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REMEMBERING THE CRYSTAL PALACE, CAULFIELD

By Alan Winn

uilt in 1920, and opening on 23 March
B1921, the Crystal Palace was situated on
the corner of the Princes Highway and Sir
John Monash Drive (formerly Railway
Avenue) in Caulfield, some 8 km south-east
of Melbourne’s CBD. Because it was
separated from the railway line by only a
narrow roadway, passing trains could be heard
(and vibrations felt) quite distinctly in the
front stalls.
As a schoolboy in my early teens around
1949, I had a fascination for films. It started
when our family was having dinner with
friends who lived not far from us. After the
meal, a small movie projector was brought out
and set up on the table. It was a Japanese
“Lion” toy that was used to show small 35 mm
rolls on the pale window blind. I was amazed
that we could see Grenadier Guards marching,
a battleship sailing into port, peasants upon a
horse and cart moving through a country town
and scenes from an early British car race. All
this from a “turn the handle” toy? Not long
after, I talked to my father about my keenness
to work in a picture theatre when I became
older.
this, but were a bit concerned that, on Griffiths’ connection afforded access to
My dad would often call in to the Caulfield Saturday afternoons, I would have to pass a product exhibited by Hoyts, thus allowing
Club Hotel on his way home from work to laneway at the rear of Derby Road shops screening simultaneously with Hoyts New
have a beer with his mates. By coincidence, he where the local “SP Bookie” took (then Malvern.
was introduced to some staff members of the illegal) bets on the horse races. At the entrance
nearby Crystal Palace theatre. In to the lane always stood a burly looking man On many occasions, when insufficient prints
conversation, he mentioned my interest in known as the “cocky”, who would sound the were available, the program would be
“showing pictures”. It was later arranged by alert if the police decided to raid. This switched by courier, necessitating the Crystal
the Manager, George Gange, that I could happened all too often. Passers-by were Palace to screen the feature in the first half of
come to learn on a couple of nights a week and always eyed with suspicion. the program as New Malvern had screening
perhaps the Saturday matinee. priority. This policy did not help the
The owners were Griffiths and West, the then popularity of the Crystal Palace. Many
Although still a schoolboy, at age 13 I was Managing Director of Hoyts Theatres, patrons preferred to see the support feature or
making a start. My parents were happy about Mr. George Griffiths, having a half share. The featurettes in the first half, then the main
feature in the second half, so would go to
Hoyts New Malvern instead.

Modernised in 1936, the theatre hinted at the
Art Deco period in its décor, with little
ornamentation in foyers or auditorium. The
proscenium was not wide, fashioned to suit
the Academy aspect ratio of the twenties. The
curtains were amber coloured crushed velvet
and gave the auditorium a much needed lift
when illuminated by the footlights.

When CinemaScope was finally installed
during the fifties, the CinemaScope screen
was just a narrow strip with much black
masking above and below. To allow the full
width of the CinemaScope screen to be
visible, the curtains needed to be drawn back
behind the proscenium edge. Everything else
was presented in Widescreen format, which
was small in comparison to the size of screens
in other cinemas during the period.

Further renovations took place to construct
additional toilets and an upstairs foyer in an
extension on the south side of the building.

22 CINEMARECORD # 90