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Keith Ellis managed the theatre up until around
1940 when it was taken over by Howard
Williamson who started his career on the Ozone
circuit in 1939 at the Renmark Ozone. He was
later transferred to Mount Gambier for the
opening of the Ozone there. He then was
appointed manager/projectionist at the Victor
Theatre and remained there throughout the war
years up until 1945.

Even though the war was in full swing and
Victor Harbor had to adhere to strict blackout
controls at night (11 pm curfews were in effect),
the theatre did a booming business, so much so
that the Wonderview had to be re-opened as a
cinema from its current dancehall status to
handle the extra business.
Ticket prices at the Victor Theatre during this
period were listed at 3 shillings for the lounge
seats, 2 shillings and four pence for the dress
circle and 1 shilling and 9 pence for the stalls.

Due to the length of some programmes and the
11 pm curfew, allowances were made to speed
up the films, even though this practice was
frowned upon at the time. The theatre usually
screened a main picture and a support feature,
and there were usually two newsreels and one
or two cartoons on the programme.
Aside from foot warmers being installed by
T O'Conner & Stone Ltd in 1948, very little
changed up until 1951 when the theatre came
under a new management once again.

In 1951, after almost a year of negotiations
between managing director Ernest Turnbull of
Hoyts Theatres Ltd and Clyde Waterman of
Waterman Bros it was announced on Friday
30 August that the Hoyts theatre group had
acquired “a substantial financial interest in 24
Ozone theatres operated by Waterman Bros Ltd
in SA, Victoria and NSW”. The name was then
changed to the Hoyts Ozone.

official opening on the 23 December 1934. It its “possession of all the latest devices of a In 1955 management upgraded to
was opened by the mayor of Victor Harbor, Mr modern theatre”. With the new opening came CinemaScope along with major alterations to
S. D. Bruce, in the presence of around 800 a new manager. The theatre's prior manager Mr the proscenium to accommodate the wider
people. The building could now accommodate Allan Woodard was sent to manage the screen. The first film to be screened in the new
1,100 people and was said to be an attractive Marryatville Ozone and the Victor was now format was The Robe on 9 June 1955.
one and was praised for its interior design and managed by Keith Ellis. Screenings were nightly except on Sundays
with matinees every Saturday. With the onset
of television, business began to dwindle with
screenings being cut back to Wednesdays,
Fridays and Saturdays in 1959 and by April
1962 only a Saturday night screening was
available with the exception of the school
holidays. This decline continued, resulting in
the cinema closing between 13 October and 25
December, 1963, and an even longer closure
during the winter months of 1964 starting from
Anzac Day up until 25 December. Its last
screening under the Hoyts Ozone name and
management was The Shoes of the Fisherman
on Saturday, 28 March 1970.

The theatre was sold to Roy Denison of South
Coast Drive-in Theatres Limited for $25,000
on September 1970. Denison was a local who
had run the Port Elliot Drive-in since January
1959 and had decided to take his love of movies
into the hardtop cinema business. It was during
this period that Howard Williamson returned
to the theatre as the projectionist.

32 CINEMARECORD # 98