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The Empress opened/re-opened on Saturday 2016, having survived the onslaught of
30 October 1954 with Venetian Bird plus television, clubs and electronic media because
Cease Fire. (45) Given that CinemaScope was of its conversion to a club. ¬
then the current movie sensation, one would
have thought that a CinemaScope film, or a
VistaVision film, would have opened the References:
theatre.
1. Williamstown Historical Society
The local newspaper reported: “No preferential 2. Ibid.
bookings for the opening of Empress Theatre. Every 3. The Age, Saturday 21 and 22 December
person in Williamstown will have an equal chance 1906.
of attending the opening of the New Empress 4. Ibid, Saturday 15 May 1909 p16
Theatre.” (46) 5. Williamstown Chronicle, 6 November 1909.
6. The Age, Thursday 24 March 1910.
7. The Independent, Saturday 30 April 1910 p2
Cinema Treasures website wrongly says the
theatre was open air and opened in 1907, was 8. Williamstown Chronicle, Saturday 24
December 1910 p2
rebuilt in 1935 with a new brick façade and 9. Williamstown Chronicle, Saturday 7 January
closed 1960. CinemaScope opened with River 1911 p3
th
of No Return. This 20 Century Fox film was
10. Ibid. Saturday 11 March 1911 p3
never shown at the Empress but screened at 11. Williamstown Advocate, Saturday 29 August
the Hoyts Shore. The first CinemaScope film 1914 p3
at the Empress seems to be MGM’s Hit The 12. Ibid. Saturday 6 March 1915 p2
Deck in January, 1956, although the Shore 13. Williamstown Chronicle, Saturday, 28 August
screened CinemaScope from 30 December 1915. P3.
1954 with The Robe. 14. Ibid, Saturday 25 September 1915, 15
January 1916, 11 March 1916, 8 July 1916.
CAARP, the Flinders University website, says 15. Ibid. Saturday 15 July 1916 p3
the present building dates from 1935 and the Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), not 16. Ibid Saturday 3 March 1917 and Footscray
original opened 1912. Neither is right. screened at the Empress until 1956 Chronicle, 19 May 1917.
17. Ibid. 9 September 1917
However, it is an article in the Williamstown being shown. The Empress seemed to have 18. Footscray Chronicle. Saturday 19 January
1918.
Advertiser on 2 April 1954 which seems to “poverty row” programming, notwithstanding 19. Williamstown Chronicle, Saturday 30 August
clarify the issue and confirm that the old that the Hoyts Shore Theatre at 1919
theatre was demolished and a new one built on Williamstown was screening CinemaScope 20. Ibid. 6 September 1919.
the site: blockbusters. 21. Ibid. Saturday 26 June 1920.
“OLD THEATRE BEING DEMOLISHED 22. Ibid. Saturday 27 November 1920, 25
Work has commenced on the demolition of a Scans of Trove have revealed very few February 1922, 4 March 1922.
landmark in Williamstown for the past 52 years, CinemaScope films ran at the Empress. The 23. Ibid. Saturday 11 March 1922.
the Empress Theatre in Garden Street, near the theatre had access to MGM product, so one 24. Ibid. Saturday 16 June 1922
beach, and the old dilapidated picture house will wonders why. In January and February 1956, 25. Ibid. Saturday 21 October 1922 and 25
give way eventually to a modern theatre which will the Empress suddenly screened four MGM November 1922
bring all the refinements of modern picture CinemaScope films in the space of a few 26. Ibid. Saturday 20 January 1923
screening to local patrons.
weeks - Hit The Deck, Brigadoon, Seven 27. Ibid. 17 March 1923
Brides for Seven Brothers and The Student 28. Ibid. 9 February 1924
The “old” Empress was closed last Saturday night 29. Ibid. 9 February 1924
and it is hoped to open the “new” Empress in about Prince. Perhaps they purchased them as a job 30. Ibid. Saturday 7 March 1925 p3
six months. Mr W Blackwood, managing director lot! 31. Ibid. Saturday 14 March 1925
for Southern Theatres, informed an ‘Advertiser’ 32. Ibid, Saturday 22 May 1926
representative that it was surprising to see the Just when the Empress closed has not been 33. Ibid. Saturday 23 October 1926
number of older Williamstown residents who last established, as different sources state 1958, 34. Ibid. Saturday 29 August 1931.
week paid a final visit for a last look at the old and another 1960. Trove newspapers only go 35. Ibid. Saturday 29 October 1932
building. up to early 1957. If the Empress was indeed 36. Ibid. . Saturday 10 March 1934
a brand new theatre erected in 1954, it certainly 37. The Age. Saturday 3 August 1935
The Empress opened 52 years ago as a skating rink had a short life span of only 4-5 years. 38. The Film Weekly, 5 October 1939
and children’s playground with rocking horses, etc 39. Williamstown Chronicle, Saturday 1 July
to delight the younger fry. It was the first suburban The building was sold to the Williamstown 1939.
picture theatre to show movies by electric light, Italian Social Club, which has continued to 40. The Age, 9 July 1946 p1
power being supplied by a traction engine. The late occupy the premises, with little external 41. Williamstown Chronicle, Friday 1 October
Mr W J Dark had control of the theatre for 36 years, change, until 2016. The condition of the 1954 p1
and Mr Blackwood for the past 15 years. On interior is not known. It was used for the TV 42. Reporter, October 29, 1954
occasions it has been used for “live” theatre.
series The Henderson Kids II in 1986. 43. The Film Weekly, 4 November 1954 p1
44. Victorian Heritage Database, 2016
The new building will be a 35,000 brick project and Efforts to establish whether the theatre was a 45. Williamstown Chronicle, 29 October 1954
will be equipped with the latest air conditioning 46. Ibid. Friday 15 October 1954 p6
plant. The management has waited nine years to new one in 1954 have been difficult. The 47. Williamstown Advertiser, 2 April 1954
secure a building permit. Another use to which the Advertiser article of 2 April, as quoted above,
Empress has been put up to its time of closure was is clear in its report that the old was
as an assembly hall for the pupils of the demolished and a new one erected. Gerry
Williamstown High School. (47) Kennedy himself believed that it was a new
building in 1954, which this writer tends to Images:
Even though one of the above newspaper agree with, after studying the theatre exterior
articles states the screen was installed to closely. If it was a new building, the owner Les Tod
CinemaScope and Vistavision standards, the certainly had faith in the industry to build a CATHS archive
Empress rarely screened CinemaScope. A new theatre in 1954, when television was
scan of newspaper advertising for 1954, 1955 arriving the following year and theatres would
and 1956 shows only a handful of such films be decimated. Yet it still stands there today in

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