Page 15 - CinemaRecord #11R.pdf
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The size of theatres in the  Brisbane suburbs did not reach into the two or three thousand seat range as they did
             in the southern states. A "large theatre" example would be the Roxy Theatre at Coorparoo which held 1400,
             and was closed in  1965 and since razed_  The Roxy was one of several theatres operated by Roy Fielding.
             Unlike  the  Morningside Astra,  the  Roxy  had  a more  attractive  interior with  better lighting_  The  auditorium
             contained lined ceilings, but possesed the large wooden members which were slightly decorated and painted.
             It can be seen from the illustration showing the demolition how much timber was used in its construction. Also
             to be noted, from  the  architects point of view especially, is the  large A-frame roof and  the  amount of room
             available between the roof to ceiling void. This theatre also has very low-set walls.

             Located  on  the  north  side  of Brisbane  is  the  Imperial  at Lutwyche, a  cinema  I visited  several  times. The
             Imperial  is perhaps more akin to the type of cinema found in  the  southern states. There were  no  primitive
             features here, even canvas deck chairs were only to be found in a few rows of the front stalls. The rest of the
             seating being of the more conventional type. Of Moderne design, its interior is considerably newer than the rest
             of the building, which appears to date from the early twenties. A photograph of this theatre showing the interior,
             complete with theatre organ dates from  1967. The colour scheme used here was very typical of the latter part
             of the  1950's.  Dark pink  splay walls  with  shades of  pastel blue, cream,  and  mid-grey  used  on  walls and
             ceilings. The house curtain was also grey. The Imperial was operated by the Savoy Picture Company which
             also conducted the larger Savoy at Clayfield. In latter years the exhibitor was Reg Marlowe.

             The absence of large national theatre chains operating in the suburbs of Brisbane was indeed an oddity. The
             suburbs were the domain of the independant exhibitor, at least until recent times.  To the best of my research,
             there seems to have been at least a few extensive independant circuits, one of those being the Munro Stevens
             company.

             City theatres  by comparison  were very diverse. The  difference  between  the lack lustre Lyceum  in  George
             Street, and the highy ornate Regent theatre in Queen Street had to experienced to be believed. The Regent
             was designed by Melbourne architects C.N. Hollinshead and Aaron Bolot.








































                                         Lyceum Theatre - George Street Brisbane

             The Regent was the largest theatre in Brisbane with seating for 2,583.  It was the flagship of the Hoyts Theatres
             chain  in  that city.  The entrance was beneath a  small  office building, not unlike  that  used  at the  Melbourne
             Regent. The entrance hall was very impressive. Slightly Romanesque in  design, a distinctive feature was a
             barrel-vaulted ceiling coloured in copper and bronze tones. Painted murals could be seen above the entrance
             to the second, or main, reception area.
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