Page 19 - CinemaRecord #84

A River Runs Through It

The Balwyn Theatre

By Bill Gaul

In response to The Last Film Search by the holiday. On the
National Film and Sound Archive Canberra, day I arrived, the
Edwin William (Bill) Gaul donated several a s s i s t a n t
films, including a negative of the Balwyn projectionist had resigned, and so I walked into
Theatre (presumably made during a job.
construction). He intended to follow the
donation with this letter ‘to give you a feeling It was whilst working at the Frankston Plaza
of the industry that was’. The text has been that the Royal Children’s Hospital in
edited. Melbourne approached the cinema industry to
show films to the patients. The hospital cinema
y parents were farmers at Hopkins Point, had an old Pathé silent projector, and that was
Mfour miles east of Warrnambool in used until we ran out of silent film. The
Western Victoria. (Gaul’s cave is located under hospital were unable to fund sound projection
the south-east corner of what was their equipment; they could only treat the patients -
property). In 1927, they moved into town to not entertain them. Somehow, a sound
conduct a business in Warrnambool, and I went projection set-up was found and, for over 13
to the first session at the Warrnambool Town years, I went around the wards showing films
Hall Pictures run by Civic Pictures on a Friday to the patients.
night.
In some years, the newsreel companies would
In 1928, MGM'S “Trackless Train” came to film a documentary at the hospital. Eight
town. It looked like a D-class steam loco, but weeks after release, I was given a copy for the
the engine and carriages had rubber wheels. I hospital to keep. (They may still have this film,
think it was diesel electric. I was shown how albeit on nitrate stock).
they made smoke when coming into a town.
The tractor was loaded with four-gallon tins, In April 1947, I moved to newsreel theatres in
and I was told there was a motor in each the city and, from there, was transferred to the
carriage bogie. A speech was made, large suburban Balwyn Theatre. The manager
announcing the signing of a three-year of that theatre at the time was able to give me
contract, then the Boy Scouts boarded the train the early history of the building; how the creek
for a tour of the district. To turn around, it had was bricked over when the road was lifted;
to go around the block. how Cobb & Co. coaches were held up when
they slowed down to cross the creek; and how
At the end of the silent era, Civic Pictures the creek flowed under the foyer, did a left turn
moved to the nearby Capitol Theatre, which and flowed out under the back stalls.
is still operational, but with multiple screens.
The theatre foundations were laid in about
Around the corner from the Capitol, the new 1925, but further building work was suspended
Plaza Theatre opened in 1930, and I was for three years because of financial problems.
employed there as a lolly-boy during my high
school years. In 1934, the manager of the 20th Century Fox in America announced that
Warrnambool Plaza Theatre moved to the they were moving to “Grandeur” (a 70 mm
Plaza Theatre in suburban Frankston, and I process) so, at the Balwyn, the stage end of the
went there for what was to be a Christmas building was widened in anticipation of a
larger screen being installed. The
discarded bricks are still under
the stage. Sound came, and Fox
dropped the idea of “Grandeur”.
During the theatre building war
of 1938-39, the Balwyn, like the
Plaza Frankston, saw vast
alterations. The theatre changed
owners in 1968 and, with more The four images above are Frame Grabs from the
alterations, the State Electricity film referred to.
Commission wanted to put a pole
in the nature strip, but they struck Acknowledgements:
the creek bricks. So there was the
Text: Bill Gaul.
proof that there was, in fact, a Images: CATHS Archives
creek under the theatre. «

CINEMARECORD # 84 19