Page 9 - CinemaRecord #11R.pdf

70. The Theatres Of Box Hill by Gerry Kennedy

Box Hill is an eastern suburb of Melbourne. Among the earliest recorded showing of films in Box Hill are
advertisements in the "Reporter "newspaper. The showing of "living pictures" was advertised on 2 June 1911.
On 10 June films were shown at the Recreation Hall. Again, on 10 November a grand open air exhibition of
"moving pictures" near the New Reporter office was advertised.(1)

For many years two cinemas operated in the Box Hill strip shopping centre, both were situated in Whitehorse
Rd. and were nearly opposite each other.

Rialto/Recreation Hall: Opened as an occasional Cinema in 1911 and closed c1961. It was situated at 936-
940 Whitehorse Raod.

The Recreation Hall was built as a large gabled roof, brick building in the late 1880's and was the focal point in
the community for meetings, speech nights. Union meetings, Council meetings, dances and other entertain-
ments.(3) The building was of two levels including a flat floored hall with a balcony. An upstairs meeting room
was constructed across the front of the building. As the Public Record Office files on this building are missing
little other detail, apart from valuable personal recollections, is available.

From 10 June 1911 regular film screenings took place in the Recreation Hall; these were sponsored by the Box
Hill Bowling Club. The first films were from the Pathe Freres film company. Screenings were abandoned after
three weeks. The Hall was then leased to the Royal Pictures Concert Co. who claimed in their advertising
posters for "The Peoples Popular Picture Pops" that their pictures would " ... be free from any suggestions of
vulgarity" (1)

Rialto Theatre circa 1945

From 1920 when the new Box Hill Theatre opened the Recreation Hall was often empty. Finally, in 1929 the hall
was renovated and reopened as the Rialto. Films continued to be screened on Saturday nights with dances
and other entertainments. The Box Hill theatre retaliated by renaming itself the Lyric with promises of more live

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