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THE PICTURE THEATRE ORCHESTRA

A Tasmanian Perspective

Phil Corby

n recent years, the availability of a
Icompact disc of the performance by the
Glenorchy City Concert Brass of 24 of
Alexander Lithgow’s 75 known march
compositions prompted some reflections
about the orchestras which performed for
silent pictures and then for other onstage
live entertainment in the few years after
the introduction of sound.

Alex Lithgow had conducted the
orchestra at the Princess Theatre in
Brisbane Street, Launceston for a period
of some 14 years during the silent era, in
addition to his daytime work as a hand
compositor at the Daily Telegraph, and
undertaking musical composition. The
Princess had been built as a live theatre
in 1911, but rapidly converted to
screening silent films and, by 1921, was
part of the Union Theatres/Australasian
Films chain. Lithgow is believed to have
conducted an orchestra at the Lyceum
Theatre in St. John Street, an early silent The Princess Theatre, Launceston
house, at some stage.
to enhance the entertainment quality of the palaces built in the 1920s had platforms which
In his book of recollections Partly Personal at performance on the screen. By the start of the were hydraulically raised with the orchestra in
pp 64-68, the late Sir Raymond Ferrall gives a First World War, the orchestra was an integral front of the stage. Wurlitzer organs with
fine summary of the life and work of Lithgow part of the show in the “picture palaces” that hydraulically raised consoles featured at the
in Launceston. Alex Lithgow had moved to were being built or adapted from former live sides. The mighty State Theatres of Melbourne
Launceston from Invercargill in New Zealand theatres. In smaller theatres and country shows and Sydney, and the Regent Theatres built by
in 1894 to conduct the St. Joseph’s Band, often a small local orchestra or a pianist Hoyts in all capital cities except Hobart were
considered to be the best in Tasmania. Apart sufficed, and a pianist would have would have classic examples. Other theatres were equipped
from a brief return to New Zealand in 1901/02 been used as an economy measure during with an organ or, in one example, the Padua
he conducted the band until 1909, returning to matinees in some city theatres. Theatre in suburban Brunswick in Melbourne,
it in 1922. His work as conductor of the theatre a revolving stage which enabled pre show and
orchestra included spontaneous composition The “live” and “vaudeville” theatres were built interval entertainment, and on the other side a
of descriptive music. with orchestra pits in front of, and below stage screen. Some theatres retained into the sound
level, before the first rows of seats in the “pit”, era, which commenced in 1929, the facility to
As the quality and quantity of moving pictures later known as the front stalls, so as not to “fly” the screen and stage speakers to provide
improved during the first decade of the interfere with sight lines. Picture theatres space for live performances.
th
20 Century musical accompaniment was used continued this practice, and some of the picture
In Picture Palaces and Fleapits the author
Below: The Wurlitzer Organ Console sits centre in the orchestra pit at the Strand Theatre Hobart.
describes an evening at a “Palace” in prewar
(World War 2) years. “If you arrived in time
for musical entertainment, the first strains of
music from the myriad pipes of the Wurlitzer
were heard well before it was revealed. As the
thunderous medley burst forth coloured
spotlights played on the front of the stage while
the organ console rose majestically from
beneath the floor. After the recital house lights
dimmed, the stage curtains remained
illuminated while the organ console sank
slowly into the pit, and a majestic roll of drums
would take the place of the organ pipes as
everyone stood for the National Anthem: God
Save the King. As the audience settled back
into their seats the screen came alive with a
burst of strident music as the curtains opened.”
After newsreels the programme often included
an hour of live variety acts; singers, dancers,
comedians or magicians, and for these a live
orchestra was required, and some of the best
were featured in the city palaces.

24 CINEMARECORD # 94