Page 13 - CinemaRecord #86

CinemaScope was introduced
to 14. Coincidentally, the
tram service along Barkly
Street ceased operation two
months later. Hoyts still had
a presence in Footscray; the
Trocadero survived for
another five years.
In its 48-year life, the theatre
underwent the least change of
any of the ‘old’ theatres in the
Hoyts’ chain. It introduced a
degree of sophistication into
cinema design, and held its
own well enough thereafter.

Conversion to the Fiesta
Cabaret and Reception Centre
was soon underway. A dining
area and dance floor occupied
the stalls with the kitchen
behind the stage. The circle
foyer became another
reception area, the Bride’s
Room.

A Bingo club was the next
venture. Thereafter, next to no
maintenance meant that water
the bio-box while the show was on. The On more than one occasion he was on the damage from a leaking roof went unchecked.
drain-pipe somehow ran out into the spouting landing looking out and saw the undertaker A storm in December 1990 peeled off some of
on the front verandah.” hosing down a corpse in the backyard!” the roof and partly demolished the fly-tower.
It was in this dilapidated state that the building
In Ross’s time, both the Barkly was added to Victoria’s Heritage Register.
and the Trocadero were jointly Now home to squatters and an army of rats, an
managed by Bill Vanderhaven. attempt was made to burn it down in 1995. (9)
The theatres shared the two
Movietone newsreels; the A legal dispute between the owners and a
Australian and the International string of creditors stalled opportunities for the
edition. The newsreel would be next makeover. Proposals to refurbish the
cut in half at an appropriate building as apartments were announced and
item and an end title spliced just as quickly fell over. Finally, as Barkly
on. Barkly would run one half Theatre Apartments, the building is secure for
and Trocadero the other at the at least another 50 years. ê
start of the show. The two
halves were then switched
between the theatres by the Acknowledgments
page boy, and the alternate half
of the newsreel was shown after Assoc. Prof. Ross Thorne supplied a key reference.
interval. Ross King, Jim White and Keith Gulliver offered
A Barkly Ranch Night preview begins. Image: Ross King amusing anecdotes. Frank Van Straten provided
The last of six night screenings concluded on background on some of the stage artists.
“If it had been a hot day when I arrived I would Saturday 11 September 1961. Thereafter the Uncredited photos are from the CATHS Archive
open the exit doors on either side of the dress theatre was open Wednesday to Saturday Additional Reading
circle to let in a bit of cool air. The doors on nights. Wednesday’s program
the right-hand side looked directly into the was usually Ranch Night, but
1 Fond Memories from the Barkly Bio-Box, Jim White
backyard of the next door business sometimes it was a so-called CinemaRecord No. 70
- an undertaker. A former Specialty Program, a first 2 Footscray at the Flicks, Roger Seccombe
operator, Sid release film only worthy of 3 Barkly Theatre Footscray, Ian Hanson Kino No. 47,
W i l l i a m s , one screening. On March 1994
l a t e r Thursday to Saturday the
theatre screened a References
current circuit program.
A gradation in survival 1 Footscray Advertiser, 21 May 1927
was evident: some 2 Footscray Chronicle, 24 Jan. 1914
theatres still managed six 3 Footscray Chronicle, 7 Dec. 1913
nights of screenings, the Barkly four 4 Building, May 12 1915
nights and others three nights. 5 7882P1 Unit 50, Public Records Office
6 The Mail, 29 Jan. 1997
7 Frank Van Straten,personal communication
told me The last show was King Richard and the
that he used to do Crusaders and Solution by Phone on Saturday 8 Footscray Advertiser, 21 Jan. 1930
the same thing. 20 January 1962. Hoyts chain of suburban 9 Brimbank Independent, 4 April 1995
theatres had now reduced from 36 when

CINEMARECORD # 86 13