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In the early years, top-rank concert artists
performed at the Melbourne Town Hall. In
1912, the Presbyterian Church built the
Auditorium in Collins Street as an alternative
venue and leased it to John and Nevin Tait,
promoters of first-rate musical talent. The
Auditorium also screened films and, for a
while in the 1920s, it was the home for
Paramount. By the time of the opening of the
Regent in 1929, the Auditorium was a bit The Metro, Kings Cross.
down-at-heel. MGM rebuilt the theatre part of
the building as the Metro Collins Street. When Working for MGM was an honour. The
Hoyts learned that a rival was to set up almost company managed to convey a sense of family.
on their doorstep, they laughed. Surely no one If you had the qualities they wanted for a
would bother to walk past the Regent to go manager you were pretty much left to your own
further up the street? devices to develop the MGM spirit at your
theatre. I chose all the music to be played and
For MGM the timing was right. The threat of a decided the way in which advertising slides and
Japanese invasion saw a slump in property movie advertising was to be differentiated from
prices. With New York approval, MGM used the main program. When CinemaScope came
the opportunity to buy up theatres. In Sydney in, advertisers wanted their slides and film ads
MGM approached Ben Fuller, who sold them to also be in CinemaScope, shown with all
the St James Theatre. Now they had prestige lights off. I refused to do this. Audiences don’t
houses in the two major capitals and went on pay to see ads; they are necessary, but screen
to control the Sydney Liberty in the city, ads should never get the same treatment as the
Metro Manly, Metro Kings Cross, and Metro feature. I insisted on half-lights and closing the
Crows Nest. They also had a city theatre in the curtain when they had finished. In this way the
other capitals. real program is treated with respect.
The Liberty, Sydney.
their London flagship. MGM were also big in In Melbourne the Fullers sold MGM the On Melbourne Cup Day, I re-arranged program
India, especially in Bombay, now Mumbai, but St James, which later became the Metro times and broadcast the race at interval, holding
not so interested in Asia or China. Bourke Street. In the late forties they acquired a radio up to a microphone. Some theatres
the Embassy Malvern, which became the interrupted the film to do this, or interrupted the
What was the history of MGM in Australia? Metro Malvern and they built the Clayton film with a slide to announce the winner, but
Twin Drive-in. that wasn’t our way.
Prior to 1934, MGM’s films were released into
both Hoyts and Union Theatres. This probably With two Metro city theatres in Melbourne, was The usherette uniforms were specially
worked well enough while Hoyts was an priority given to one over the other for a designed; the girls had to be a certain height,
Australian company, but after Fox Films particular type of film? be fashion conscious and have their fingernails
acquired 51 percent of the shares, MGM’s inspected every night before they went on duty.
opinion changed. I’ll digress here to point out Buying the St James was simply to relieve You wouldn’t get away with that these days!
that it’s fortunate Hoyts and Williamsons built pressure on Collins Street. This was when the Mind you, they weren’t intimidated. Remember
Melbourne’s Regent before the sale to Fox, studio was turning out 52 features a year and those ticket machines which only Metro
otherwise it’s unlikely we would have had the Metro Collins Street was such a popular venue theatres used? The seller pressed a button and
best Regent of them all. After the sale, the that the films ran on and on. So much so, that the change coins came down a chute into a tray
Regent always showed a Fox film in the the suburban theatres relying on MGM were at the bottom. I was standing by the ticket box
Christmas holidays. This irked MGM. They had starved of product. I’m going back to the days one day and said to the girl selling, “Miss ----,
a big bank balance here because of government of Waterloo Bridge and Mrs Miniver here. you short-changed that lady sixpence.” “How
controls on transferring money out of the else am I going to get my lunch money?” was
country and decided to have their own theatres. The bottle-neck meant there was a need for a her reply.
second house. The St James was allowed to
Below: The Metro, Manly.
churn through features as a clearing house. A MGM theatres also smelled different, a decision
lot of films didn’t last nearly as long there as to use a fragrance that would become
they could have. It’s also true that the best of recognised as essentially MGM. Our theatres
the bunch went into Collins Street, where the were air-conditioned, but not Hoyts. For some
sound was also better. The acoustics were reason, Hoyts Albury was the southern-most
wonderful because the only part of the old air-conditioned theatre. In Sydney, Hoyts must
theatre retained was the dome above the stage have believed that it was never hot in
designed to reflect a singer’s voice into the Melbourne; too much rain.
auditorium. At Bourke Street, a theatre built as
a legitimate house, the sound tended to go up MGM supervisors were not overbearing or
into the flies. autocratic?

The church had been so pleased to find a new No, but they wanted results. If a theatre
tenant for Collins Street, that the rent remained supervisor from the States or head office in
ridiculously low for many years. When they Sydney came to Melbourne, they would
woke up to how profitable the theatre was, they observe. The important thing was that the
told MGM they wanted a lot more money. people at the top had come up through the ranks
“Well, how much do you want?” When told and knew all about showmanship. This sense
$1,000 a week, MGM blinked and put the story of continuity in management is a rare thing in
around that they were leaving. A screen slide the industry today. ★
told audiences that the theatre was closing and
seats were taken out from the back of the circle. Credits:
The bluff worked, and the parties settled. All images from the CATHS Archive

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