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Broadway Camberwell was fitted out in May
1954, and by June was advertising
“Simultaneous with City”. The opening of The
Robe at the Maling on Thursday 23 December
1954 was a “Johnny-Come-Lately” event.
Fitted within the existing proscenium, the
screen was one of the smaller installations.

The Maling was wiped from the Hoyts circuit
in the clean-out of 1959, along with 15 other
theatres. The last show was Saturday
12 August 1959. The feature was an
intelligent British film Orders to Kill with
Paul Massie, Eddie Albert and James
Robertson Justice. The support was The
Young Don’t Cry with Sal Mineo. That same
night, Hoyts closed four other suburban
theatres in Melbourne – The Centre Brighton,
New Glenhuntly, Plaza Essendon and
Alhambra Brunswick. The Time survived
another five years, and the Broadway lasted
until 1979!

The 2nd World War put an end to Hoyts’ Interior looking back toward the Bio-Box .
second construction boom. As it
turned out, the Maling was Hoyts the building’s claim to fame was that
last new screen for 30 years. The well-known R&B bands played on that
theatre brought modernity to film- stage – from The Loved Ones to Max
going in Canterbury. It offered Merritt, the Groop to The Masters
convenience and comfort, and for Apprentices, and many more.
those who believed small was
beautiful, it was everything an In 1969, Hoyts sold the building to the
audience could want. Associated Mission of Churches of
Russell St Melbourne, and it re-opened
Hoyts were now prepared to lease as the Immanuel Revival Centre. Vacant
the building. It attracted the again in the late 1980s, the building was
attention of rock & roll essentially destroyed in a fire in March
promoter/band manager Ivan 1990. It was demolished in 1993 (along
Dayman of Adelaide. His with two adjacent shops) and replaced
company Dance Promotions Ltd by a single storey, 10 shop development
levelled the floor and opened the with rear car park. ★
New Canterbury Ballroom on
7 May 1960. Dayman managed Night Club poster – Normie Rowe (Go Set Magazine)
Normie Rowe and his first singles
came out on the Sunshine record label in known as The Scene dancehall. Dayman’s
1964, also launched by Dayman and tenure was short-lived, and by October 1967, * Hoyts wholly-owned new suburban
associates. Normie played at the former the venue was now Lord Johns, then later the Melbourne theatres were :
Maling in c. 1966 and again in 1968, when Marquis. For many young people at the time,
New Windsor (1936)
Maling ad in the Box Hill Reporter, Winter 1942 - promoting their “scientifically heated” theatre.
Padua Brunswick (1937)
Park Albert Park (1937)
Circle Preston (1938)
Time Balwyn (1941)
Maling Canterbury (1941)
The seventh was Hoyts New Albury (1937).

Credits:

Les Tod OAM
Canterbury History Group
Boroondara Library

References:
Public Records Office of Victoria
File : VPRS 7882/P1 ,Unit 1024, Item 8721
Book: ‘Visions of a Village’ - D. Gibb &
S. Warrington (1995)
Go Set Magazine
Herald & Sun News Pictorial (Melb)

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