Page 4 - CinemaRecord #86

Dear Sirs, In the Newsreel of Issue 84 reporting on the Mad World opened the Wellington Cinerama
development of the former Russell Street as well as screening at the Cineramas in
Congratulations on another excellent issue. Theatre behind the Forum, it stated that "The Christchurch and Auckland which also took
The clarity of the photos is especially good, plan was developed by the Marriner Family on the single lens system.
considering the age and provenance of some who own the Forum Theatre as well the
of them. Regent and Princess Theatres”. The Forum Following this, there were other 70 mm
and Princess, yes. The Regent? No! The Cinerama presentations such as The Hallelujah
I feel that I should mention something that may Regent is owned 50/50 by the City of Trail, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Grand
have puzzled readers of the article on the Melbourne and the State Government of Prix and of course 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Lobethal Cinema. I have read the original Victoria. The Marriner Group operate the
article that it was taken from, and the quotes theatre with a fifty year lease dating from the The Cinerama theatres continued to show other
toward the end of the article from "Huxtable" reopening in 1996. 70 mm blow-up prints such as Where Eagles
were actually from Ben Huxtable, manager of Dare, The Dirty Dozen, Ice Station Zebra and
the Wallis Cinema Complex in another Hills Ian Williams. interestingly Fox's D-150 production of
town, Mount Barker. This is a modern six Melbourne Patton, as well as random revivals of other
cinema complex and I think the Lobethal « older 70 mm titles.
operators could only dream of having a movie
like Red Dog run for 11 weeks and deliver a Hi Mike It's possible that showing 70 mm non-
good return. anamorphic prints on the curved screens was
Many thanks for the complementary copy of less than ideal, and once the constant
While I am nit picking, the name of the Barkly CinemaRecord, which just arrived. availability of 70 mm dried up by the early
Theatre in Footscray was misspelt on page 35. 1970s, the cinema began screening 35 mm as
It was named after the street on which it stands, Congratulations on the great job you did in well. A rather sorry sight to see a 35 mm 1.85
but is often misspelt and mispronounced, making my stuff into a very nice-looking film using maybe a quarter of the actual giant
possibly because of the former Barclay article! It must have been quite difficult screen.
Theatre in the city. deciding what to use from the many pages,
and in what order to put it. I think you have So "Cinerama" in Wellington did mean just a
Thanks again for another great issue. done a splendid job. You obviously know big curved screen, not 3 projectors, but at least
what you’re doing with old photos: you have films such as Mad World and 2001 were
Royce Harris reproduced them very effectively. presented there as the filmmakers intended.
Beaumaris, Vic.
« I continue to work on my site, of course, and Best regards,
you missed a recent development that has
Dear Editorial team been added since you took the material - the Mark Spratt
Port Cinema’s disappearance. On page 28, Melbourne.
Thanks for the latest journal which promises where you write the Port is “undergoing a «
yet another good read. make-over”, it’s actually being demolished! Hi Mike

I note that among the Cinema Snapshots on I’m very happy with the fact that you have Thanks for the recent copy of CinemaRecord
Page 2, the Kings Theatre is said to be at made such extensive good use of my work. magazine. It was great to see the article
Bondi Beach. I know they all had a similar I’ve been working on webpages for twenty featuring the Lobethal Cinema. I have passed
design, but this one was in Marrickville Road, years, and this is by far the greatest reward the magazine on to the secretary of the
Marrickville – it features on Page 50 of my I’ve received for my labours. Cinema to share with others.
most recent book on the picture shows of
Marrickville and Newtown. Furthermore, one Thank you very much indeed. You may also like to know that the Cinema
can just discern overhead wires attached to the has been saved! A reopening event was held
façade for trams that ran down Marrickville Garry Gillard on 18 April 2014, and the movie was screened
Road. I don’t think that Bondi Kings had a Fremantle, WA using the new digital projector.
tram line at the front.
Ed note: Garry’s Fremantle web site is at Kim
Regrettably I am unable to recognise anything http://fremantlestuff.net/cinemas/index.html Lobethal Community Association
about the Mystery Theatre except that the two He is happy to receive feedback at «
clerestory sections of the ceiling/roof seem garrygillard@gmail.com
unusual. They appear to be in separate sections To the Editorial Team,
(and there may have been a third), so would «
they be detectable in an outside view of the Dear Sir, Another fine issue No 85. The magazine is
roof? always a pleasure to read. Thank you for
I'd like to add a little clarification to David enhancing my article about Talkie Bell with
Regards Lascelles’ letter on the Cinerama Theatre in the photo and article about the Lavers Hill
Robert Parkinson Wellington. Hall, etc.
Sydney
« Quite right that Wellington never had “true I see they have put an annexe on to the old
3-panel Cinerama” but the State was converted building. There is an article in the post about
Congratulations to the editorial ‘team’ who with a deep curved screen because of the the Plaza Theatre Northcote, please use,
have risen to the task of maintaining the high advent of ”Single-lens Cinerama” developed modify or reject it as you please.
standard of CinremaRecord set by preceding for It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (shot in
editors. However, some incorrect information Ultra-Panavision) which enabled the All the very best,
has crept in as mentioned below. anamorphic 70 mm prints to be projected on Bob Cunningham.
the curved screens without distortion. Bribie Island, Qld.

4 CINEMARECORD # 86