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HAPPENINGS by Fred Page

Our speaker at the April meeting, Jan Williams, spoke of his experiences working at the Melbourne Regent and
other Hoyts theatres. He revealed some interesting tactics used by film exchanges and prestigious theatres in
publicising films to the trade and the public. I an's talk was well received and together with remarks made by
other members points to a whole area of film showbusiness that has not been documented- the workings of the
film exchanges and film sharing between theatres. Have we got a Les Halliwell amongst us to record these
activities in the cinema heyday before it's all lost?

Now to the Gippsland Convention. In spite of a dreadful weather forecast for May 27 -28 weekend, twenty-one
"conventioners" set off for Sale via Moe and Yarram. The first stop was the Moe Civic, a 'SO's style building with
little in the way of architectural merit but none-the-less a valuable community asset. It is presently in a
neglected state and there is a dispute as to who owns it between the local council and the R.S.L. If it is retained
by Council it has a very uncertain future but if the R.S.L. is successful in completing its purchase it will be
updated into a general purpose hall and reception centre. Having journeyed to Moe in appalling weather, when
we emerged from the Civic the clouds were clearing and a _little sun appeared and as we travelled to Yarram the
situation improved the further we went and the scenery was magnificent.
The Yarram Regent was the next stop. What an imposing building in a town of just over 2000 people. The
theatre is still in quite good condition and has the potential to become a well equipped performing arts centre
if the regional community of around 6000 will get behind the project. You have to admire the commercial
confidence of the cinema showmen of the Depression era. Lunch was then the order of the day.

Our next destination was the Telstar Theatre at the R.A.A.F. base in East Sale. This venue isa converted
parachute packing hut which as been made very comfortable. The walls have been draped with blue/green
curtains, the floor raked at the rear and the space between the rows of seats most generous. The projectors are
Bauers. This theatre operates on a semi-commercial basis although no external advertising is allowed. The
public are allowed to attend screenings. A budget allowance has been made available which will be spent on
upgrading the sound system and replacing some of the seating. A brief visit was made to the gymnasium
which has been used in the past as a cinema. The experience must have been painful as the verberation in the
building would have made listening unbearable.
It was then on to the Wetlands Motel and after a three course smorgasbord meal we sat down to watch
"Iceland" starring Sonja Hieni, a typical wartime romance/propaganda film but nice light entertainment. Denzil
was master of the projectors and did a great presentation. During the showtime interval members were asked
to consider "performance indicators' by which to measure various aspects of the Society, e.g. membership,
articles for CinemaRecord etc. and to expand their personal project activities. At this point our three "day
trippers" returned to Melbourne and the rest enjoyed the show and socialising.
Sunday morning started with a huge breakfast after which we left the motel and returned to Sale to the Twin
Cinema. This is an unusual complex in that the cinemas are at right angles to each other. One cinema has a
predominately blue/grey colour scheme and the other is in shades of red/russet. They are well raked and have
good sight lines, but there are numerous architectural problems concerning entry/exit and maintenance issues
in the ceiling areas. There is a restaurant within the complex but this has been a commercial failure. A single
L shaped bio box serves the cinemas and plans are in hand to re-equip it.

It was then on to Morwell to inspect the Village Twin, built within the old Maya Theatre. This is quite a modern
facility with both cinemas being almost identical, one has its walls draped in alternate red and white curtains,
the other plain red. The foyers are spacious and the whole complex a credit to the operators. The bio box
enjoys generous space and the equipment that everyone remarked on was the double sided rotating spool
holders which permit film to be screened on one side and the previous program rewound on the other.
It is disturbing to learn that the entire complex will be raised to the ground later this year when a new multi-
screen building opens on a nearby site.

The final destination was the "Tynong Talkies" at the Moe Pioneer Village. CATHS-V member Peter Ricketts
has equipped the bio box with reconditioned projectors that look as though they came from the factory last
week. The hall is being restored and curtains that were formally in Hoyts New Malvern will soon furnish the
proscenium. Seats were from the old Warrigal theatre. Peter screened some archival newsreels which were
a joy to see projected with clear arc light.

This ended the formal program which was organised entirely by Gerry Kennedy who also made the presenta-
tions and thanked the various hosts for their co-operation. Gerry was formally thanked by our President for
doing such a great job with the convention program. I am happy to endorse Garry's sentiments, especially as
I was able to enjoy the whole event free of responsibility.
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