Page 8 - CR31R.pdf
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Pre ‘CinemaScope’ Screen

             The Ozone opened on 15 December,  Department over the use of portable  scenery was not used).
          1938 screening “The Drum”.         seats in some of its theatres and the  In 1955 the theatre management
             In 1939 the owners applied to have  apparent lack of sufficient qualified  was again chastised for not applying
          two additional rows of seats placed in  staff in projection rooms.    for approval to install new Gaumont
          the front stalls and some extra seats  In 1951 the theatre management  Kalee projectors for CinemaScope
          along the sidewalls. This was      was taken to task for allowing a   presentations. In 1957 the local
          approved. The seating capacity was  production of “The Merry Widow” to  council wanted the installation of
          gradually changed over the years to  be staged (by the Red Cliffs Musical  additional toilets for ladies in both the
          reflect demand:                    Society) without Health Department  upstairs and downstairs facilities.
                      1939    1943   1950    approval.  Over the years the Ozone   It is not known when the Hoyts
          Stalls       842     856    919    management obtained Health         neon was fitted to the top of the front
                                             Department approval for the use of the  parapet, however it could be assumed
          Dress Circle  537    545    546
                                             theatre as a concert venue (as long as  that this occurred very soon after
          Crying Room   11      11     11
          TOTAL       1390    1412   1476
             In correspondence of 1947 the
          Watermans had changed the company
          name to Murray River Theatres
          Pty. Ltd. (Incorporated in South
          Australia). In 1948 the Ozone applied
          to the Health Department to use the
          theatre for a stage production and they
          wanted to use portable stage lights and
          other equipment (previously used in
          the Majestic, Adelaide). The request
          was denied.
             Mr. Thuohy was the signatory on
          letters to the Health Department from
          1949, as a director of the local circuit
          of Murray River Theatres in the
          Sunraysia district. The circuit came
          under some criticism from the Health
          8   2002 CINEMARECORD
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