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THE FAIRFIELD THEATRE, VIC.

by Tony Tibballs

Fairfield Theatre frontage - 6 September 1947

(2)
The Melbourne suburb of Fairfield, 6 km north to the suburb. It seated 1200 people. The Most of the roof wasn't lined, but some painted
east of the CBD, is mainly residential, close to design of the internal layout of the theatre is decoration adorned the upstairs foyer. A canvas
the meandering Yarra River with its historical nearly identical to the Richmond Theatre. ceiling lining came later.
boathouse and adjacent parklands. In 1888, a Interestingly, the builder of the Park Theatre .
railway was built between Collingwood and was a Mr R.H. McDonald, also of Richmond. (3) In 1918, Mr James Brown took over the lease
(4)
Heidelberg, with the outer circle railway at Fairfield. An experienced exhibitor, he had
branching off through Kew to Oakleigh at the A distinctive curved veranda with posts run the original Thornbury Theatre at
railway station, then known as Fairfield Park, sheltered four glass entrance doors, with two 911 High Street from 1913 until 1917 and had
near the present Fairfield shopping centre. This small shops either side. Other than the veranda, extensively remodelled it. At Fairfield he soon
name derived from the namesake near the the brick façade was typical of many suburban relocated the staircase to the right side of the
present housing estate established by a land theatres of the period - more like a large foyer and extended the gallery, while adding
boomer speculator of the early 1880s, Charles two-storey shop than a statement of design. In another entrance door to the stalls.
Henry James. the foyer, a central staircase led to the small
gallery and bio-box on the upper level. The When Mr Robert McLeish took over in 1924,
The suburb's first and only picture theatre was entrance to the stalls was through a single door. he found that the bio-box had been relocated to
built on Station Street for a Mrs Rose Lewis Two exit doors were set halfway along the the rear of the stalls. This was out of step with
and Mr T.M. Hodges. They were already walls, with two emergency exits either side of the practice elsewhere, but one explanation is
business partners in Richmond. Mrs Lewis was the stage. The toilets, rudimentary at best, were that it increased the gallery seating where ticket
the proprietor of the Richmond Theatre (1912) outside at the back of the building, either side prices were higher.
and Mr Hodges was the designer and owner of of the generator shed. They were accessed by
the National Theatre (1911), both in Bridge open passageways on either side of the Robert (Bob) McLeish, had established himself
Road. He also leased her theatre for a short corrugated iron structure. It was this cladding as a major player in suburban Melbourne's
time. Their new venture, the Park Theatre, throughout its life that gained its nickname as picture theatre scene. A tenor who toured with
opened on 29 April 1914 in the centre of the the “Tin Shed”. An outside stairwell on the early shows, his initial managerial success was
shopping strip, a short walk north of the railway north side provided an exit for the gallery level. at the Prahran Town Hall from 1905, with
station. (1) “McLeish Weekly Pops”, a mix of films and
At first the theatre screened on a Wednesday vaudeville. When the Northcote Theatre
The Park was basic, inside and out, unlike the and Saturday evening, with a matinee on opened in 1912, he was appointed manager for
impressive Northcote Theatre (1912) only Saturday. The stage was only suitable for the owners and, by 1920, had leased the theatre,
2 km west. Even so, it featured in advertising simple concerts. Musicians in a small orchestra taken over the Newmarket Theatre (in 1917),
to entice prospective buyers of housing blocks pit provided accompaniment in the silent era. as well as the lease of the Clifton Hill Theatre
(c 1918-21) and had then built the first Rivoli
Crowd at Fairfield Theatre Auction on 15 November 1957
Theatre in Burke Road Camberwell, as well as
the Austral in Collingwood, both opening in
1921. This remarkably quick expansion would
establish Robert McLeish Theatres Ltd as a
prominent Melbourne suburban theatre
exhibitor. (5)
Under McLeish, the name was changed to the
Fairfield Theatre, though it had been
colloquially known as that for some time. Its
name was etched in gold lettering in the
leadlight glass above the doors. This was the
year that the new, nearby Ivanhoe Theatre
(only three railway stations further east and
reputedly built for an inaugural director of
Hoyts, Mr James Denton), opened as one of the
first 'stadium' style cinemas built in Melbourne.

Robert McLeish and his relationship with the
other major exhibitors of the time is an
interesting one. F.W. Thring (Snr), head of
Associated Theatres Pty. Ltd., as well as
George Griffiths and Ernest Turnbull of Hoyts,
all competitive men, were prepared to work

36 CINEMARECORD # 99