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The claim that the My Fair Lady was "the first Adelaide Advertiser. At an early age he was
new cinema to be built in the CBD in 30 years" an assistant projectionist at the Chelsea
is incorrect. The Metro (1939) and the Plaza Cinema, Kensington Park. His name was Al
(1955) are just two examples. Moritz. We visited the cinema on a Sunday
afternoon when it was being used for live
The Fair Lady was first used as an arthouse entertainment. Such an attractive showcase
cinema well before it was sold in 1986. Also, should be preserved and I hope it will be kept
for much of the last five year period of the intact.
Freeman brothers' ownership, it was operated
by several other parties. In 1981, Valhalla The Kings Cross Cinema was a leading
from interstate began running the venue as the playhouse in its original form. Many a name in
Valhalla at the Fair Lady, following a longer show business played on that stage, Ron
Dear Mike and Richard stint at the Goodwood Capri. Later, on Randell for instance.
11 November 1982, management was trans-
Congratulations to Cameron Hall on his ferred to the Melbourne-based AZ Associated The article on the Chinese cinema scene is very
groundbreaking article on Chinese Cinema in Theatres who, in July 1983, called it the Fair well covered. Catering for Asian audiences
Melbourne (CR#98). Lady: The Adelaide Art House. Seating was must have been exclusive to Melbourne.
reduced by curtaining off a section of the audi-
Could I add one extra piece to the jigsaw? torium. The operation ran to May 1984, when Changing Times is a good item indeed,
Cameron mentions the occasional Kung Fu the cinema was temporarily closed until illustrating the variety of equipment over the
screenings at the Mayfair in the late 1970s. 13 December that year, when World years. It is a very valuable record which should
Many years before, when the venue was known Safari:The New Adventure premiered. It went be preserved. Altogether a very informative
as the Auditorium, classical concerts dark again until Barry Loane took it over on issue.
alternated with films, and in February 1931 it 7 February 1986, renamed it the Classic at the
screened The Loves of Fu Sen. This was a silent Fair Lady and reinstated the compact seating Regards
Chinese film originally called The Poor format. The Gods Must be Crazy was trans- William Gray
Daughter in Law, produced in Shanghai. It had ferred from the Classic in Wakefield Street,
been acquired by a group of Melbourne Chinese because the owners were about to demolish
residents so that their “countrymen and others that building. The late Mr. Loane also ran the
interested should be able to see at least one Toorak Gardens Trak for almost 25 years.
Chinese film”. The Bulletin was impressed: “If
the silent film survives, it will reach its highest Farewell to a Fair Lady: Demolition Dilemma
expression in China. All the actors are Party was held on 29 October 1988 and fea-
consummate pantomimists”.’ tured The Chantoozies, Gumbo YaYa and De-
troit Motortown. In early, not late, 1989, the
Regards Fair Lady was pulled down to make way for
Frank Van Straten the Cosmopolitan Centre, housing the Greater
Union 5 Cinemas. The cost of the Cosmopol-
★ itan was $50 million, not $75 million. The
latter figure relates to the original plans, which
Dear Sirs, were to have included a multi-storey hotel and
eight, not five, cinemas. Many of the shops in
I enjoyed reading Rick Foster's article on the the centre were vacant, not occupied. The
Adelaide Fair Lady Theatre in Cine- building also contained an amusement centre.
maRecord No. 97. The interview with former
manager Glen Schwartz was most enlighten- The Fair Lady photo on page 22 would have
ing. However, it should be noted that the name been taken in 1975, when The Odessa File was
of George Bernard Shaw's play is Pygmalion, screening.
which was first published decades before
1956. That year refers to the Lerner and Loewe Kind regards,
musical version, My Fair Lady. Alan Bell Paruna, SA.

When the cinema opened in 1966 as the My ★
Fair Lady, the Warner Theatre was then
called the Majestic and did not become the Dear Editors,
Warner Theatre until 1969, after a brief life
as the Celebrity Theatre Restaurant. It was Thank you for CinemaRecord #98, some
never known as the Warner Picture Theatre excellent articles as usual.
because it hosted live shows, such as Doctor in
the House and The Rocky Horror Show. On a couple of visits to Adelaide I met up with Good Advice from a 1916 Motion Picture Magazine,
a good pen-friend, who worked for The recently donated to the CATHS Archive.

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