St. James Theatre

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Uploaded on: October 31, 2026

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Less than twelve months after the theater opened as a venue for high class live musical comedy, the first motion picture to screen at the St James was MGM’s silent feature “The Big Parade” (1925) which played with Hamilton Webber’s concert orchestra backing. The John Gilbert/Renee Adoree starer opened Friday 11 March 1927 and ran for 10 weeks, after which the theater resumed live activity for two years. Local MGM chief Bernard Freeman (1896-1982) had arranged a lease deal with the Fuller Brothers for this season. Industry insiders at the time speculated that this could foreshadow a more permanent arrangement. However it seems the film may not have performed as well as hoped. A few weeks after this season concluded MGM’s epic “Ben-Hur” hit the sheet at the nearby Prince Edward. It would be four more years before Leo would roar on the St James screen. In the meantime MGM titles launched other Sydney city picture palaces like Hoyts Regent and Plaza.