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In  Tasmania  more  modest  arrangements
        prevailed. The silent picture theatres in Hobart
        and Launceston all had orchestras and no doubt
        silent theatres in major country towns such as
        Burnie and Devonport used local musicians.

        In Hobart the Palace, purpose built as a picture
        theatre, opened in 1914 with an orchestra under
        the direction of Miss Eva Creese. The Grand
        Empire  (later  rebuilt  into  the  National  and
        then Prince of Wales) opened in January 1911
        with a full orchestra and a musical director.
        His  Majesty’s  Theatre  in  Liverpool  Street,
        built as a live venue but rapidly adapting to
        films, also opened  in January 1911 with a live
        performance  and  an  orchestra  led  by
        E.  McCann.  Kings  Hall  Pictures,  in  a
        converted hall, had opened in October 1910
        with Southey’s orchestra providing music. The
        Strand,  in  Liverpool  Street,  featured  the
        Strand Concert Orchestra.
        An  extract  from  the  exhibition  industry
        magazine Everyones recorded in July 1927 that
        C.  Briglia,  late  of  the  Capitol  Theatre
        Melbourne, had arrived to take the place of his  The Padua (Brunswick, Vic) proscenium, the outline of the rotating stage can just be made out.
        father Guiseppe Briglia as conductor of His
        Majesty’s  orchestra,  ill  health  necessitating  the Majestic Theatre with the Corrick family.  subsequently  removed,  eventually  being
        his father’s return to Melbourne. Film Weekly  This family had settled in Launceston in 1915  installed at St. Giles Presbyterian Church in
        of 19 September 1929 noted that Ted McCann,  after  touring  as  one  of  the  world’s  most  Hurstville NSW.  The projection box telephone
        musical director of the Prince of Wales, had  celebrated family musical groups, becoming  installed with the Western Electric sound plant
        picked up the baton again after a tour of the  synonymous   with   entertainment   in  still carried a station “organ” when removed
        state, although the Prince had been wired for  Launceston.              in 1956 during the conversion to The Odeon.
        sound in July 1929.                                                     A projectionist from that era told the writer
                                            In  Hobart  the  Palace  Theatre  in  Elizabeth  many years ago that some steps were taken to
        Launceston’s two major theatres of the 1920s,  Street  had  a  Photoplayer  organ  installed  in  use  records  cued  on  the  “non  sync”  to
        the  Princess  and  Majestic,  seemed  1917 to accompany day sessions, it seems to  accompany the organist, giving the impression
        particularly well served with orchestras, with  have remained in use until the Palace closed  he was crooning.
        Alex Lithgow conducting at the Princess and  in 1924. The Strand, opened in 1916, had a
                                                          six  rank  Wurlitzer  organ  The orchestra pit was sometimes subjected to
                                                          installed in 1918, the third  pranks  from  larrikins  in  the  front  stalls.
                                                          Wurlitzer  of  substance  to  Peashooters used on a pianist facing the screen,
                                                          be imported into Australia.  and the occasional firework (cracker) tossed
                                                          These appear to have been  into the pit did cause some unfortunate distress,
                                                          the  only  two  organs  in  particularly to female musicians.
                                                          Tasmanian theatres.
                                                                                Following  the  first  sound  installations  in
                                                          Notable local identity Ben  Australia in December 1928, the monopolistic
                                                          Corrick  was  organist  and  American   company   Western   Electric
                                                          conductor from 1920 until  undertook a strong marketing push for sound
                                                          1928,  with  the  Strand  installations, advertising in February 1930 that
                                                          Concert     Orchestra  it “had wired 3551 theatres worldwide, 768 in
                                                          conducted by him from the  foreign  countries”.    By  June  1930,  350  of
                                                          console of the organ from  Australia’s theatres were equipped for sound,
                                                          time to time. The Strand  and the figure had more than doubled to 804
                                                          Wurlitzer  console  was  within  five  months.  Exhibitors  were  able  to
                                                          remodelled and the console  lease  plants  from  this  company  rather  than
                                                          moved to centre it in front  purchasing  outright,  an  attractive  incentive.
                                                          of  the  stage,  with  curved  By July 1930 major film distributors operating
                                                          cabinetry  to  emulate  the  under  licence  to  Western  Electric  loosened
                                                          then  popular  “horseshoe”  their  restrictions  against  Australian  made
                                                          style when the  Strand was  equipment,  enabling  smaller  exhibitors  to
                                                          leased by Union Theatres  install cheaper sound systems made locally by
                                                          and  reopened  with  sound  Raycophone and other small manufacturers.
                                                          on  29  November  1929.
                                                          Film Weekly of 9 January  The introduction of sound had a devastating
                                                          1930   announced   that  effect  on  theatre  orchestras.  Some  3000
                                                          Manny  Aarons,  of  the  musicians had been made redundant by May
                                                          State  Theatre  (Sydney),  1930 in Australia, and thousands more in the
                                                          had  arrived  to  preside  at  USA and other countries where theatres had
                                                          the Strand Wurlitzer.  been rapidly converted to sound. Some relief
                                                                                came with the revival of stage shows in major
                                                          The Strand organ was out  venues, as referred to above. Live theatre also
                              The  Strand Theatre, Hobart. c 1930
                                                          of  use  by  1940,  and  suffered; in Australia a few survived but entire

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