-change overnight to the
Classic.

The Classic Years

Four months later, fire again damaged the
Classic. Over the weekend of 9 and 10 Street view c. 2012

CINEMARECORD # 83 33