Page 23 - CinemaRecord #85

The original façade, now the entrance to Manning Arcade The gutted Majestic upper auditorium
Image: Garry Gillard Image: Garry Gillard

The Majestic seated 1000, and was described as “a fine, imposing The building was classified by the National Trust of Australia in May
structure of generous proportions” (West Australian, 9 December 1916), 1974 and placed on the Register of National Estate in March 1978,
when it opened on 23 December 1916, after the official ceremony had though I suspect that the part they're most interested in is the two-storey
been postponed for a day because of a power failure. offices-and-shops building on the corner. Before the theatre was built,
this was the location of the Racecourse Hotel, from about 1850 until
In August 1918 the lease was taken over by J.C. Williamson Films, and the theatre was built in 1912.
in 1927 it became a Hoyts theatre, which it remained until it closed on
25 July 1938, in anticipation of the opening of the new Hoyts
Fremantle theatre.

Fearing that the Majestic lease would be taken over by another
company who might operate in competition with their new theatre,
Hoyts employees destroyed the fixtures and fittings on the day they
vacated the premises. The new theatre opened the next day.

THE PRINCESS THEATRE

The Princess Theatre was on the corner of Leake and Market
Streets. It was purpose built in 1912 for Captain Frank Biddles
(1851-1932) (a master pearler from Broome, who had semi-
retired to Fremantle in 1902). It was designed by local architect,
John McNeece, and built by Mr C. Moore, at a cost of £22,000.
The theatre, with a seating capacity of 1,850, was opened on 21
December 1912 by the Mayor of Fremantle, Frederick James
McLaren.

The opening night included a screening of The French Spy and
vaudeville performances by Miss Elsie McGuire. Until 1914 the Above and below: Interior pictures of the Princess 1960s - just prior to its closure.
theatre was managed by Thomas Coombe. Coombe then lost
contact with the building as the management changed, but he Images: Fremantle City Library Local History Collection.
returned in 1917 to take over the business.

In 1915 Captain Biddles made the basement of the Princess
Theatre available to provide amenities for army and naval
personnel. This was the early beginnings of the RSA, later to
become known as the Returned and Services League of Australia
(RSL). A more permanent structure was built the following year
nearby.

The building was extensively reconstructed in 1941 and the
auditorium lost its original 1912 décor. On 26 June 1969 the
Princess Theatre closed, and the building was converted to
commercial uses.

The entrance was where Kakulas Sister, an upmarket grocery store
now trades. Some of the theatre masonry can still be seen in the
shop. I'm told that the auditorium is now used as a warehouse, so
the building as such must still be in reasonable condition.

CINEMARECORD # 85 23