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When H-O-Y-T-S was also a Coded Message

by Ian Smith

oyts Herald was a fortnightly in-house Munro. It all reads as collegiate fun, just a whiff Zone T
H magazine focused on the doings of of friendly competition, but nothing too serious. Supervisor: R Potter
suburban theatre managers. George Griffiths, Or was it? Empress Prahran, Plaza Essendon, Hoyts
el supremo of Hoyts in Victoria, was the Carnegie, Hoyts Middle Brighton, Hoyts
publisher. His Associate Editors were Jack Hoyts management had a classification for their Ivanhoe, Lygon Brunswick, Barkly Footscray.
Anderson and Lou Soumprou, the ‘roving buildings - A, B, or C, a rating based on
reporters’ who wrote the snippets about staff architectural merit. For example, each regent, Perhaps a pattern is emerging. The old
activities, including social events. Apart from and the best of the newer stock was an A, and Empress, impressive in its day, was now
his news-gathering, Lou was responsible for the old theatres, even those after a face-lift, overshadowed as a destination by the smart
programming the suburban theatres. were either a B or C. It was a surprise, therefore, New Windsor, an event which had probably
to read of another classification based on the diminished its earning capacity. Similarly, the
The CATHS archive has a bound volume of letters H, O, Y, T and S. What did this stand Barkly, once Footscray’s stand-out cinema,
Hoyts Herald from February 1939 to March for? lost face when Hoyts made-over the Trocadero
1942. Each issue included a paragraph from the and anointed it as their premier house in the
editors imploring managers to send in items for Since H was the first letter, I expected all of the suburb. It is surprising to see the Ivanhoe, a
publication. One can imagine how these first-rank theatres (regents and similar) to be in fashionable theatre in a fashionable suburb, in
requests were received by already busy men. zone H, but this was not the case. this company. The others are an unimpressive
(At this stage of the war, managers were still group.
male, their female replacements came later.)
Zone S
Film attendances were booming, and the upbeat Supervisor: G Shepherd
content of the magazine reflected this. Eric Victory Malvern, Shore Williamstown, Hoyts
White has written about his time at the Regent Canterbury, Town Hall Coburg, Alhambra
South Yarra, and its talented but somewhat Brunswick Hoyts Bentleigh, Regent Ballarat
eccentric manager, Eric Thacker (See CR 73). and Regent Albury.
Here is how the Herald described Thacker’s
behaviour at one social event. “Magnificently Some “tail-end-charlies” here. Victory
aloof, often made swift descents from the Malvern and the Shore were “last-chance”
clouds, and with cold logic and barbed Zone H theatres, their programs in the sixth and last
penetration annihilated his opponents.” Supervisor: B Cowen week on the circuit. The old Canterbury is
Victory St Kilda, Regent South Yarra, New soon to be replaced by the Maling (see CR 96).
Beyond the happy-go-lucky write-ups of Windsor, Park Albert Park, Cinema Richmond, The impressive Regent Ballarat, and the ultra-
company get-togethers, the writing sometimes Padua Brunswick, Renown Elsternwick and smart Hoyts Albury (controlled from
had an edge, offering a hint that the managers Trocadero Footscray. Melbourne), would seem to have been tossed
could do better at attracting patrons. Examples in here just to put them somewhere.
of imaginative promotions were a main feature Location has little to do with this grouping. And
of each edition. A selection of them are in the three Regents are missing from the list. Why is A few issues later, the meaning of this zone
article by Royce Harris in CR 94 and others are the Cinema Richmond, a conversion from a system became obvious. The list was reprinted
shown here. skating rink, in this illustrious group? Ask the with one change and an explanation why.
same question about the Renown and Because the manager of the Regent Thornbury
Also prominent were reports on a manager’s Trocadero, two rather ordinary makeovers of had put in a major effort to boost earnings, the
efforts to boost matinee attendances, or sell pre-1920 theatres. theatre was now to be promoted into Zone H!
more issues of Screen News. One example of a So, all the joking about tennis winners and
smart pitch was the entrance to the Cinema Harry Gratton was the manager at Richmond, happy times was a veneer for the fact that the
Richmond, where each door carried one letter and one of Hoyts’ popular and experienced managers were in competition with each other.
of the title Kentucky. (This would only work at employees. (See CR 76.) Perhaps Harry had They were being judged on what would now be
a theatre with at least eight doors, so the worked some sort of magic at his location. called key performance indicators.
managers of narrow-fronted theatres were
expected to be imaginative in other ways). Zone O Two important theatres were not included in
Supervisor: A Smallacombe the Zone system, or not at this time anyway: the
In another issue, the newly appointed manager Regent Thornbury, Grand Coburg, New Broadway Camberwell and the Regent
of the Alhambra Brunswick, the worst theatre Malvern, Regent Gardiner, Palace Glenferrie, Fitzroy. In the 1930s, Associated Theatres
in Melbourne (my assessment), staged a coup Rialto Kew, Waratah Ascot Vale. appointed Robert McLeish to manage the
by sending out flyers telling parents that the Broadway. McLeish was a key industry figure
Alhambra showed the best Saturday matinees. Two other Regents are here, but still no Regent sometimes enmeshed with Hoyts, but not
Apparently, this worked a treat. Elsewhere the Fitzroy. strictly beholden to them, so his leadership and
same manager was reported as saying that he performance were apparently off limits.
had big plans for the Alhambra. The editor’s Zone Y
assessment of this comment was a little snide, Supervisor: J Winter The Regent Fitzroy was owned by the firm
hinting without saying it, “Good luck with Merri North Fitzroy, Circle Preston, Eclipse Griffith and West (at this time), so although it
that.” Port Melbourne, Southern Hampton, Hoyts traded under the Hoyts banner, it too seems to
Glenhuntly, and Circle Essendon. have been immune to judgement. Also missing
An annual competition to award prizes for the is the Memorial St Kilda. It was a joint venture
best-dressed theatre was always big news. The The Circle Preston had only been open for two between Hoyts and the Palais Pictures, so
judges included George Griffiths, Joe Walker years and might be expected to be up in zone again, not relevant.
(boss of the suburban theatres) and an H with buildings of similar age. Evidently a
entourage. The event included a special award smart new cinema was not in itself enough to The issues of Hoyts Herald held in the Archive
from the then Chairman of Hoyts, Charles E gain a high classification. collection do not run on long enough to answer

28 CINEMARECORD # 99