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1. THE CARLTON MOVIEHOUSE By Rod How

Affectionately known as the Bughouse for many years, the "Carlton Picture Palace" opened on 14 April 1924
with the screening of the Fox Film "Times Have Changed"

The Theatre was built onto an existing hall in late 1923/early 1924 by 3 local Business men, Messers Markov,
Brillant, and Weisberg, who formed a business known as Carlton Theatres P/L.

The former hall then known as the Carlton Trades Club, was typical of halls built in that era, with 2 shops at
the front either side of a passage opening on to a flat floored Hall at the rear of which was situated the toilet
facilities. The toilets were altered and incorporated into the new Theatre, and remain to this day as unique as
they were then, although access now is gained from the Theatre auditorium unlike earlier days when patrons
had to walk right around the outside of the Theatre to gain access.

The recently added painted "Murals" have only an extra charm to the Theatre, and even though the present
owner of the business has made extensive renovations he has also kept the atmosphere of the building very
much as it was in the Theatre's early days by keeping intact and even restoring the original decorative plaster
work and wooden chandeliers.

The original "Silent" screen is still very much intact, painted on the wall of the Theatre behind the screen that
is in use today, and is one of the last remaining examples of its type in Melbourne, and is surrounded by the
remains of an American Red Indian Mural painted on the walls on each side of the silent screen and part of
the stage walls.

It was thought that the Mural may have extended into the auditorium area, as was typical of many early
Theatres at that time in the days of silent films when acoustics in the auditorium were not as important
as they are for today’s modern soundtracks, and stereo surround sound. It was only in 1991 that the present
drapes were installed in the auditorium to improve the sound quality.

The present owner of the business Mr. John Freeman was for many years full time projectionist at the Theatre,
and purchased the business from the previous owner who intended to completely gut the building and
modernise the Theatre with a single raked auditorium with space for offices and a car park underneath.