Page 38 - CR-95

Matinee crowd at Hoyts Hampton (Vic.)
and even more deluxe Palais Pictures. The which he said appeared to have only one
Palais was ruled by staff who had, by their employee. “He stood at the door, shirtsleeves
manner and attitude, trained at an SS barracks rolled up, more interested in collecting the
Memories of the Saturday matinees often for ushers. The stern faced usherettes patrolled sixpences than curbing the unsupervised chaos
seems to focus on the behaviour of the the aisles with search light sized torches”. inside, which never subsided until the lights
audiences. John Michael Howson, in his 1985 went out”. Ian assumed that the one employee
book I Found it at the Flickers, gives some then became the projectionist.
hilarious accounts of the St Kilda matinees and
how the audiences (and supervision of them) Movies programmed for the matinees were
varied between the Memorial (Memo), the usually westerns, adventures or comedies. This
Victory and the Palais. gradually changed through the 1950s, when
these genres became the basic fare on the new
At the first two he says that “the ushers, wisely, television. Even before TV there was some
had long ago surrendered to the unruly mob unusual programming. One can only imagine
which invaded every Saturday afternoon”. The the attention paid by a cinema full of 12 year
mayhem eventually defeated him and “I took old boys to the 125 minute movie advertised
my sixpence admission money and my in 1955 as the “mighty technicolor adventure
patronage and went to the far better controlled - Humphrey Bogart in The Caine Mutiny”. It
was accompanied by five cartoons, including
Tom and Jerry, and a serial!
By 1958, Hoyts suburban theatres in
Melbourne appear to have given up on the
children's matinees. The now politically
incorrect Smiley Gets a Gun was showing at a
few theatres but, while the kids were home
watching TV, the matinees advertised movies
like Ingrid Bergman in The Inn of the Sixth
The Odeon Cinema Clubs had members in both Happiness or Frank Sinatra in Pal Joey.
Australia and England. (Probably no cartoons or serials there.)
In an article for CinemaRecord in May 2000, The sight of queues of excited children
CATHS member Ian Baker describes his blocking footpaths for up to an hour before the
memories of the Saturday matinee from 1948 theatre doors opened, and the noise they
at Hoyts Cinema in Richmond. This theatre generated, has now faded into history. Sadly,
appears to have been very well run and the that also applies to most of the buildings that
children well behaved. Staff on duty for the hosted them! ✶
matinee included the ticket lady, three ushers,
a confectionery counter with several helpers, Credits:
a page boy selling Screen News, and two lolly
boys roaming the aisles. After interval the Advertisements from the CATHS archive and the
manager (wearing a dinner suit!) conducted Royce Harris collection.
the weekly ritual called the Children's Cinema The Film Weekly, February 23, 1939.
Club and drew lucky numbers for free tickets I Found it at the Flickers John Michael Howson 1985.
for the next week. He announced birthdays for Picture Palaces and Flea-Pits Simon Brand 1983.
CCC members and presented badges. There Ian Baker, Cinema Record #28 May 2000 Memories
of the Cinema.
was also a club song that the children sang Boys and Girls Cinema Clubs Annuals.
along with. Ian contrasted this with his former
local cinema, the Mayfair in Dandenong,

38 CINEMARECORD # 95