Alhambra Theatre Riebeeck Street, Cape Town. Designed in 1928 by architect P. Rogers Cooke pictured above.
South Africa’s finest Atmospheric style theatre was designed in 1928 by architect P. Rogers Cooke. It opened in 1929 and had a Wurlitzer 2Manual/8Ranks theatre pipe organ installed which was opened by Max Bruce. The organ was moved to the Bijou Theatre, Cape Town in 1931.
The Alhambra Theatre operated as one of Cape Town’s major cinemas for many years and also presented numerous stage shows well into the 1960’s. The Alhambra Theatre was closed in January 1972 and demolished in 1974.
The organ that was originally in the Alhambra Theatre was installed in the Nico Milan/Artscape Theatre, Cape Town in 1998.
The Empire Theatre under construction 1927 - Later to become Her Majesty’s - Photo By Sam Hood - From the collections of the State Library of New South Wales
Northam Town Hall Wellington Street and Gordon Street, Northam, WA 6401
Town Hall and Lesser Hall Located in Wellington Street, the Town Hall which was designed by Henry Proctor and opened by Sir John Forrest in 1898. It cost £3000 and is typical of the Italianate excesses which was common in Western Australia in the wake of the gold discoveries.
Next door is the Lesser Hall which was designed by P.W. Harrison, constructed in 1936 and cost £1783 to build. They are both listed on the Register of the National Estate and classified by the National Trust. It is described as “Northam Town Hall, a brick structure including two-storey main hall and single-storey lesser hall, with rendered pilasters and pediments and corrugated iron roofs.”
Both photos are same theatre. Opened as Hoyts Fremantle in 1938 as in almost last photo In 1949 got a make over in auditorium as in main photo. In 1959 Hoyts sold theatre and in 1960 got a new name Oriana after the ship. In 1968 a new large screen was place in front of the old stage - Roy Mudge.
The Majestic Theatre opened in 1912, and this photograph is of the theatre after it was remodelled in 1936. The remodelling of the theatre, which included bold electric signage, and a new entrance on Flinders Street surrounded by black glass, was designed by Cowper, Murphy and Appleford. The firm was experienced in cinema architecture, and were the architects of the Sun Theatre in Yarraville, familiar to many.
The remodelling in 1936 removed many of the quirks of the original design by Klingender & Alsop and Nahum Barnet. It also brought it up to date, so as to compete with the ‘picture palaces’ built from the 1920s, such as the nearby State Theatre at the corner of Russell and Flinders Streets. The sign ‘Thoroughbred’ promotes the Australian film released in 1936, based in part on the story of Phar Lap, which played at the Majestic. Visible at left in this photograph is part of the Ball & Welch department store.
As with many cinemas, the Majestic went into decline after the introduction of television in 1956. It was renamed the Chelsea in 1960 and modernised. The theatre closed in 1979, and was demolished in 1986.
Photograph:
Commercial Photographic Company
Source:
Harold Paynting Collection
State Library of Victoria
Victorian Heritage Database place details - 8/12/2020
Total House / Car-park /Cabaret / Cinema / Night-club
Location: - 170-190 Russell Street,, MELBOURNE VIC 3000 - Property No B7018
Heritage Inventory (HI) Number:
Statement of Significance:
Total House, comprising the Total Car Park, Total Office building and basement Total Theatre, was built in 1964-5. It was built on land purchased by the City of Melbourne between 1959 and 1961 for the purpose of providing car parking. The site was leased by early 1963 for 75 years to the Savoy Car Park Company, who built the structure. This company was associated with Gordon Banfield, whose architectural firm Bogle Banfield
and Associates, were responsible for the design of Total House, with Bernard Joyce as the project architect. Banfield and his companies owned or developed many car-parks and entertainment venues in the CBD in the 1960s and 70s. The creation of a theatre/nightclub in the basement was reported as an exciting innovation for the period.
The car-park and office building have been in continuous use since the building’s completion, while the nightclub has gone through a number of transformations. It opened as the Paris-style Lido nightclub, which provided a new type of entertainment for Melburnians. The Lido allowed patrons to enjoy dinner and drinks while watching elaborate floor shows. It hosted acts including Winifred Atwell, Eartha Kitt, Shirley Bassey, and risqué ‘nude revues’ until 1972. Since 1980 it has been a music and dance venue known as The Billboard
nightclub.
Most of the shopfronts and the entry were altered in the 1980s or 1990s, and the concrete balustrades of the carpark were painted in the 1980s. The building is a reinforced concrete construction, with seven elevated parking decks, and four levels of offices over a smaller area elevated above the top deck. The car-park levels are utilitarian in design and horizontal in form, joined by a pair of ramps, with columns inset about two metres from all edges. The almost solid
balustrades, relieved only by long horizontal slots, dominate the appearance of the building from the street and
create a strong horizontal effect. The office block, which is raised high above the top car-park level on inset
columns, takes the form of an almost solid box open only to the north and south through deeply inset curtain walls. The effect has been likened to an old-style giant TV set. There are panels of brown brick at ground level on the Little Bourke Street and lane way sides, near the car entry, and around the lift doors, mostly painted.
The carpark lifts are located on the rear boundary, though the Russell Street office lifts also once served the carpark. The shopfronts have mostly been altered; those on Russell Street have been brought forward from
their original setback alignment. The office/nightclub lift opens directly onto Russell Street through a small
lobby. An angled glass canopy has been added at ground level along Russell Street obscuring the first level balustrade of the car-park.
Total House is significant for architectural and historical reasons at a State level Architecturally, Total House is a landmark of post WWII modernist design, both in form and function. The design uses a cantilevered concrete structure to create bold gestures and to achieve strong forms, clearly
defining the two main functions. It is one of the earliest expressions of Brutalist architecture in Victoria, and a
rare example of architecture influenced by Japanese Brutalist architecture of the 1950s and early 1960s. The unpainted concrete, stacked car park decks, and in particular the balustrades, are thought to have been specifically influenced by the 1958 Kagawa Prefectural Offices, designed by the highly influential Japanese architect Kenzo Tange.
Aesthetically, Total House is a bold expression of sharply defined and floating forms. The TV-like office block,
with its deeply recessed curtain walls set within a solid box, floats futuristically above the main body of the strongly horizontal carpark levels, which themselves appear to float one above the other. Historically, Total House exhibits the highest degree of architectural interest of all the multi-level car-parks built in the 1950s and 1960s in Melbourne. It is one of three whose construction was instigated by the City of
Melbourne, representing their reaction to the increasing need for car parking spaces in the CBD. It is also unique for the period in combining car-park, offices and an entertainment venue, where theatre-goers or office workers could ‘drive-in’ and simply take a lift to their destination.
The theatre - ‘The Lido’
The theatre space was probably the only purpose built nightclub at the time, and during its period as ‘The Lido’, was certainly the most extravagant nightclub experience available in the city. Total House is also significant for its association with Gordon Banfield, an architect, developer and theatrical
entrepreneur. His companies owned, designed and built at least six multi-level car-parks in the CBD, three of them associated with entertainment venues. He was described as the largest landowner in the CBD in the mid 1970s. His architectural firm Bogle Banfield & Associates are known for a number of landmark buildings in Melbourne.
From the 1920’s until the 1950s, the hall served as Cheltenham’s picture theatre with regular showings of films and newsreels. The first public viewing of television in Cheltenham took place at the hall. The hall remained in use by the RSL until the late 1970s when it became Columns Receptions. It has subsequently been used as a bingo hall and more recently as Fernwood Female Fitness Centre.
Hi Kenneth – There may well have been a seasonal outdoor theatre back in 2001, although in this case there is no official record. Previously there was a drive in theatre & gardens at Exmouth, also a theatre and gardens at the naval base. Sadly for those who remember what real cinema was all about, times have changed for ever. – Regards Greg Lynch
Wirrina Drive-In Walter Road W. and Collier Road, Morley, WA
Fact Sheet #
A projection box and control room built above the concession building and a 600-seat lounge building for the convenience of nearby residents and riders of motor scooters are among the unique features of the 500-car Wirrina Drive-in…
Seating in the lounge is positioned to give maximum view while the high-sited control-room allows drive-in officials to keep a close watch on the functioning of every part of the theatre and to correct any problems which may arise without delay.
Spacious concession building backs the patron lounge and provides a wide variety of foodstuffs and confectionery, etc.
A receptionist is also on duty to provide reading and writing materials for patrons. Children’s playground is located near the concession building for utmost convenience and includes a miniature train among its attractions for youngsters…
Color tones throughout Wirrina are attractive, an unusually effective touch being provided by the foam rubber seating in the lounge with its green backs and red seats.
Dominating the Wirrina scene is the screen which stands 60 ft above the ground and is stressed with steel and concrete.
Measuring 32ft by 90ft it is believed to be the only screen of its type in Australia and is designed to give the brightest and sharpest picture possible. (Film Weekly, 2 April 1959)
Photo : 1969 Audience seated in the Capri Cinema for premier screening of Tjilla Trail made by BP Australia.
Summary of the Tjilla Trail
Building the 265-mile railway linking the Mount Newman iron mine with Port Hedland, W.A., showing rapid mechanical construction methods with impressions of the country and its wild life – Contributed by Greg Lynch –
1955 Carousel in CinemaScope 55 – Personally I thought that the 35mm reduction print from the original 55mm negative (55.625mm) was sensational. The image on the Regent screen was as sharp & as sweet as anything I have ever seen. I wish they had continued with this format. “The King & I” in CinemaScope 55 was good, but nothing like Carousel – One man’s opinion ! – Contributed by Greg Lynch –
Think that there was only ever a single operating bio-box, however at one stage it was moved to another location, and the space replaced with lighting equipment – GL
The Empire Theatre stood mighty on Sydney Road in Melbourne’s inner-city suburb of Brunswick from as early as 1911, and spanned across decades, until 1976 when it tragically burnt down – Contributed by Greg Lynch –
Kyneton Shire Hall 141 Mollison Street, Kyneton, VIC.
Kyneton Shire Hall
Located at 129 Mollison Street, the Kyneton Shire Hall is recognised as one of the most substantial Shire Halls in Victoria. It was built in 1878-1879 and added to in 1929. The Heritage Register records that “The principal elevation of the Shire Hall is significant for the unusual architectural synthesis of elements of the first stage designed by the important architect William Pritchard, and the second stage designed by theatre and civic hall specalists Richardson and Wood some fifty years later. Both designs are characteristic of their individual eras while forming an architecturally unified whole.
Cinema
The 1929 internal alterations which were designed to provide a combined picture theatre/hall are less sympathetic to the original than the exterior works, but are an important manifestation of the recognition of the desire of communities to adapt to the growing popularity of the cinema in the 1920s – Contributed by Greg Lynch –
St. George’s Theatre 34 Birmingham Street, Yarraville, VIC
Statement of Significance –
The former St Georges Theatre is significant to the City of Maribyrnong because: – its creation was heralded with much enthusiasm by the community and its leaders and has been a major social gathering place within the City over a long period ( Criterion A4, G1); – it was the setting for expression of dissent to conscription in the World War One era plus other events such as bitter conflict among the City’s youth ( Criterion A4); – its upper facade shows great architectural invention, using the Romanesque revival (Criterion F1); and – it is a prominent landmark within the Yarraville railway precinct, relating closely with much of the adjacent significant architecture, but identifiable as a public auditorium among the commercial and transport structures nearby which make up the precinct – Contributed by Greg Lynch –
Kingscote Public Hall 43 Dauncey Street, Kingscote, SA
HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION: The District Council was first proclaimed on 5th January 1888 and the meeting took place in the Queenscliffe Hotel. The original Council Chambers were constructed in 1898 with meetings up until this time held at the Hotel. On 26 October
1903, the name of the town of Queenscliffe was changed to Kingscote. In 1912 a larger hall was erected behind the original building. The two storey building facing Dauncey Street and incorporating two shopfronts, which was constructed in 1955, is the work of Adelaide architect and contractors Walter D Cowell of William M Essery and Sons Pty Ltd.The additions incorporated the earlier hall on the site. Internally, the complex retains much of its original detailing.
There are important items of local art in the building, including the mural displayed in the foyer which was designed and embroidered by Kangaroo Island CWA members. In the main hall is a second mural designed by Ben Gerdsen and crafted by the Kangaroo Island Spinners and Weavers. Prints on the stair well depict The Investigator and Le Geographe. The building continues to provide a focal civic and cultural function within Kingscote – Contributed by Greg Lynch –
Wittenoom Theatre Gardens 3rd Avenue and King Street, Wittenoom, WA – PHOTO 1949 Tom Whiting.
The first films in Wittenoom were screened for the mine workers and their families before 1947, in the 16mm format and were free. The location was a site in the gorge. An iron bio box housed the projectors, and the patrons sat on tin drums or packing cases. A stage was mounted on drums with steps at one side and the screen was placed behind and above the stage. Screenings here went on for some years, at least to 1949.
Pioneering Times
Utilizing only one projector, Charlie Smith continued regular 16mm film screenings on the site until the theatre was later erected. This was on the east corner of the junction of King and Third Streets. According to old tales there were many times when the spool ran out, Charlie had to be collected from the Hotel down the street to continue the screening – Contributed by Greg Lynch –
The Times Newsreel Theatrette was located in the basement of the Odeon Theatre @ 283 Bourke Street, Melbourne. It was the Ist Newsreel Theatrette in Victoria.
NEWSREEL THEATRETTES* These were scattered around central Melbourne, and first appeared in 1932. Most were below street level.These establishments screened continuous newsreels from Movietone, Universal & Cinesound, along with cartoons, Pete Smith & Three Stooge comedy’s – to name a few . There were no intermissions and it was possible to sit there all day! – Contributed by Greg Lynch –
film
commented about
1946on
Jan 4, 2020 at 5:16 pm
Ascot Theatre and Gardens 33 Great Eastern Highway, Rivervale, WA
One shilling would buy a ticket, with sixpence left over to buy a Dixi Cup.
During the middle part of the 1940’s, my dad returned from the war and we moved as a family to Rivervale WA, a suburb of Perth. Food rationing coupons were still being enforced, which meant clothing, tea, sugar, butter and meat were limited to the number of coupons you had on hand. Butter was limited to 1 lb per household per fortnight, and for most of the war years there was a shortage of quality meat, so for the bulk of the time we ate offal, such as lambs fry, tripe and brains, with sago or tapioca pudding for desert. Rabbit fare was a big highlight for Sunday lunch. Rationing for tea and butter didn’t finish until June 1950. Money was tight back then, and there wasn’t a lot left over for extras, such as visits to the Rivervale picture theatre.
From an early age I had an interest in anything to do with cinema, and we were not long settled when I discovered the local flea house (that’s the Ascot Theatre located on the right of the Great Eastern Highway Rivervale, as you proceed towards Belmont). In my young life a visit to the flicks was always a much looked forward to event, and a major distraction from the social problems that were around us. Even walking by the theatre and checking out the coming attraction posters was a simple enjoyment. The Ascot during the 40’s was indeed a flea house, however in retrospect I use the term with much affection. The building had pretensions of Art Deco, but once you walked through the door all bets were off, as it was really only a dressed up country hall. Perth in the 40’s was still a village with approx 250 thousand people, and Rivervale a bustling, but still pioneering suburb. The front stalls were equipped with wooden benches without backs, while the ceiling featured exposed beams which were curiously decorated with fading streamers, or bunting which fluttered in the projection beam when ever a patron entered or left the theatre.
During the winter of 48 and after a lot of pestering, dad took me to a Friday cartoons & featurette night, (admission for me was one shilling) which included an episode of the Columbia Pictures, Sam Katzman produced, 15-part black-and-white serial “Superman” which starred Kirk Alyn as “The Man of Steel”. Later I was to learn that this was the first live action appearance of Superman on film. Some time during 1948 an open air theatre was built along side the existing cinema with seating for 300, thus becoming “The Ascot Theatre & Gardens”. The term gardens were a stretch as there was very little greenery. The theatre walls and elevated bio box were made from corrugated galvanised iron and A/C sheeting. The colour scheme was yellow with green trimming. On the plus side the sight-lines were excellent and the step down canvas seating always popular with the patrons. The screen was made of flat tin sheeting and was erected with it’s back facing the highway. Of interest the painted (flat black) screen masking featured rounded corners. It was a pleasure to sit under the stars on a hot summers night in the comforting bosom of the new open air gardens. On one such night Perth were having power problems and electricity was being rationed. In this case the power was on for one hour, then browned out for half an hour. So there we sat like lemmings watching the 1946 Monogram Pictures production “The Shadow Returns” in installments, while the power company played musical chairs with our entertainment. I can’t imagine today’s theatre audience accepting this for a micro second.
Later in life and with a lot more savvy I looked into the nut and bolts of the Rivervale Ascot. The Ascot Theatre began as a public hall, opening 22 February 1919. The local Rivervale community and the prominent Newey family raised the funds to build it. Films were shown from the beginning mixed with public events. As time progressed the local committee running the hall ran into debt, and the property was sold and used for a variety of purposes, including a billiard saloon. After World War 2. the hall reverted back for use as a cinema with seating for 250. For many years it was the Belmont district’s only dedicated theatre. In the main the theatre and gardens were operated by R. R. Perrie, who over the decades ran a circuit of theatres in the southern suburbs. This included Armadale Hall & Gardens, Gosnells Hall & Gardens, Queens Park Hall & Gardens and Bayswater Hall & Gardens . R. R. Perrie was a talented visionary and showman, with extensive managerial experience at the prestigious “Prince of Wales” (Perth City) and “Hoyts New Regent” (Perth City)
By 1959 the television juggernaut had began with the launching of TVW-7 Perth, and the resulting devastation of our cinema audience. The Ascot Theatre and Gardens survived longer than most, however were forced to close in 1966. And now after a lifetime of working in the Cinema/Motion Picture Industry this writer looks back with warm appreciation to the Golden Era, and know we have lost something very special with the passing of our suburban Picture Palaces and unique cinemas, such as the humble Ascot Theatre and Gardens in Rivervale WA. …Greg Lynch –
Alhambra Theatre Riebeeck Street, Cape Town. Designed in 1928 by architect P. Rogers Cooke pictured above.
South Africa’s finest Atmospheric style theatre was designed in 1928 by architect P. Rogers Cooke. It opened in 1929 and had a Wurlitzer 2Manual/8Ranks theatre pipe organ installed which was opened by Max Bruce. The organ was moved to the Bijou Theatre, Cape Town in 1931.
The Alhambra Theatre operated as one of Cape Town’s major cinemas for many years and also presented numerous stage shows well into the 1960’s. The Alhambra Theatre was closed in January 1972 and demolished in 1974.
The organ that was originally in the Alhambra Theatre was installed in the Nico Milan/Artscape Theatre, Cape Town in 1998.
The Empire Theatre under construction 1927 - Later to become Her Majesty’s - Photo By Sam Hood - From the collections of the State Library of New South Wales
Northam Town Hall Wellington Street and Gordon Street, Northam, WA 6401
Town Hall and Lesser Hall Located in Wellington Street, the Town Hall which was designed by Henry Proctor and opened by Sir John Forrest in 1898. It cost £3000 and is typical of the Italianate excesses which was common in Western Australia in the wake of the gold discoveries.
Next door is the Lesser Hall which was designed by P.W. Harrison, constructed in 1936 and cost £1783 to build. They are both listed on the Register of the National Estate and classified by the National Trust. It is described as “Northam Town Hall, a brick structure including two-storey main hall and single-storey lesser hall, with rendered pilasters and pediments and corrugated iron roofs.”
Contributed by Greg Lynch -
The Capitol Theatre Peterborough was placed on the State Heritage list in 1993.
Contributed by Greg Lynch
Oriana Theatre 177 High Street, Fremantle, WA
Both photos are same theatre. Opened as Hoyts Fremantle in 1938 as in almost last photo In 1949 got a make over in auditorium as in main photo. In 1959 Hoyts sold theatre and in 1960 got a new name Oriana after the ship. In 1968 a new large screen was place in front of the old stage - Roy Mudge.
Majestic Theatre
172 Flinders Street, Melbourne
The Majestic Theatre opened in 1912, and this photograph is of the theatre after it was remodelled in 1936. The remodelling of the theatre, which included bold electric signage, and a new entrance on Flinders Street surrounded by black glass, was designed by Cowper, Murphy and Appleford. The firm was experienced in cinema architecture, and were the architects of the Sun Theatre in Yarraville, familiar to many.
The remodelling in 1936 removed many of the quirks of the original design by Klingender & Alsop and Nahum Barnet. It also brought it up to date, so as to compete with the ‘picture palaces’ built from the 1920s, such as the nearby State Theatre at the corner of Russell and Flinders Streets. The sign ‘Thoroughbred’ promotes the Australian film released in 1936, based in part on the story of Phar Lap, which played at the Majestic. Visible at left in this photograph is part of the Ball & Welch department store.
As with many cinemas, the Majestic went into decline after the introduction of television in 1956. It was renamed the Chelsea in 1960 and modernised. The theatre closed in 1979, and was demolished in 1986.
Photograph: Commercial Photographic Company Source: Harold Paynting Collection State Library of Victoria
Contributed by Greg Lynch -
Total Theatre 172 Russell Street, Melbourne, VIC
Victorian Heritage Database place details - 8/12/2020 Total House / Car-park /Cabaret / Cinema / Night-club
Location: - 170-190 Russell Street,, MELBOURNE VIC 3000 - Property No B7018 Heritage Inventory (HI) Number:
Statement of Significance: Total House, comprising the Total Car Park, Total Office building and basement Total Theatre, was built in 1964-5. It was built on land purchased by the City of Melbourne between 1959 and 1961 for the purpose of providing car parking. The site was leased by early 1963 for 75 years to the Savoy Car Park Company, who built the structure. This company was associated with Gordon Banfield, whose architectural firm Bogle Banfield and Associates, were responsible for the design of Total House, with Bernard Joyce as the project architect. Banfield and his companies owned or developed many car-parks and entertainment venues in the CBD in the 1960s and 70s. The creation of a theatre/nightclub in the basement was reported as an exciting innovation for the period.
The car-park and office building have been in continuous use since the building’s completion, while the nightclub has gone through a number of transformations. It opened as the Paris-style Lido nightclub, which provided a new type of entertainment for Melburnians. The Lido allowed patrons to enjoy dinner and drinks while watching elaborate floor shows. It hosted acts including Winifred Atwell, Eartha Kitt, Shirley Bassey, and risqué ‘nude revues’ until 1972. Since 1980 it has been a music and dance venue known as The Billboard nightclub.
Most of the shopfronts and the entry were altered in the 1980s or 1990s, and the concrete balustrades of the carpark were painted in the 1980s. The building is a reinforced concrete construction, with seven elevated parking decks, and four levels of offices over a smaller area elevated above the top deck. The car-park levels are utilitarian in design and horizontal in form, joined by a pair of ramps, with columns inset about two metres from all edges. The almost solid balustrades, relieved only by long horizontal slots, dominate the appearance of the building from the street and create a strong horizontal effect. The office block, which is raised high above the top car-park level on inset columns, takes the form of an almost solid box open only to the north and south through deeply inset curtain walls. The effect has been likened to an old-style giant TV set. There are panels of brown brick at ground level on the Little Bourke Street and lane way sides, near the car entry, and around the lift doors, mostly painted.
The carpark lifts are located on the rear boundary, though the Russell Street office lifts also once served the carpark. The shopfronts have mostly been altered; those on Russell Street have been brought forward from their original setback alignment. The office/nightclub lift opens directly onto Russell Street through a small lobby. An angled glass canopy has been added at ground level along Russell Street obscuring the first level balustrade of the car-park.
Total House is significant for architectural and historical reasons at a State level Architecturally, Total House is a landmark of post WWII modernist design, both in form and function. The design uses a cantilevered concrete structure to create bold gestures and to achieve strong forms, clearly defining the two main functions. It is one of the earliest expressions of Brutalist architecture in Victoria, and a rare example of architecture influenced by Japanese Brutalist architecture of the 1950s and early 1960s. The unpainted concrete, stacked car park decks, and in particular the balustrades, are thought to have been specifically influenced by the 1958 Kagawa Prefectural Offices, designed by the highly influential Japanese architect Kenzo Tange.
Aesthetically, Total House is a bold expression of sharply defined and floating forms. The TV-like office block, with its deeply recessed curtain walls set within a solid box, floats futuristically above the main body of the strongly horizontal carpark levels, which themselves appear to float one above the other. Historically, Total House exhibits the highest degree of architectural interest of all the multi-level car-parks built in the 1950s and 1960s in Melbourne. It is one of three whose construction was instigated by the City of Melbourne, representing their reaction to the increasing need for car parking spaces in the CBD. It is also unique for the period in combining car-park, offices and an entertainment venue, where theatre-goers or office workers could ‘drive-in’ and simply take a lift to their destination.
The theatre - ‘The Lido’
The theatre space was probably the only purpose built nightclub at the time, and during its period as ‘The Lido’, was certainly the most extravagant nightclub experience available in the city. Total House is also significant for its association with Gordon Banfield, an architect, developer and theatrical entrepreneur. His companies owned, designed and built at least six multi-level car-parks in the CBD, three of them associated with entertainment venues. He was described as the largest landowner in the CBD in the mid 1970s. His architectural firm Bogle Banfield & Associates are known for a number of landmark buildings in Melbourne.
Classified : 20/05/2013
Contributed by Greg Lynch -
Cheltenham’s picture theatre #
From the 1920’s until the 1950s, the hall served as Cheltenham’s picture theatre with regular showings of films and newsreels. The first public viewing of television in Cheltenham took place at the hall. The hall remained in use by the RSL until the late 1970s when it became Columns Receptions. It has subsequently been used as a bingo hall and more recently as Fernwood Female Fitness Centre.
Hi Kenneth – There may well have been a seasonal outdoor theatre back in 2001, although in this case there is no official record. Previously there was a drive in theatre & gardens at Exmouth, also a theatre and gardens at the naval base. Sadly for those who remember what real cinema was all about, times have changed for ever. – Regards Greg Lynch
Wirrina Drive-In Walter Road W. and Collier Road, Morley, WA
Fact Sheet #
A projection box and control room built above the concession building and a 600-seat lounge building for the convenience of nearby residents and riders of motor scooters are among the unique features of the 500-car Wirrina Drive-in… Seating in the lounge is positioned to give maximum view while the high-sited control-room allows drive-in officials to keep a close watch on the functioning of every part of the theatre and to correct any problems which may arise without delay. Spacious concession building backs the patron lounge and provides a wide variety of foodstuffs and confectionery, etc.
A receptionist is also on duty to provide reading and writing materials for patrons. Children’s playground is located near the concession building for utmost convenience and includes a miniature train among its attractions for youngsters… Color tones throughout Wirrina are attractive, an unusually effective touch being provided by the foam rubber seating in the lounge with its green backs and red seats.
Dominating the Wirrina scene is the screen which stands 60 ft above the ground and is stressed with steel and concrete. Measuring 32ft by 90ft it is believed to be the only screen of its type in Australia and is designed to give the brightest and sharpest picture possible. (Film Weekly, 2 April 1959)
Doubleview Gardens Muriel Avenue, Woodlands, WA – Opened 1954, later to become Acme Gardens in 1956 – Closed 1960.
Contributed by Greg Lynch –
Mermaid Cinema Centre 2506 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach, QLD
First opened in the early 1980s, the complex was at one point the largest cinema in Queensland with five theatres seating up to 1600 people.
Contributed by Greg Lynch
Grand Theatre 164-168 Murray Street, Perth, WA – 1935
Photo – School children gathered outside the Grand Theatre to watch Mrs Wiggs and the cabbage patch.
Contributed by Greg Lynch –
Seaford Hall Station Street and Broughton Avenue, Melbourne, VIC – Photo – Seaford Community Center currently sits on this site.
davidcoppock – Are the cars in the above photo parked between rails?
Answer – There are different levels for improved sight-lines with safety barriers – GL
Capri Theatrette 721 Hay Street, Perth, WA – 1969
Photo: State Library of WA
Photo : 1969 Audience seated in the Capri Cinema for premier screening of Tjilla Trail made by BP Australia.
Summary of the Tjilla Trail Building the 265-mile railway linking the Mount Newman iron mine with Port Hedland, W.A., showing rapid mechanical construction methods with impressions of the country and its wild life – Contributed by Greg Lynch –
1955 Carousel in CinemaScope 55 – Personally I thought that the 35mm reduction print from the original 55mm negative (55.625mm) was sensational. The image on the Regent screen was as sharp & as sweet as anything I have ever seen. I wish they had continued with this format. “The King & I” in CinemaScope 55 was good, but nothing like Carousel – One man’s opinion ! – Contributed by Greg Lynch –
Think that there was only ever a single operating bio-box, however at one stage it was moved to another location, and the space replaced with lighting equipment – GL
Empire Theatre 294 Sydney Road, Brunswick, VIC
The Empire Theatre stood mighty on Sydney Road in Melbourne’s inner-city suburb of Brunswick from as early as 1911, and spanned across decades, until 1976 when it tragically burnt down – Contributed by Greg Lynch –
Kyneton Shire Hall 141 Mollison Street, Kyneton, VIC.
Kyneton Shire Hall Located at 129 Mollison Street, the Kyneton Shire Hall is recognised as one of the most substantial Shire Halls in Victoria. It was built in 1878-1879 and added to in 1929. The Heritage Register records that “The principal elevation of the Shire Hall is significant for the unusual architectural synthesis of elements of the first stage designed by the important architect William Pritchard, and the second stage designed by theatre and civic hall specalists Richardson and Wood some fifty years later. Both designs are characteristic of their individual eras while forming an architecturally unified whole.
Cinema
The 1929 internal alterations which were designed to provide a combined picture theatre/hall are less sympathetic to the original than the exterior works, but are an important manifestation of the recognition of the desire of communities to adapt to the growing popularity of the cinema in the 1920s – Contributed by Greg Lynch –
St. George’s Theatre 34 Birmingham Street, Yarraville, VIC
Statement of Significance –
The former St Georges Theatre is significant to the City of Maribyrnong because: – its creation was heralded with much enthusiasm by the community and its leaders and has been a major social gathering place within the City over a long period ( Criterion A4, G1); – it was the setting for expression of dissent to conscription in the World War One era plus other events such as bitter conflict among the City’s youth ( Criterion A4); – its upper facade shows great architectural invention, using the Romanesque revival (Criterion F1); and – it is a prominent landmark within the Yarraville railway precinct, relating closely with much of the adjacent significant architecture, but identifiable as a public auditorium among the commercial and transport structures nearby which make up the precinct – Contributed by Greg Lynch –
Kingscote Public Hall 43 Dauncey Street, Kingscote, SA
HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION: The District Council was first proclaimed on 5th January 1888 and the meeting took place in the Queenscliffe Hotel. The original Council Chambers were constructed in 1898 with meetings up until this time held at the Hotel. On 26 October
1903, the name of the town of Queenscliffe was changed to Kingscote. In 1912 a larger hall was erected behind the original building. The two storey building facing Dauncey Street and incorporating two shopfronts, which was constructed in 1955, is the work of Adelaide architect and contractors Walter D Cowell of William M Essery and Sons Pty Ltd.The additions incorporated the earlier hall on the site. Internally, the complex retains much of its original detailing.
There are important items of local art in the building, including the mural displayed in the foyer which was designed and embroidered by Kangaroo Island CWA members. In the main hall is a second mural designed by Ben Gerdsen and crafted by the Kangaroo Island Spinners and Weavers. Prints on the stair well depict The Investigator and Le Geographe. The building continues to provide a focal civic and cultural function within Kingscote – Contributed by Greg Lynch –
Wittenoom Theatre Gardens 3rd Avenue and King Street, Wittenoom, WA – PHOTO 1949 Tom Whiting.
The first films in Wittenoom were screened for the mine workers and their families before 1947, in the 16mm format and were free. The location was a site in the gorge. An iron bio box housed the projectors, and the patrons sat on tin drums or packing cases. A stage was mounted on drums with steps at one side and the screen was placed behind and above the stage. Screenings here went on for some years, at least to 1949.
Pioneering Times
Utilizing only one projector, Charlie Smith continued regular 16mm film screenings on the site until the theatre was later erected. This was on the east corner of the junction of King and Third Streets. According to old tales there were many times when the spool ran out, Charlie had to be collected from the Hotel down the street to continue the screening – Contributed by Greg Lynch –
The Times Newsreel Theatrette was located in the basement of the Odeon Theatre @ 283 Bourke Street, Melbourne. It was the Ist Newsreel Theatrette in Victoria.
NEWSREEL THEATRETTES* These were scattered around central Melbourne, and first appeared in 1932. Most were below street level.These establishments screened continuous newsreels from Movietone, Universal & Cinesound, along with cartoons, Pete Smith & Three Stooge comedy’s – to name a few . There were no intermissions and it was possible to sit there all day! – Contributed by Greg Lynch –
Ascot Theatre and Gardens 33 Great Eastern Highway, Rivervale, WA
One shilling would buy a ticket, with sixpence left over to buy a Dixi Cup.
During the middle part of the 1940’s, my dad returned from the war and we moved as a family to Rivervale WA, a suburb of Perth. Food rationing coupons were still being enforced, which meant clothing, tea, sugar, butter and meat were limited to the number of coupons you had on hand. Butter was limited to 1 lb per household per fortnight, and for most of the war years there was a shortage of quality meat, so for the bulk of the time we ate offal, such as lambs fry, tripe and brains, with sago or tapioca pudding for desert. Rabbit fare was a big highlight for Sunday lunch. Rationing for tea and butter didn’t finish until June 1950. Money was tight back then, and there wasn’t a lot left over for extras, such as visits to the Rivervale picture theatre.
From an early age I had an interest in anything to do with cinema, and we were not long settled when I discovered the local flea house (that’s the Ascot Theatre located on the right of the Great Eastern Highway Rivervale, as you proceed towards Belmont). In my young life a visit to the flicks was always a much looked forward to event, and a major distraction from the social problems that were around us. Even walking by the theatre and checking out the coming attraction posters was a simple enjoyment. The Ascot during the 40’s was indeed a flea house, however in retrospect I use the term with much affection. The building had pretensions of Art Deco, but once you walked through the door all bets were off, as it was really only a dressed up country hall. Perth in the 40’s was still a village with approx 250 thousand people, and Rivervale a bustling, but still pioneering suburb. The front stalls were equipped with wooden benches without backs, while the ceiling featured exposed beams which were curiously decorated with fading streamers, or bunting which fluttered in the projection beam when ever a patron entered or left the theatre.
During the winter of 48 and after a lot of pestering, dad took me to a Friday cartoons & featurette night, (admission for me was one shilling) which included an episode of the Columbia Pictures, Sam Katzman produced, 15-part black-and-white serial “Superman” which starred Kirk Alyn as “The Man of Steel”. Later I was to learn that this was the first live action appearance of Superman on film. Some time during 1948 an open air theatre was built along side the existing cinema with seating for 300, thus becoming “The Ascot Theatre & Gardens”. The term gardens were a stretch as there was very little greenery. The theatre walls and elevated bio box were made from corrugated galvanised iron and A/C sheeting. The colour scheme was yellow with green trimming. On the plus side the sight-lines were excellent and the step down canvas seating always popular with the patrons. The screen was made of flat tin sheeting and was erected with it’s back facing the highway. Of interest the painted (flat black) screen masking featured rounded corners. It was a pleasure to sit under the stars on a hot summers night in the comforting bosom of the new open air gardens. On one such night Perth were having power problems and electricity was being rationed. In this case the power was on for one hour, then browned out for half an hour. So there we sat like lemmings watching the 1946 Monogram Pictures production “The Shadow Returns” in installments, while the power company played musical chairs with our entertainment. I can’t imagine today’s theatre audience accepting this for a micro second.
Later in life and with a lot more savvy I looked into the nut and bolts of the Rivervale Ascot. The Ascot Theatre began as a public hall, opening 22 February 1919. The local Rivervale community and the prominent Newey family raised the funds to build it. Films were shown from the beginning mixed with public events. As time progressed the local committee running the hall ran into debt, and the property was sold and used for a variety of purposes, including a billiard saloon. After World War 2. the hall reverted back for use as a cinema with seating for 250. For many years it was the Belmont district’s only dedicated theatre. In the main the theatre and gardens were operated by R. R. Perrie, who over the decades ran a circuit of theatres in the southern suburbs. This included Armadale Hall & Gardens, Gosnells Hall & Gardens, Queens Park Hall & Gardens and Bayswater Hall & Gardens . R. R. Perrie was a talented visionary and showman, with extensive managerial experience at the prestigious “Prince of Wales” (Perth City) and “Hoyts New Regent” (Perth City)
By 1959 the television juggernaut had began with the launching of TVW-7 Perth, and the resulting devastation of our cinema audience. The Ascot Theatre and Gardens survived longer than most, however were forced to close in 1966. And now after a lifetime of working in the Cinema/Motion Picture Industry this writer looks back with warm appreciation to the Golden Era, and know we have lost something very special with the passing of our suburban Picture Palaces and unique cinemas, such as the humble Ascot Theatre and Gardens in Rivervale WA. …Greg Lynch –