Page 15 - CinemaRecord #84

there was speculation that Village was about
to construct an eight-cinema complex as part
of a proposed $40 million international hotel
planned for Geelong’s Western Beach. Maybe
it was for this reason that the O’Donnells
decided to sell the theatre.

In January 1991, Peter and Sue Stokes
purchased the Pix, and immediately set about
forcing down cinema prices in Geelong by
dropping the admission price at the Pix by
almost 50 percent. This incurred the wrath of
Village as well as the distributors, who
subsequently refused to provide the Pix with
first release film. With the imminent closure
of the Village Twin Cinema in Ryrie Street
to allow its conversion into the new Village 11,
Village was looking for another location as a
stop-gap measure during the construction
period. After operating the Pix for three years,
and despite his success in on-going battles with
the distributors for supply of first release film,
Pix West as used for a ballet school c.1997 Mr. Stokes agreed to sell the theatre to Village,
had to sell the property due to Bruno’s ill who commenced screening on 1 January 1994.
in June 1970, and was interviewed by health. During their tenure, new seats, air
Channel 7’s Brian Naylor at the time. conditioning, and carpet were installed, and Even after the opening of their new 11-screen
coffee was regularly served after evening cinema in 1995, Village continued to use the
As well as the Pix, Bass operated the cinema sessions. Their most successful movie was Pix to screen films which had already played
in the Anglesea Memorial Hall for Christmas Annie, and the biggest flop was Jesus of at the Village 11, but which still had some life
and Easter holiday seasons between 1968 and Nazareth during the Easter season, when only left in them to continue on in a smaller venue.
1970, having taken over from the previous two people arrived for the screening. They also However, attendances continued to decline
exhibitor, a Mrs. Ward. At the time, he was screened Parts 1 and 2 of The Godfather, not since the opening of the Village 11. The final
using his Shinkyo portable 35 mm projectors, realising how long the film ran. Their last screening at Pix West was held on 8 May
with mediocre light and sound. In 1969, he patron left the cinema at 3am. Bruno looked 1996, when a double feature was presented,
decided to replace the Simplex projectors at after front of house, warmly greeting regular comprising Burnt by the Sun and (rather
the Pix West with a pair of reconditioned patrons by name, while Rocky was the ironically) When Darkness Falls.
Kalee 19 machines and Kalee President arcs. projectionist.
The first program screened after the upgrade After the closure, all seating was removed and
was The Battle of Britain. The Simplex In the projection room, towers were installed, the sloping floor replaced with a new flat floor
projectors were then relocated to the Anglesea one behind each projector, reducing by a ballet school which occupied the building
Hall, together with a new pair of transarcs changeovers to one, or at most two during each for about a year.
fitted with rectifiers. This gave much better session. The Kalee President arcs could easily
light and sound, resulting in improved cope with a continuous run of 1 hour. In about 2001, Village sold the building to a
attendances, sometimes even requiring two Melbourne-based company, but must have
sessions a night to cope with the numbers. In February 1987, the Arico brothers sold the regarded the Pix as a threat if it ever were to
theatre to Tom and Brenda O’Donnell, who re-open as a cinema. Accordingly, an open-
In 1978, Bass suffered a heart attack, and went on to purchase the freehold in 1988. The ended caveat was placed on the property,
passed away on May 5 at the age of 69. Shortly O’Donnells continued the Arico brothers’ preventing it from ever being used as a cinema
after, the Pix West was sold to brothers Bruno philosophy of screening quality, non- in the future.
and Rocky Arico, who operated the theatre mainstream films, particularly French films, to
successfully until February 1987, when they a regular patronage. However, as early as 1989, Sadly, the building now has a rather dark,
forlorn look which is far different from the
time when its awning over the footpath, and
poster boxes on its wall were brightly lit,
crowds gathered in its small, but comfortable
foyer, and cars drove up and down Elizabeth
Street looking for that elusive parking space
before an evening screening in what was (in
my opinion) a theatre with a great atmosphere
in which to see a movie. ê

Acknowledgements:
Geelong Advertiser
Melbourne Argus
Trove
Mike Trickett
Lex de Vries Photo Collection
Potters House Church
“A Sepia Album of Historic Photographs of Geelong
& District: 1838-1988” by John Reid & Ian Hawthorn.
Images:
Richard Twentyman (unless noted)
Anglesea Memorial Hall Image: Royce Harris

CINEMARECORD # 84 15