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The Lancefield (Vic.) Mechanics (1868) War Pictures - Splendid pictures will be
shown in the Mechanics' Institute Violet
Town, on April 2nd. The pictures give views of
the soldiers' lives from the moment of enlisting
till being in action.

Further down, at the bottom of the column,
was a later news story:
The operator who was to have shown the war
pictures at Violet Town on Friday last, missed
the train at Spencer St. His machine was on
the train and it went to Albury.

It is pleasing to see some Mechanics' Institutes
recognising their picture heritage. The
Mornington Mechanics’ Institute has a large
information board attached, stating that the
building was the entertainment centre for the
community and the town's picture theatre for
many years, until the Plaza was opened in the
1930s. The board also depicts a large poster
for the 1925 Lon Chaney movie The Tower of
resulted in a list of 172 venues. My research include exterior movie advertising on the Lies.
also greatly expanded the CATHS database. buildings. The book's front cover actually
shows one of these,
The new book was released in November the Burwood
2015 under the title of These Walls Speak Mechanics' Institute,
Volumes, with detailed histories of about 1000 advertising Laurel
Mechanics’ Institutes, and included photos of and Hardy in Pack Up
all buildings where these could be located. I Your Troubles and
was asked to write a preamble to the list, and two other MGM
that page appears as Appendix 8 after the releases of 1932. The
histories in this very informative and readable photo shows
700 page book. "Burwood Pictures"
and "Matinee
Despite my extensive research, I knew that Saturday" signs
there would be omissions, and I later found above the front door,
evidence of the movie pasts of Mechanics’ and "Burwood
Institutes at Violet Town and Lancefield Talkies" signs on the
which were too late to make the book. roof of the building.
Although the
The importance of the picture shows to the windows bear the
Mechanics’ Institutes and their towns is words "Public
evidenced in several historic photos which Library" and "Reading Room", there is little The Melbourne Athenaeum was Victoria's
doubt of the role the first Mechanics' Institute, and celebrated its
pictures played in the 175th anniversary in 2015. It still operates its
community at that time. library, and the hall is now mainly used as a
live venue. It had a long cinema history, and
The Violet Town photo showed the first talking pictures in
shows a large banner Melbourne. During the 1930's and through to
attached to the front the mid 1950's it was known as Melbourne's
fence advertising premier British film venue.
"Rankini's Pictures" and
a Trove search indicates
that this would have
been in approximately
1915. Another Trove
search revealed this
amusing reference to the
Violet Town
Mechanics’ Institute in
the Violet Town Sentinel
of 27 March 1917. At the
top of a column is this
item:

Left: The Melbourne
Athenaeum in Collins Street.

Right: Original advertisement
for The Jazz Singer at the
Athenaeum.

CINEMARECORD # 89 17