Page 4 - CinemaRecord #87

Hello Everyone I recall in the centre of the vast stage was a full Dear Sirs,
size grand piano against a gold curtain, two
You should be very proud of your magazine. large troughs of flowers on either side, and a Thank you for the copy of Cinema Record No.
I particularly enjoy the old theatre ads large parquetry floor for dancing in front of the 86 which arrived Friday with my new
featuring movie screenings and the short stage. membership details!
articles at the beginning of each edition.
Overall there was a wonderful feeling of Attached are four newspaper clippings. I
I sometimes feel quite sad when I read about spaciousness and grandeur. recently obtained a stack of newspapers from
cinemas that no longer exist. I started going to 1951 and 1957. It's great to check the movie
the pictures from the late 1940s and went Subsequently, after a period of Bingo, it was theatre ads to see what theatres were operating
regularly to Saturday matinees - the serials so sad to see this building degenerate into such back then ... too bad costs have stopped Hoyts,
were my favourite - I now have many of them a dilapidated state for such a long period of Reading etc. from newspaper advertising now.
on VHS and DVD. time.
You probably know the following Ballarat
Regards news, but just in case:
Darrell Norley, Adelaide.
The Regent has added another cinema (now
ê nine if you count the two “Gold Class”) by
Gentlemen, chopping Cinema 3 in half (it was a horrible
cinema to see a film unless you were in the
back row. The screen was too big for such a
The photograph of the interior of the Regent shallow (only about seven or eight rows of
Theatre Colac, Victoria reminds one of the The auditorium in a vandalised state
type of flooring that was so often a feature of seats) auditorium. However, for some reason
cinemas of the 1930s, 40s and 50s. At least the facade remains in what is now an the “new” Cinema 2 (the right half of
Cinema 3) remained unfinished for several
apartment complex .
Unlike today’s cinema complexes which are months, with one wall still exposed plaster
carpeted throughout, the principal flooring Barrie Wraith, Melbourne. board and the screen off centre by about a metre.
feature of those earlier years consisted of bare It looks like Her Majesty's will be getting the
floorboards under the seating, in the stalls and ê new seats management have wanted for
dress circle areas. Dear Sirs, several years, so out will go the old ones along
with the Rivoli foot warmers (which
I was very interested to see the photo of Hoyts apparently came from the original Rivoli
De Luxe Theatre in the latest CinemaRecord. Camberwell).
My parents played in the orchestra at the De The Britannia/Odeon/Vegas70/Sturt (I
Luxe in the silent movie days. Am enclosing thought maybe the Vegas had 70 mm
a photo of the Hoyt's Premier Orchestra with projectors when they used that name, but no,
this letter. apparently operator, Jack Anderson came up
with the name after a trip to the U.S. in the
1970s).
The Sturt was virtually demolished when the
The main aisles in most cases would be Mechanic's Institute was renovated. The
covered with inlaid linoleum, until in later “Minerva Room” in which the cinema was
years and theatre refurbishments introduced located, is a big empty room with a stage, but
carpet to the aisles and even carpet runners no screen, no seats, no bio-box and no balcony.
under patron’s feet in the front lounge of the
dress circle. Earl Martell, Cape Clear
ê
If you look closely at the floor in the picture Dear Sirs,
you will also see how sections of the seating My Mother, Annie Snell, was the violinist; Thank you for your efforts in producing
were screwed to the floor. Years of sweeping my father, William Beatty, played the CinemaRecord. I find the magazine a must
and cleaning of the auditorium could not trombone and they married in 1925. The read, with interesting articles on the history of
include areas covered by the cast iron supports. pianist, Ella Brien, married the trumpet our Picture Theatres. It takes us back to the
player (in same orchestra) Cyril Parker. Ella past to gain an insight as to how audiences
Thank you for another interesting issue. Brien saw the preview of the "talkies" in 1929, would have experienced a night out at the
and told my mother "the talkies won't last"!
Best regards flicks. The ambience and architecture of the
buildings from the Picture Palaces to the flea
William Gray, Parramatta. Another article of interest is the Regent in pits, which were not much more than a tin
Colac. It mentions that Raymond Lambert
ê accompanied Marjorie Lawrence. Raymond shed, are well covered .
Hi Gents, Lambert did a few accompaniments for my I particularly find the Newsreel section
solo violin broadcasts on 3LO in the 1950s and interesting, keeping me informed as to what is
Reading Ian Smith's informative article on the early 1960s. happening within the cinema industry and the
Barkly Theatre, Footscray in the previous cinema buildings.
edition of CinemaRecord, brought back many Always interesting reading in each issue of
thoughts of my association with it in its second CinemaRecord. Where would we be without CinemaRecord?
life as the Fiesta Reception Centre, where I was
engaged as a musician for dinner dances and With kind regards Thanks once again.
weddings. Brian Beatty, Melbourne Brian Hunt, Ferntree Gully

4 CINEMARECORD # 87