Cinema Italia

Located in the Clifton Hill district, northeast of the of the city centre. The building opened on April 18, 1918 as St. Johns Parish Hall. It was soon converted into cinema use and in the early days of silent movies it quickly established itself as the key suburban entertainment hub in Clifton Hill. Over its decades the lease would change hands between prominent local figures and emerging entertainment organisations. Sam Dennis was a prominent early figure attached to the Clifton Hill Theatre. Dennis was a well known local councilor who later went on to represent the federal seat of Batman in the 1930’s.

In 1937, the venue was acquired by Robert McLeish, a monumental figure in Victoria’s independent theatre network, operating the Northcote Theatre, the Rivoli Camberwell, the Newmarket Theatre in Flemington and the Austral in Collingwood.

In 1934 Hoyts Theatres obtained the lease, and began serving the local community under the Hoyts banner until 1959 with mainstream Hollywood double-features. From 1959 to 1965 the venue was run by Frank Ricco who would run a double feature policy, booking English supports to run with Italian films.

It was now obvious that suburban independent cinemas were facing stiff competition from the rise in household television. The Clifton Hill Theatre would survive completely reinventing its identity to cater for Melbourne’s booming post-war Italian immigrant population. In September 1965 the theatre was taken over by Carmelo “Charlie” Palumbo and his wife Pina, operating under the banner of “World Film Distributors P/L”. Under the Palumbo’s, the venue was affectionally rebranded and known widely as the Cinema Italia.

Carmelo Palumbo began directly importing mainstream films from Italy. thus providing a major touuchstone of home and hearth for thousands of Italian-Austrlians. Cinema Italia became famous for screening popular Italian comedies - such as the beloved films of duo Franco Franchi and Ciccio Ingrassia, as well as highy popular Spaghetti Westerns.

Charlie Palumbo operated out of a building in North Melbourne. High above his prominent shop front with the words “World Films Distriburors P/L” lit in neon. The sign has become a beacon to many industry folk, and is now a part of Melbourne film legend. World Films was the major supplier of film for the Cinema Italia. Because many early imports lacked the English subtitles, the screenings relied purely on the language and the cultural familiarity of its dedicated tightly-knit audience. The Palumbo family operated the Cinema Italia successfully for nearly two decades. - Italian films were screened until 1983, effectively marking the end of the location’s run as a dedicated commercial cinema. Competition from television was the main reason for closing the Cinema Italia in 1983.

Following its closure as an Italian cinema, the venue took on a radically different but equally historic life in Melbourne’s arts scene. Between 1976 and 1984, portions of the site’s community ecosystem intersected with the famous Clifton Hill Community Music Centre (CHCMC) an avant-garde hub that fostered Australia’s early electronic, punk and experimental DIY music.

In June 1999 the building was demolished internally, and only the facade remains. Today, the property at 83 Queens Parade is part of the larger 81-89 Queens Parade, featuring a mixed use of commercial and residential building.

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