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Perhaps the most important factor behind the building of picture
palaces, was the influence of the American production and distribution
companies. Their power was asserted through control and supply of films.
The success of picture palaces in America prompted the distributors
to pressure the Australian exhibitors into constructing similar venues.
During the New South Wales Government Enquiry into the film industry
in 1934, Stuart Doyle, from Union Theatres, claimed that his company's
main construction activities ".. were created at the request and virtually
under threats from certain American film distributors, for the purpose
of finding an outlet for their pictures, which, in their opinion, would earn
greater revenue ... in large modern theatres”
Australian exhibitors complied with the American distributors' wishes
because they were dependent on the supply of popular American films.
To a lesser extent, American distributors were also dependent on
Australian exhibitors, thus forming a symbiotic relationship. The
distributors’ insistence on building more lavish cinemas in Australia
Above and below: Yarraville Picture Palace, Birmingham Street, Yarraville,
Victoria (Later became the St. George’s Theatre). was based on their desire for a continued and increased market for their
films - Australia was, after all, as The Argus reported in 1927, the largest
importer of American films.
When these cinemas were being built, however, the exhibitors insisted
that they were not controlled by the Americans, and that the new cinemas
were constructed for the benefit of patrons. They also did their best to
promote the “Australianness” of the cinemas, by down-playing the
American influence. Before the Melbourne Regent Theatre opened in
March 1929, a sign hanging from the building said: “Built for an all
Australian company by Australians for Australians”. The Melbourne
Regent's souvenir programme had the following to say about the
directors of Hoyts Theatres Ltd: “Their faith is in Australia, in
Australian skill and craftsmanship, to which the Regent Theatre stands
as a tribute”.
In addition to such written declarations of loyalty to Australia, many
cinemas incorporated Australian symbols in their decor. The
decorations in Brisbane's Wintergarden were in the form of native
plants, while Sydney's State Theatre incorporated a gallery of
In America, there was a particular commercial rationale behind the Australian art.
construction of these buildings. In Australia, however, the exhibition
industry was doing well, with increasing patronage and high box office With the onset of the talkies and the Depression, the era of picture palaces
figures. Why then were picture palaces introduced at this time? came to an end. These large buildings were not acoustically designed for
the exhibition of talking pictures, so new cinemas were built with
A practical reason for the building of larger cinemas was that more people smaller auditoriums to acoustic specifications. Existing picture palaces
could be seated for each session. With many cinemas changing their were still able to install sound equipment and these new films managed
programmes every week, it was an advantage to have a large auditorium. to hold back the effects of the Depression for a short time. As the novelty
The service and the grand, decorative surroundings also attracted more wore off, the patronage of cinemas and picture palaces declined.
patrons, and particularly, the patrons of live theatre, as the design of the Although all exhibitors felt the effects of the Depression, those who
picture palaces was on the same scale as the live theatres. Cinema, seen had spent enormous sums of money on the construction of picture
by some as a lower class pursuit, attempted to imitate the “high culture” palaces, and then on the conversion to sound, were hardest hit.
surroundings of live theatre, but at a cheaper admission price. They were
able to provide a smart atmosphere for upper and middle class patrons, The era of the picture palace, responsible for some of the most
while also giving working class patrons a chance to experience magnificent cinemas ever constructed in Australia, lasted only a few
entertainment in the grand surrounds that were previously unavailable to years before being overtaken by talking pictures and the Great
them. Depression. �

West’s Olympia Theatre, Oxford Street, Sydney
Credits:
The Argus, Melbourne;
“Hollywood Down Under: Australians at the Movies, 1896 to the Present Day",
Collins, Diane, Angus and Robertson, 1987;
The Regent Theatre (Melbourne), Souvenir Programme, 15 March 1929;
"Picture Palace Architecture in Australia" Thorne, Ross, Sun Books, 1976;
The Victory Theatre, Souvenir Programme, 19 March 1928;
Excerpts from Souvenir Programmes, St Kilda Victory and Melbourne Regent,
1928 and 1929 respectively. (George Ivanoff Collection).

Thanks:
This article was first published in Kino Edition #48, 1994.
The Editors of CinemaRecord wish to express their thanks to George Ivanoff
for his permission to reprint the article.

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