Page 8 - CinemaRecord #87

The Regent opened on Monday, 9 December
1929. The theatre opened with talkies,
including Fox’s Big Synchronised Sound
Special, The Air Circus, and Mildred Harris
and Walter Pidgeon in The Melody of Love.
Among the contractors on the opening night
souvenir programme were Messrs Campbell
and Gillon, Mayfield, for the brickwork;
Mr James Mullan, Hamilton, for the steelwork
erection; Mr H Hines, The Junction, for
erection of the dress circle; Mr J Crockett,
Tighes Hill, for the art plaster ceiling and
proscenium; Newcastle Lime and Cement Co,
Hamilton, for the terrazzo steps; Comber and
Co, Sydney, for the curtains; and Gordon
Hillier, Hamilton, for painting and decorating
of the proscenium.
8 CINEMARECORD # 87
The ground floor projection room remains today
The theatre seemed to have an uneventful
career after that. The licence renewal in
February 1938 stated that the operator was
Newcastle Theatres Pty Ltd, Herbert’s circuit,
H Herbert, General Manager.
In May 1932, Mr Herbert arranged a first
release contract with MGM to give his three
theatres exclusive rights to MGM product.
This lasted until November of that year, when
the three theatres were sold to Newcastle
Amusements. Later, the Regent came under
the control of Newcastle Theatres Ltd, and in
1941-2 negotiations were completed which
gave Hoyts Theatres Ltd a major interest in,
and control of, the theatre.
The 1950 inspection report stated that the
Brakelite screen had been installed in
September 1944. The 1951 inspection report
stated that a new Brakelite screen had been
installed 20 April 1951 and that the gallery
seated 531 and the stalls 995, a total of 1,526.
The 1953 report lists another Brakelite screen,
this time 9 October 1953, and gallery seating
540 and stalls 994, a capacity of 1534. [One
can sympathise being an inspector and trying
to count that many seats, and getting it wrong!]
The curtain was blue velvet with a gold
tasseled fringe.
The 1954 inspection report stated that the
Brakelite Plastic screen had been installed
9 October 1953 and that the theatre was in
“very good condition”.
In December 1954, the Regent had a new wide
CinemaScope screen installed. The seating
capacity remained at 1534. No changes were
necessary to widen the proscenium arch
opening, as it accommodated the new width
without alterations.
The Regent was closed on Saturday 27 June
1964 with the film Rampage, starring Robert
Mitchum. Although closed, it was again
inspected in 1965 which reported that the
Miracle Mirror CinemaScope screen had been
installed December 1954.
Left and above: Note the recessed section in the front of the
dress circle - to allow for the projection beam from the ground
floor projection room.