Page 13 - untitled

The old Western Theatre, Melville Road - now Estonian House (Photo: Les Tod)

"Naughty Marietta" was a film version of a famous stage operetta. Given the public's love affair with musical
comedies, it must have been the thrill of a lifetime when two of the biggest names in Australian musical
comedy agreed to appear live at the Western.

The first was Robert Chisholm, originally born in West Brunswick (and a Western Theatre shareholder), who
had become a famous musical comedy star on Broadway, returned to his old haunt for a brief but extremely
well-received season in July 1930. This event, according to the advertisement in the Brunswick and Coburg
Gazette was an "Attraction Extraordinary."

The following June, a front page story in the same paper carried the exciting news that the great Gladys
Moncrief, the undisputed Queen of Australian musical comedy, would "star at the Western". (The Western had
to share this honour with the Moo nee in Puckle Street. Once Gladys performed at one theatre she was whisked
away by car to the next.)

"Our Glad" had agreed to this arrangement because of her deep concern that not many could afford to travel
into the city - a good sport she had insisted that no more than the usual movie ticket price be charged for the
occasion.

The coming of the Second World War signalled the end of live shows at the Western. But in those worrying
times people were at least employed, and as a result, there was an almost unprecedented resurgence in
picture theatre attendances. At last, the shareholders received a worthwhile profit on their investments.

This pleasing state of affairs continued unabated until the mid-1950's, when television wrecked attendances.
On 28 May 1960 the last picture at the Western was screened. On 6 December that year a special meeting of
the directors and shareholders of the company voted to wind up the company. It then had a chequered
existence. It was a vast store for the New England Loading Equipment Company, and then reverted to a
theatre. It was known as the Marco Polo, and screened (mainly) Italian films. Finally, it became Estonian
House, a reception venue mainly for the southern European community, and remains as such to this day.

(Glad Dowsley died in 1971 aged 82, but his name still lives on in West Brunswick. Mr Cesilli and Mr Sharp
who bought the Dowsley business, retained his name beside theirs on the windows of their premises at 63-65
Melville Road as a tribute to his memory.)

13