Page 14 - CinemaRecord Edition 3-2002 #37

SUNBURY'S FIRST PICTURE SHOW?

Before the advent of the Picture Palace, travelling show-men introduced "Movie Magic" to the
public in the local hall - often the Mechanics Institute. A chance find stirred Peter Wolfenden
to learn more about these visitors to the Sunbury district of Victoria.

current and his next show in town. As Gisborne and Sunbury are sister towns
the ads show, film production and (20 km apart), they were probably on
exhibition were moving beyond the the same route for the travelling
‘primitive’, but Mr. Boardman’s problem showmen. According to the Sunbury
was a typical one for his generation of News, the first screening in Sunbury
exhibitors in country towns. took place at the Mechanics Hall on
Screenings took place at the Saturday 12 June 1897. (3) This was
Gisborne Mechanics Hall, presumably about 10 months after the first
using a portable generator to power the projection of films to a paying
projection equipment. Mr. Boardman's audience in Australia at the
portable power supply, (or was he still Melbourne Opera House by
using limelight?) must have been magician, Carl Hertz. (4)
unreliable or just plain difficult to use, It did not take long for
or maybe there had been complaints entrepreneurs to "head for the bush",
from residents about noise or safety taking with them their magic, mystical,
issues. Hall keepers in country towns moving shadow picture shows. And
often had concern for the security of that's about all the audiences saw at
their halls whenever an early picture- those early exhibitions - a jittery,
show-man tried to make a hall booking flickering moving shadow on the
- especially in the days of limelight and screen. Light sources were not very
nitrate film. Journalist M. P. Greenwood bright and the equipment used was
Source: Gisborne Gazette 4 June 1926 evoked the era with this quote attributed often still under development and/or
to one hall keeper: modification. Film segments lasted
unbury, first settled by Europeans about a minute each, and by the time
"Ya see up there?" he said, pointing
S in 1836, is now a satellite town of they reached the country halls, were
to evidences of a great jagged gash in
about 33,00 people, close to often well worn - longitudinal stripes
the tin roof. Well, a bloke comes along
Melbourne's International Airport. The and scratches added to the already
to show pitchers with limelight. He
new cinema is a five screen complex fuzzy image. However, people loved it.
made gas in a tank, piled a couple of
built by a local businessman in
bricks atop of it to gain pressure, and The fact that both Sunbury and
conjunction with Anderson Cinemas.
then in the middle of the show the Gisborne are on a main railway line
Before television, movies were
whole darned contraption blows up and was a significant factor in the early
screened at the Memorial Hall and at
shoots the bricks out through the roof. appearance of moving pictures in these
the theatre-cum-church in the mental (2)
Y'orter have seen the crowd get out!" towns. Unlike the travelling shows
home on Jacksons Hill.
All of Mr. Boardman's problems, depicted in the film The Picture Show
In 1897 the population of Sunbury
even the possible reluctance of a hall Man, early showmen in Victoria made
was less than 1000. The history of the (2)
keeper, would fade into insignificance great use of the railway network.
first movies seen in the town would
if he could just make use of the
have parallels with almost any early Edison’s man in town
Council's electricity to operate his
exhibition of the Cinematograph in And so to Sunbury came one Mr.
equipment. Films were of course, still
country towns. George Coates who managed Edison's
‘silent’ and, in response to Mr.
The ‘discovery’ of a local Boardman's request for mains power, THEATRE CINEMATOGRAPHE
newspaper under the linoleum in a the Council's Electrical Engineer People were enticed to ‘.... see.... this
cottage of a farm in the district set the reported that “.... Tuesday night was Wonderful, Marvellous, and Ingenious
writer on a course to establish just the only night that suited the Entertainment, provided by the world's
when and how movies started in this (generator) plant” (1) Presumably there greatest genius - Thomas Alva
part of Victoria, who brought them to was some concern that on any other Edison’. (3)
the area, where were they shown and night the additional electrical load Edison first introduced moving
the reaction of those first audiences. caused by the projection equipment pictures to Australia on 30 November
Let's peer under that piece of could over-load the Council generator 1894 when five Kinetoscopes (peep-
linoleum. On 4 June 1926 in the and black out the town. (In later years, show viewers) were exhibited to the
Gisborne Gazette Mr. A. F. Boardman the Boardman family screened pictures public in Sydney. These were imported
(4)
applied to Gisborne Council for the use on a regular basis at the Memorial by J. C. Williamson. Sunbury,
of Council-generated mains electricity to Hall in Sunbury.) however, was to be treated to the newer
(1)
operate his picture show. Next to the Exactly when Gisborne saw its first ‘Edison’ system which projected
report were the advertisements for his film show is yet to be determined. As moving pictures onto a screen.
14 2002 CINEMARECORD