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Entertainment on a grand scale with orchestra and organ at the Regent
Hillier's (ah, we haven’t touched on Hillier's
yet) cost 3/6 for a small box, or 11/6 for a large
one. I know, the mind boggles, but after all this
was Saturday night at the Regent, and you had
a job at Bennett and Woolcock’s Butcher Shop
in Swanston Street.
The famous Norman Banks of Radio Station
3KZ, the “Brighter Broadcasting Station”, (who
was dressed exclusively by “Wardrop My
Tailor”) was on show on Saturday nights for all
the ladies of Melbourne to admire, with his talk
show for the Dress Circle patrons. Of course,
the patrons down below could see him as they
filed into the back or front stalls. This Saturday
night radio talk show, which was broadcast by
3KZ as part of their evening programme, was
an enormous crowd puller. Melburnians loved
it and Norman Banks was the top radio man of
Melbourne in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Norman
even broadcast the League Football matches in
the 30s for 3KZ. Experts later considered him
almost as good as Harry Bietzel and Jack Dyer. The female staff at the Regent - a far cry from today’s single “ticket tearer”
The Regent hierarchy knew its onions when
they allowed Norman on their foyer balcony to
broadcast. They knew his appeal, for in 1934
he won a newspaper sponsored competition as
the Most Popular Man in Victoria. All the name
men of sport and entertainment had entered, but
it was really a one horse race, for Norman
Banks won it at a canter.
When the Regent held its first children’s
matinee in March 1929, Mother had given me
a shilling and I had on my cleanest blouse
(that’s right, blouse), my short pants were
ironed and my boots polished, and I set off by
cable tram from Richmond into the city - the
fare being one penny. Arriving at the Regent
also were thousands of other kids. There were
free ice creams, balloons, prize tickets with
lucky numbers, Cowboy and Indian pictures,
Our Gang comedies, serials - it was good and
something to be remembered. Later in the early
thirties, when Shirley Temple hit the screens,
the Regent decided one week to put on a
competition for the best Shirley Temple look-
The highly decorated Plaza beneath the Regent alike. Well, I can assure you that the Regent

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