Page 23 - untitled

The lamphouse can also be moved sideways to line up with
the frame of film being projected, or to illuminate a glass Letter To The Editor
slide holder and lens assembly located along side the mo-
tion head.
Congratulations on the continuing exce llence of
In operation the row of images nearest the operator is pro- Cinema Record. I was particularly interested to read B1ian
jected first, the gate, lens and lamphouse are then moved Miller's account of his wanderings in Adelaide published
to the central position and the central row of images are in the August 2000 edition. Could 1 add a little more about
projected this time cranking the machine backwards. Fi- the much altered and frequently renamed Her Majesty's in
Dally the thlrd row is projected again in the forward direc- Grote Street?
tion. Upon completion the film is rewound onto the feed
spool by means of a small handle attached to the spool This theatre was designed by Williams and Good and built
ann. for the Sayers and Lennon organisation. It originally seated
2,000 and cost 31,000 pounds. It was to have been called
Promotional material for the Princess but by the time it was formally opened on 6
the Kinetoscope claimed September 1913 it had been leased to Harry Rickards'
8 feet of this film con- Tivoli Theatres Ltd. and was accordingly christened
tained as many pictures Rickards' Tivoli Theatre (replacing the earlier Adelaide
as 100ft of the film used Tivoli in King William Street - but that's another story).
in theatres (35mm) and
gives as long a perform- The star of the opening variety bill was Lillie Langtry, an
ance- about 10 minutes. English comedian on her second visit to Australia, with
Films ranged from 10 to her act of jaunty songs and dances. Billed as 'The Elec-
30 ft in length and app- tric Spark', this Lillie was and still is often confused with
ear to have been reduc- the famous 'Jersey Lily', the actress Mrs Langtry with
tion prints from Edison 'royal connections'.
35mm theatrical releases
covering both entertain- The theatre had a chequered history. Show styles, man-
ment and documentary agements and even names came and went. For a short
subjects. time in the early 1920's it was known as The Prince of
Wales, commemorating the visit of the future King Edward
22mm Wide Film Format It was claimed a library VIII. After that it reverted to the name Tivoli until 1962,
With three rows of images of over 250 titles existed when it was remodelled for J. C. Williamson's into a two-
when the Kinetoscope level auditorium seating 1200. Renamed Her Majesty's,
was introduced. Films were sold outright at prices rang- it reopened with a season of Gilbert and Sullivan.
ing from $2.50 to $20, depending on length. An exchange
plan also operated whereby films could be sent to the Edison The theatre was purchased by the South Australian gov-
Company in Orange New Jersey for exchange. Coupons ernment, and again remodelled. Renamed the Opera Thea-
to pre-pay for the service could be purchased from local tre, it reopened in March 1979 as the home of the State
dealers. Opera of South Australia. The name Her Majesty's was
restored in 1988. Frank Van Stf·aten OAM, 31912000
By modem standards the projected picture is fair, and ap-
proximates that produced by the average Standard 8mm
projector in both brightness and deftnition. Because the
machine bas no shutter some vertical streaking is present HOLLYWOOD COLLECTIBLES
in the picture.

The Kinetoscope's use of safety film was a big step in the For over 24 years, the 'Big Reel' magazine has been bring-
right direction for the home showman, yet the dangers ing movie collectors and fans together to buy, sell, and
associated with the use of a carbon arc lamp, to say noth- trade Hollywood memorabilia.
ing of the optional acetylene generator, in the home by an
inexperienced operator seems to have been ignored Each month, 'Big Reel' presents over 100 large format
pages of Hollywood collectible items for sale and wanted.
No attempt to produce a camera or provide any service for
the amateur moviemaker has been documented. This publication is not available in newsagents. Direct from
the USA, you can't miss your monthly copy of Americas
The Edison Home Kinetoscope was not a commercial suc- "Big Reel' collectibles magazine, published 12 times a year.
cess, something less than 2,000 were sold and this well
made little machine seems to have faded from the scene For a brochure with all the details, write to Robert Rogers,
after only a few years. They are now considered to be a Big Reel magazine, PO Box 1130, St Kilda South 3182.
very collectible piece of home movie history. (Please enclose a 45c stamp.)

- 23 -