Page 37 - CR-95

by Royce Harris

aving grown up in a very small country Most of the children's matinees were at the
Htown without a cinema, one thing which local suburban theatres although occasionally,
has always fascinated me, but which I was especially in school holidays, the city theatres
never able to experience, was the Saturday attempted to attract this audience.
matinee.
An ad for the Rex in Adelaide from 1951 states
I have always been very interested in films. that the first 100 children dressed like Wild
The first film book I was given, at the age of Bill Hickok will be admitted free to see The
about 7, was the Boys and Girls Cinema Clubs Plainsman. (It doesn't mention that this
Annual. This was an English book about films western with Gary Cooper as Wild Bill Hickok
and the fun kids had through their film clubs. was actually made 15 years earlier, in 1936!) substituted live acts or more cartoons and
serials for one of the movies. In 1953 at
It was only recently when I found a few more Footscray, Vic, Hoyts Saturday matinees at the
of these annuals that I realised that Australia Trocadero and Barkly cinemas comprised
had similar clubs for boys and girls. three cartoons, three shorts, two serials and a
western movie. The Barkly also had a live
pantomime on stage.

In the 1936 school holidays the Melbourne
Capitol was offering a free Popeye photo to
the first 200 children at the 10.30 matinee.

The heyday of the Saturday Matinee was
probably the early 1950s but the concept was
around from the very early days. The opening
program for the Austral Theatre in
Collingwood (Vic) in September 1921
advertises “special treat for the kiddies”.

At the matinee on their first Saturday children
would be admitted free (adults ten pence.)
They also noted that a special Biograph Picture
will be taken showing the “merry youngsters
The Odeon Clubs of Australia in the Sydney entering the theatre”, and they will be able to
suburbs was also mentioned in the UK books, see themselves on the screen on the following
along with clubs in other British Empire Saturday.
countries such as Canada and New Zealand.
The program at the matinees usually included Western movies were staples at the matinees
Other Australian cinemas had these clubs too, at least two cartoons, a serial with a cliff hanger from the early days and made huge stars of
but most seem to have been specific to each ending to bring you back next week, shorts and Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and William Boyd
theatre and not part of any organised chain or two movies. Sometimes the program (Hopalong Cassidy.) It was no coincidence that
group. They were like the modern loyalty when television finally put an end to the
program, with benefits such as birthday clubs, matinee in the mid 1950s all of these stars had
and neighbouring cinemas were quite their own TV shows, seen by even larger
competitive in their efforts to attract children audiences.
with competitions, door prizes and live shows.
The variety of live acts added to the programs
went to great lengths to attract audiences. An
ad from 1952 for Adelaide's suburban Odeon
Star Theatres includes a dog circus, monster
variety show, Bonzo the clown, Dagwood and
Larry the magic doll (probably a ventriloquist
act,) Dave from Snake Gully and even a fire
eater and sword swallower! Some of these acts
would have been kept busy running between
theatres.

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