Page 11 - CINEMARECORD-98

Tommy screened at the Prince of Wales, a
high powered, four channel sound system was
installed and that was a great crowd puller. We
saw it on a Saturday night with a full house
sign outside!

Cinema One (run by Tasmanian Drive-in
Theatres, a part of Village Theatres) was the
former Tatler newsreel theatre. It was
downstairs in Murray Street and rather small,
although nowadays it would be considered
large, seating about 250. It didn’t show many
“great” films - more art films and foreign
language movies. Of the dozens of films we
saw there, the only one I can remember is
Chinatown.

It was the drive-ins we regularly frequented,
virtually every Saturday night! The Elwick Eastside Drive-in entry gate (Image: Nigel Saunders)
Drive-in (also run by Tasmanian Drive-in
Theatres) was situated in the middle of the The films shown at Elwick were usually the We moved back to Melbourne in 1975, but I
Elwick racecourse in suburban Glenorchy. same as those shown at the drive ins at returned to Hobart in 1978, by which time the
Launceston, Devonport and Burnie. Of course, Village West End Twin had opened and the
You had to drive across the racetrack to get in with only one way to drive out, across the Avalon had closed. It had been converted into
and out. It was Tasmania’s first drive-in and its racetrack, those anxious to go would start an electrical goods store by white goods
largest. Elwick had a giant 105 foot screen and leaving as the movie was about the finish, in retailer Danny Bourke, and renamed
the best café of any drive in I’ve attended. It their judgement. On one night, during the Clint “Bourke’s Avalon” (as if that encouraged
was 130 feet long and 40 feet wide! There was Eastwood film, Play Misty for Me, half the people to buy a fridge in a former picture
nothing like getting the Saturday night’s audience drove off half way through the theatre). The West End Cinemas were similar
Melbourne Herald and the SEM (Saturday movie, thinking it was just about to end to the Hoyts Mid City in Melbourne, being
back to back twins and rather large, seating
nearly two thousand. I saw Grease there, and
it was a full house. The two drive-ins, Cinema
One and Hoyts Prince of Wales were still
operating.

Elwick Drive-in, built within the racecourse at Glenorchy

Evening Mercury), reading them while having For an alternate from the “mainstream” films
dinner at the drive-in (and ignoring all the at Elwick, there was the Eastside Drive-in at
advertising slides) and then watching a double Warrane on the other side of the Derwent. The
feature. Apart from the cold in the winter, Eastside (also operated by Tasmanian Drive-
Elwick had a problem with fog. It would roll in Theatres) was a lot smaller than Elwick and
in from the nearby Derwent River and make it had a smaller screen and café, but it had what
very difficult to see the screen at all on some no other drive-in had - fantastic views! While
nights! waiting for the program to begin, you could
look to either side of the screen to see over
Hobart, or watch the cars going up and down
Mt. Wellington - certainly far better than
watching the advertising slides. Turning off Eastside Drive-in (Image: Nigel Saunders)
the volume on the window mounted speaker
and putting a cassette in the car stereo helped In 1980, it was back to Victoria - Ballarat for a
set the mood too. year (two drive ins and one theatre there at that
stage), then Melbourne again with a vast
Eastside offered a different double feature to choice of theatres once more! �
Elwick each week, even when the Tasman
Bridge went down and Hobart was cut in two. Photo Credits:
At that time, we were living in Huonville on
the Hobart side of the river and on many a Sam Turner Collection
Saturday night would drive to Hobart, catch Kevin Adams Collection
the car ferry across the river to go to the
Eastside Drive in and then catch it back again Tasmanian Govt. Archives (Nigel Saunders)
after the movies - a long trip but always well CATHS Archive
worth it!

CINEMARECORD # 98 11