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the Century Gardens, and was managed by With the Melody Gardens and Century Bill and Len almost single handedly built the
Jack Bidstrup and his wife, Maureen, who were Gardens situated next to each other, the two Melody Drive-in. At the start, Bill had to install
also managing the Bay View Theatre. competing sound tracks side by side was a pair of 35 kVA generators, as the SEC would
However, a few years later, the Jazz Hall (Bay intolerable. One amusing, but unsubstantiated not power the site because of arguments over
View Theatre) was demolished to make way story tells of the evening when the Melody the point of supply to the block. Bill Ray was
for new shops. Gardens was screening Captain Horation very versatile as well as a very good machinist.
Hornblower, and the adjoining Century He maintained an excellent workshop at the
In the meantime, Mrs. Pell was furious about Gardens was showing a love story. From the drive-in, where he and Sylvia lived on site until
her eviction from the Century Theatre, as this Century came the dialogue, “What can I do to they sold out in the early 1970s to Westralian
was a good money spinner over the summer prove that I love you?”. Across the fence from Drive-in Theatres. The drive-in continued in
period. Mr. Grigg had completely under- the Melody came the reply, “Give her a operation until it closed on 18 October 1986.
estimated Mrs. Pell. She was quite wealthy and broadside!” The screen was still standing in 1997, but has
very soon found that there was a block of land since been demolished. The land still stands
for sale at the corner of Railway Terrace and After a couple of summers, the Melody vacant today.
Kent Street, immediately adjacent to the Theatre ran all year round but, being by the
Century Gardens open-air theatre. Her offer sea, nights were not that hot. Even so, they had In November 1981, Coastal Cinemas, who also
to buy that land was promptly accepted by its large, openable side doors to let the cooling sea operated venues in Fremantle, built a triple
then owner, as land sales in Rockingham were breezes in on very hot nights. As a result, the screen cinema, Rockingham 3, at 14 Leghorn
not exactly going gangbusters. first Melody Gardens was not really necessary, Street. On 28 September 1995, three more
so was slowly removed. screens were opened and the venue was
Once she bought the block, she had plans drawn renamed Rockingham 6. Then, on
up for a new hardtop theatre, slap up against In 1958, Bill and Sylvia decided to build the 21 December 2001, Hoyts took over the
the Century fence, the local Road Board at the new, second Melody Gardens near the complex, together with the remainder of
time approved them and, within a few months diagonally opposite corner of Railway Terrace Coastal Cinemas’ venues. The latest change of
over winter, the Melody Theatre hardtop and Parkin Street, doing so in less than ownership took place on 26 May 2011 when
started to rise up. As she was a good payer, the 12 months, with a massive brick screen right Hoyts sold the multiplex to United Cinemas,
film companies refused to supply Grigg and across the full width of the block and a seating the venue now rebadged as United Cinemas.
Bidstrup with the normal product that she had capacity of 500-600.
been previously screening at the Century In around 2012, Ace Cinemas arrived on the
Theatre during the summer prior to the lease It opened on Boxing Night 1959 to a massive scene when they opened an 8 screen complex,
wrangle. Grigg believed he would disaster. About 20 minutes into the first film, including 2 Gold Class lounges, as part of a new
automatically get access to all that product with there was a loud bang from the street shopping centre at No. 1 Syren Street,
Metro, Paramount, Universal and BEF. transformer outside and the place was plunged Rockingham. Ace Cinemas also own the
However, all said that they were waiting for the into darkness. The theatre was packed and, even Subiaco and the Midland Gate cinema
new Melody Theatre to open, leaving the though the SEC at the time did their best to get complexes in Western Australia. ★
Century Theatre with access to Fox and the thing back on line, the load was too much
Columbia product only. and the transformer had to be replaced the next Credits:
day. Bill and Sylvia had to hand out many Additional information from Les Tod, Ron Jones, Roy
Almost 18 months after Mrs Pell was evicted complimentary tickets for the next show the Mudge, Cineweb AAMPT, Heritage Council of WA.
from the Century Theatre, she opened the new following night. This went without a hitch, with
Melody Theatre and Gardens in 1956 with Bill's refurbished projectors doing a great job.
much fanfare, as the new hardtop was vastly The screen was a huge structure, 66 feet wide
improved over the much older Century (full width of the block) with 2 massive returns
Theatre. The Melody Theatre seated 450, and each side in which Bill had mounted quite large
the Melody Gardens seated 350. At that stage, reflex speaker boxes with a pair of Raycophone
a Mr. Bill Ray was the electrical contractor who 15" loudspeakers facing each other across the
won the job of wiring both theatres. In the grass footing below the screen. These were
process of working for Mrs. Pell, he met her electro dynamic units requiring something like
daughter, Sylvia, who he soon married. As Mrs. 500V DC to power the magnets in each. Up on
Pell became more involved with her other the curved back roof section, across the top in
business interests, she left Bill and Sylvia to the centre, a multi cellular horn was mounted,
manage the two Melody venues, and employed angled down into the 500 seats. That sound was
a Mr. Len Westley to run the new cinema magic and, when Ben Hur was screened for
equipment. seven nights, the theatre was served with a
noise abatement infringement by the Road
The design of the Melody Theatre was such Board, as the chariot race sequence could be
that the bio box ran the full length of the front heard blocks away. From then on, the volume
wall and out over a lobby area into the gardens, had to be lowered when that sequence of the
with additional portholes set up on an angled film started.
wall shooting diagonally across the block down
to a screen erected across the dividing fence The second Melody Gardens closed in 1968,
between the Century Gardens and the Melody and the Melody Theatre closed in 1966.
Gardens. When it came summer, a pair of
refurbished C&W Junior projectors with 12" In 1961, after two summers of very successful
RCA Hilite arcs (powered by Don rectifier units outdoor movies, Bill Ray decided to build the
with four Tungar tubes supplying 45A to each Melody Drive-in at Kwinana. Initially, it
arc), all built up on a thick steel plate fitted with opened with capacity for 450 cars, but that was
sturdy lockable dolly wheels, were simply reduced to 240 cars in 1971. Once that opened,
wheeled into position at the garden portholes Len Westley moved there as full time
for summer and back for the hard top over the projectionist, leaving me to run the Melody
winter period. If it rained during summer, the Gardens and Melody Theatre on my own
CATHS is proud to sponsor Madeleine at
show moved inside the Melody Theatre in a from 1961 to 1963. When my then employer, the Movies, Tuesdays at 10.15 am and
flash, leaving the Century Gardens flat footed the PMG, decided that I was needed at Wagin,
when it came to inclement weather. I reluctantly transferred there in 1964. Fridays at 12.10 pm on Golden Days Radio.
On FM, or streaming live on the Internet.

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