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The final live show at the Kings
was See How They Run, a fill-in to
play for two weeks. It was such a
success that after it’s Adelaide run it
returned to Melbourne to the Princess
and enjoyed a long season there. At the
Kings See How They Run finished on
29 May 1951 and the following night
Samson and Delilah opened the theatre
as a Paramount house. In the hours
between the end of the live show and
the morning film session an army of
workers had descended on the theatre.
The place was cleaned from top to
bottom, every seat, carpet and curtain
shampooed. The motley Act Drop was
taken down and re-hung in the
Princess where it went into temporary
service during some renovations. Back
at the Kings, new red/maroon
travellers were fitted.
The toilets and foyer were painted
and carpet laid on the stairs to the
Dress Circle foyer. A Paramount logo
was mounted on the landing where the
stairs divided. New mirrors and front-
of-house display boards were fitted
and some new furniture and ornaments
purchased for the foyers. The stage The cast iron and post verandah was replaced in 1952.
boxes we fitted with new curtains and
Among the many films I saw
the orchestra pit covered. All of this
at the Kings were Samson and
resulted in an old but clean, bright
Delilah, One Wild Oat, War and
looking theatre.
Peace, Marshmellow Moon,
However it was not enough for at
Detective Story, Son of Pale
least one reviewer who prefaced a
Face, Sailor Beware and The
critique with, ‘I went along to the
Greatest Show On Earth.
moth-eaten Kings with its moronic
The Kings remained a
angel….’ The ‘angel’ was a reclining
Paramount house until it closed
figure above the proscenium
on 13 February 1958. The
representing the goddess Aurora
auditorium was gutted and re-
(Light) flanked by her children – Joy
built as the two-level Barclay
and Happiness. The figures were
which continued to present films
originally arranged in front of a silver
from Paramount. The Barclay
shell, long since painted out. Anyway,
was demolished in 1977 to make
it seems somebody listened, because in
way for the Russell Cinemas
1952 further renovations were
complex. I was present on the
undertaken. Outside, the iron-post
last night of both stage and film
verandah was replaced with a presentations at this location. ★
cantilever model. The staircase to the
Upper Circle was replaced and the area
re-seated. The auditorium on all levels
was re-painted in pastel green, white Further reading about the
Kings:
and pink. Aurora and her children were
Theatre in Australia, John
removed. The renovation included
West Cassell 1978
larger, modern toilets, all under the
Kino No. 5 Graeme McBain
supervision of Gordon Murphy of
Kino No. 24 Fred Page
Cowper Murphy and Associates. Film Weekly 28 June 1951
To me the Upper Circle was the Film Weekly 30 October 1952.
best seating as there were no posts to
interfere with sightlines to the stage or Acknowledgments
screen. Les Tod and Ron Lowe
CINEMARECORD 2003 21