Page 19 - CR-94

surrounding it.
John Martin’s
provided French
cosmetics for
lady patrons to
obtain.

The Grand
Opening was set
for 23 October at
7.45 pm, so
besides all of the
particulars about
various aspects
of the theatre,
the newspapers
also carried
feature articles
on the very
popular Deanna
Durbin, announcing her “sharing the limelight at the gala
premiere” and then going into some detail about First Love, her
sixth picture in her successful string of box office hits.

The movie was first released in the USA in November 1939. In
the film, Deanna Durbin received her first screen kiss and such
was her fame by this time that news of the kiss became front page
headlines around the world, almost pushing World War II off
those pages. The man who delivered that kiss was Robert Stack,
then a new and upcoming star.

Management generously offered the total proceeds from the very
successful opening night to be divided between the Adelaide
Children’s Hospital, the Red Cross Society, and the Fighting
forces Comforts Fund.
The theatre was off to a good start, with healthy attendances as
cinemas provided a form of escape from the harsh realities of the
ongoing war. Dan Clifford managed to build one more theatre, the
New Goodwood Star (now the Capri Theatre) which opened on The upstairs foyer with circular stairway leading to the Dress Circle and Lounge

The proscenium, Cinema One

CINEMARECORD # 94 19