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and grandest of all of Sydney's picture palaces. the Candy Bar was
This was the Roxy Theatre. It was built in on the left.
1930 with a Spanish design. It was a very Cinemas 1 and 2
imposing building with a very high facade. The were on the right
neon Roxy sign on the top of the facade could with cinemas 3
be seen for miles at night when the theatre first and 4 on the left.
opened. As Parramatta grew, the facade was Cinema 1 seated
dwarfed by large skyscrapers. The Roxy seated 396 people and
1923 people. This theatre became too big for had textured side
the audiences of the 1970's. It was tripled in walls, with a red
1976 with the old dress circle being retained curtain at the
as the larger upstairs cinema. Much of the side front. Red
wall and ceiling decoration have been retained, coloured lights
along with the foyers. shone onto the
side walls. Cinema
Parramatta also had the Astra Theatre which 2 seated 386 Auditorium, Roxy Parramatta (NSW State Library)
was built in 1935. It was a rather small cinema people and had
for its era. This is interesting as its problem in natural brick side walls with a red curtain at psychiatric hospitals and sheltered homes, and
later years was that it was too large. Hoyts the front. Cinema 3 seated 347 people and had many of the patients from these hospitals were
restored this theatre in the late 1970s after a white painted cement block patterns along the given day release on weekends. This meant
large Save the Astra campaign was mounted. side walls, with a blue stage curtain. Cinema that every Saturday afternoon they would go
The theatre seated 825 people and had a 4 seated 339 people and featured curtained to the movies. Over the years, I got to know
number of very popular films screened after walls. The colour schemes changed a number many of these people. They were my regular
the restoration. These included The Man From of times due to refurbishments. Above the customers. Walter was an older man who loved
Snowy River and On Golden Pond. The Astra foyer was the suite of projection boxes. to play Tele Bingo. This was a competition in
was later sold to Greater Union who operated the daily newspapers where a list of numbers
the theatre for a short time. They had planned At the age of sixteen, I tried to get a job at was published each day and people tried to
to build two or three new smaller theatres Village as an usher. I was told that I was too match them on their bingo cards to win a prize.
alongside the old Astra. However, this proved young and that they really needed people to be Every week Walter would carry roughly 50
unsuccessful and the Astra was demolished to over eighteen years old. However, in bingo cards with him, and every week he
December 1981, would tell me that he won the major prize. He
The Astra, Parramatta under construction c. 1935 (NSW State Library) aged eighteen, I always finished his sentences with, "Eh, Eh".
finally became an For example, "I won bingo today, eh eh!" He
usher at Village. I never did win and really did not know how to
was to stay there play the game. Each week Walter would ask
until April 1986. I me if we could screen his favourite film, Blood
began work on a Beach “eh eh." This was a low budget shocker
Friday evening. about a giant clam that lived under the sand
After a brief tour I and would swallow up the beach goers that
was sent into walked above it. If you see the film in a video
Cinema 4 to watch store, don't hire it.
the end of the film
Gallipoli, which Harold was another regular. He had an
starred Mel Gibson. imaginary friend. He would walk through the
It seemed strange foyer having a great conversation with his
during those first friend. The only time that this caused a
few minutes sitting problem for us was when he was sitting in a
in that theatre, theatre that was full. He would continue his
knowing that I was conversation with his friend, even though there
in charge of that was a real person sitting beside him. One day
audience. I was Harold discovered that we would shortly be
make way for the new, three-cinema complex employed as an usher, but would also handle screening the Michael Crawford Condorman.
which they built on the site. queue control and phone enquiries. In this film, the main character was able to fly
The final cinema centre for me in Parramatta due to a special winged suit that he had
was the Village 4 Cinemas, built as part of the Village attracted patrons from all over Sydney. invented. Harold became very excited and
huge Westfield Shoppingtown in 1975. This There were very few suburban complexes at began to inform his friend that his favourite
complex was to play a major role with me. that time, and many people found it easier to film was coming out soon. He decided to act
drive to Parramatta where the parking was easy out the film and began flapping his arms and
When Village Theatres opened their four and also free. This was a great incentive to Village 4 Cinemas, Westfield Shoppingtown, Parramatta
cinema complex in Parramatta in December people from the
1975, I dragged my mother along to the first upper North Shore,
public session of Three Days of the Condor. as the driving time
The film was screened in Cinema 1. At the time to Parramatta or the
I thought the theatre was incredibly small. City was about the
After spending years in theatres seating up to same. When a semi
two thousand people, it seemed strange sitting art-house film was
in a theatre seating only 396 and being so close screened, we could
to the screen. Even though the theatres were always tell the
small, the complex itself was the largest people from other
suburban complex in Australia at the time. As areas. They were
time passed, I adapted to the smaller cinemas. the ones looking
One entered the complex via a lengthy and totally out of place.
steep staircase from Church Street. Once inside Parramatta has a
the foyer, the Box Office was on the right and number of

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