Page 27 - CinemaRecord #87

Italian shows had been shifted from Sundays full of posters and the paste pot was always in
to Thursday nights after the ‘cinema club’ the boot. Reps from the major distributors
concept came into operation. The local police called regularly and I became friendly with
sergeant was not happy with these ‘illegal’ many. Business was still booming and the two
shows as it was a loophole around the law. cinemas coupled with Paddy’s café and
The concept had been opposed vigorously by service station saw good returns. I kept the
the churches in the town and it was seen by cinema books for him and we would sit down
others to attract after sport ‘roughies’. together and pay the bills every so often and
travel to Melbourne every couple of months to
One such lot of roughies arrived late to a buy and book product, staying overnight at the
screening of an old jungle film on a Sunday Victoria in Little Collins Street. This hotel had
night. Paddy, who had taken over the been a home away from home for our family
doorkeeper’s job for the night, always had a for ever. I remembered staying there many
concealed pick handle handy to deal with any times when I was a kid and being taken to the
unruly behaviour. He opened the door and let Tivoli and the Capitol to watch the Wurlitzer
the four burley footballers in to join a large come up out of the floor, good times.
crowd.
I married Barb in May of 1964 and headed off
On the screen, a flock of buzzards was circling on our honeymoon with a relief operator
around a dead animal in a colourful jungle looking after the show at home.
scene. ‘Gwarrk, gwarrk,’ came from the
screen as all eyes were glued on the picture. It had always been impossible to run all of the
The four lads, full of hops and bad manners, product that was available in the sixties and
started to mimic the birds causing some unrest many films missed out. United Artists was
with the rest of the crowd. I was watching one company which Bill did not deal with for
from the projection port and saw Paddy hurry some reason that went back years, and a huge
down the aisle to request silence. Then all hell amount of top pictures from them were being
broke loose with the front section of the missed such as the early James Bond films.
audience all standing and moving around. I
put on the lights and stopped the show in time Paddy also refused to pay some of the high
to see a large group of people wrestling their percentages being asked for blockbuster
way to the side door. When it all settled, I movies from other companies. I had argued
turned off the lights and started the show with him about this reluctance and also the
again. Some ten minutes later I was adjusting United Artists situation but things had been
the arcs when I heard a sound behind me. too good for too long and I think he thought it
There was Paddy bleeding from the ear with would go on for ever. But staff had gone and
his shirt ripped off. He was unhappy and on most nights Paddy was ticket seller
ticked me off, saying, ‘Next time I goer to himself. Takings had declined.
fight - no putta on da lights.’ Paddy had no
Tom Langshaw
malice in him and was just in the wrong place On a cold winter night in 1965 I was called
at the wrong time. down to the ticket box where Paddy sat to
showed a priest walking up a hill to a little discuss the situation as that particular night,
church with a dead silent sound track. It was Screenings continued through 1963 much the there were just six souls in the hall. He said,
all quiet in the hall and a few tears were being same as before. I had a full time job and Paddy ‘Pictures is finito, nobody come anymore’. He
shed as the show wound up when all of a paid me well with lots of perks which blamed himself and insisted people did not
sudden at great volume came an uneducated included chicken meals at his café. I had met like him. I told him that was not the case but
voice blaring out to all: ‘Make sure he signs my future wife Barb and had to fit my frequent much of the good product was being missed.
the bloody cheque!’ I reckon most saw it as trips to Wangaratta between shows. Barb He seemed so depressed about it all and just
funny, however I had to speak to the taxi spent time with me at weekends in the bio too kept blaming himself. He then said to me,
operator and resolve transmissions in the and fortunately loved the movies as there were ‘Maybe they come for you, you want to take
vicinity of the show. plenty to see free. The back seat of my car was over?’ I had never considered such an offer or
an approach. I was a bit flabbergasted and
said, ‘Maybe, I will tell you tomorrow after I
discuss it with Barb’. I never slept all that
night and went the following day to ask my
Dad what he thought as Barb was quite happy.
Dad was apprehensive. I was sure he thought
there was a catch somewhere. He was a very
conservative man and questioned everything
in great detail, saying he would go and talk to
Paddy, knowing that I would give my right
arm for what was being offered. Paddy had
not said how much he wanted or any other
detail, so I agreed that Dad should talk to him.
When Dad returned, he said he had spoken to
Paddy and had an interim agreement on a
piece of paper in his hand. He had signed
Paddy on the spot on my behalf, called the
family solicitors and got the sale papers
started. I was a motion picture exhibitor. Oh,
what a feeling! ê

Paddy’s Hall c. 2000 All Images: Tiff Rayner collection

CINEMARECORD # 87 27