Page 16 - CR-92

WHO WOULD WANT TO WORK AT THE PICTURES (Part 4)
By Steve Maggs

wash again." This referred to the shower scene brushes in the sink of the Ladies. An usherette
from Psycho and the bath scene from Fatal went to investigate. She found nothing at the
Attraction. It was at this screening that I first sink but one cubicle door was closed. Upon
saw Neil Jensen play the Wurlitzer Organ. looking, she could see hair brushes on the
floor. She got down on her knees to look under
The Orpheum has a long history and much of the door. Instead of seeing feet an upside down
this has been recorded in various books and face stared at her. An old lady was doing a
articles. It was built in 1935 by Angelo head stand in the cubicle. She told the
Virgona. It seated 1735 people. In those days usherette that she was doing her exercises and
the theatre had two levels. The Orpheum would not be long. Why would you do
today is basically the old Dress Circle. The exercises in a toilet?
stalls now form the Hayden Room, arcade and
shops. The stalls were removed in 1985. The One evening I saw a well-dressed, middle
building was sold to Mike Walsh's Hayden aged lady throw a tantrum in the theatre. We
Theatres in December, 1986. It was then fully had reserved three rows of seats for our
restored and re-opened in December 1987. A Theatre Dinners. This particular lady wanted
few months later, The Lounge cinema opened to sit in those seats. I told her that the seats
in the former Ballroom. The Hayden Cabaret were reserved for others. She went berserk. "I
Room was built in the former back stalls to add bought my tickets this morning so I could get
CATHS’ Queensland Convener, Steve Maggs, a unique venue to the area. It proved a good seat," she yelled. I explained that we
has a long history of working in the cinema unsuccessful and was converted into a cinema had to keep seats for these people as they
industry. In 1995, he produced a book which, in December 1992. A fourth cinema, to be usually stayed at the restaurant until the last
in his words, was “…not intended to be the called The Virgona, opened in January, 1996. moment. She then began jumping up and
greatest story of all time. It is simply a flow of This made it the best art-deco complex in down on the spot and waved her arms
events that happened to me over a number of Australia. The Orpheum now seats 750 about. She began ranting, "I
years.” Continuing on from CinemaRecord people, The Lounge 167, The Hayden 151 and want to sit there! I want to sit
Issue 91, The following is a reproduction of The Virgona 320. All these in total are still less there!" I ended up sending
chapters from Steve’s book “Who Would Want than the seating capacity of the original her to the Manager.
to Work at the Pictures?” Orpheum.
The Reserved signs
he Cremorne Orpheum seems to have When I began work at The caused many problems. The
Tbeen a part of my memory for many years. Orpheum in August 1993, I was patrons tended to "want to keep up
Although I grew up near Parramatta, the rest amazed at the different ways the with the Joneses". If they saw someone
of my family grew up on the lower North patrons behaved.
with a reserved seat, they wanted it. It would
Shore. They often went to the Orpheum. not matter where the reserved sign was placed,
Whilst I was working at Village Parramatta, The patrons at Cremorne are by far the someone would always ask why they could
my brother and his wife regularly attended the strangest I have worked with. The staff have
not sit there. The best example was when we
Orpheum. At that time the admission prices kept a record of some of the silly things that had some reserved signs placed in the back
were very cheap. We would often discuss the the patrons have done. The following involves corner of the Orpheum. Along came the usual
Orpheum. He told me that the same man sold many of my own experiences plus some that I
complaint. I told him that he could sit there if
the tickets, worked in the candy bar and also have collected from the staff book. he really wanted, but he was likely to be pooed
(he believed) operated the projectors.
One day a patron came out and complained on, as pigeons were nesting in the roof. He
It was around this time that the Australian that there was a strange lady washing her hair chose not to sit there.
Theatre Historical Society was formed at the
Orpheum. This was in 1982. The group was
formed to record the history of cinemas across
Australia. As I have mentioned previously, I
later became President of this group. As
President, I arranged two inspections of the
Orpheum. The first was in 1988, shortly after
the theatre re-opened. The second was in 1992
to celebrate the tenth birthday of the Society.
The first time that I ever attended the
Orpheum was in December, 1987 on its
re-opening weekend. E. T. was screening in 70
mm. The theatre was still being finished at that
stage. A temporary box office was built in the
arcade along with an entrance to the theatre. I
thought the theatre was magnificent. However,
there were some teething problems. Lots of
banging and clanging could be heard coming
from the projection room. This was followed
by yelling and swearing. The film also dropped
out of focus a few times. I also attended a
double feature of Fatal Attraction plus Psycho.
The slogan was something like "You'll never

16 CINEMARECORD # 92