Page 19 - CinemaRecord Edition 3-2002 #37

rink. He was planning to move to a new Griffiths and West had another engineer Viv. Butler. There was to be a
theatre, the Crystal Palace at Caulfield. theatre at St Kilda, the Majestic in lot of trouble at the ‘Wick.’ A lot of
Harry asked me to come out to the Fitzroy Street next door to the Majestic the old staff there wanted the operator
Liberty and see him, so I went that Mansions. Later on the theatre was they knew to keep his job.
same night. He showed me the bought by the Majestic Mansions to There was a gas engine in the
projection box, it was pretty solid but extend their property. Griffiths and foyer, it was used to run the shows in
the stairs leading up to it were rickety. West did this theatre up, put in new the very early days. It had glass all
Nobody could creep up on you when machinery and all, and they sent me around it so people could see it
you were working in that box! One down there from the Liberty. The working, a wonderfully interesting
night I asked him if he knew if anything manager started to 'tickle the till' a bit. thing in those days. It had a fly wheel
had been done about replacing him at He was always rushing across to the five foot in diameter. It was still
the Liberty when he moved on. bowling club to place bets. The show running when I took over.
Harry said he thought not, so I said, wasn't doing too well, so Griffiths and Anyway, someone started to tamper
"Sam Makeham's a good chap and West handed it over to the Palais with this old generator and I had a hell
working for him is all right, but I want Theatre. The manager was sacked, of a lot of trouble with it. They messed
something better than that, I'd like them then they sacked the whole blooming about with the brush positions, and the
to consider me for this job." Harry put lot of us. lights would keep going dim, and then
in a good word for me and when he I'd go there sometimes and find the
moved to the Crystal Palace I took Bill Lyall was just back cylinder full of water, not from the
over at the Liberty. I was living at a from America wher he’d been water jacket, but because the plug had
boarding house at Albert Park by this sent to get an eyeful of what been screwed out and water poured in.
time because the family had moved they called ‘atmospheric There was an electric generator
back to Bena. It was about 1922. theatres’. The State Theatre there too but it wasn't connected. No
I didn't like it at the boarding house, was one upshot of this visit; one would listen to me. These
it was dirty and full of bed bugs. I'd when you were inside it looked contractors were all 'in the know.' The
never seen this sort of bug before, I bio box had 'Simplex' machines. The
didn't know what they were. I woke up like you were outside. presentation was terrible, the films were
one night and I was itching, I switched interrupted all over the place. I got
the light on and here's this thing I went and saw 'Westie' over at the talking to Harry Bryer about these
crawling around so I killed it. By God, Palace, North Fitzroy (another G&W problems, so he got on his motor bike
I knew what it was when I'd killed it. theatre)."What are you doing here?" and went and dug out Viv. Butler over
Stink! When I told the land lady she "They sacked me." “They can't do at the Malvern Theatre and told him
said, "Oh, they're back again are they?" that”, he said, “those are my machines what was going on. Viv. came down
She got at the bed with kerosene and they're running". I didn't get back and he got the contractors to
all sorts of stuff and cleaned it out. there, but I was just as well pleased temporarily connect the electric
The Liberty was owned by because a short time later there was a generator. After that they wouldn't do
Griffiths and West; they also ran a vacancy at the Palace. I was there for anything. They played hell with the
theatre called the Solway in Johnston quite a few years, until the old show, wanting to get me out and the
Street Fitzroy. There was a chap Elsternwick Theatre was done up. other bloke back. Well it didn't work,
working at the Solway called Michael I broke with Griffiths and West and when we got going we put on some
Aarons. When he found out I had when I went from the Palace to the jolly good shows in the old ‘Wick’.
nowhere to live he said he thought his Elsternwick Theatre run by Wally Grant was the manager, he
Mother would put me up. They were Associated Theatres while they were was pretty shrewd, that's why it did
living in a small cottage at North still doing it up. Harry Bryer had put well. Young George Griffiths was
Fitzroy. Mrs.Aarons had bugs too, but in a good word for me with their running the Elsternwick Renown for
she was right on to Hoyts and they did their
them. She didn't wait damndest to kill trade at
until she saw them, the ‘Wick’. They wrote
every now and then their programs on the
she'd have a 'bug hunt' footpath outside our front
and she'd always find a doors and scathingly
couple. No matter referred to us as 'the little
what she did they'd show around the corner', in
always come in from their advertising. All of
other places. By gosh this made no difference.
she was clean. She Wally would watch what
looked after us both they were screening, and
and she'd tell me off when they came out with a
the same as her son. big show he'd pick
She was a wonderful something just ordinary,
woman. something cheap. But
Jim learned a lot about human nature when he moved to the when it was an ordinary
Elsternwick Theatre. show at the Renown

CINEMARECORD 2002 19