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CINEMA AND
THEATRE Curtain Calls
C A T H S Letters Bill Murdoch’s stories mirror my

HISTORICAL SOCIETY feelings regarding an important part of
a theatres to theatre’s presentation – the
house curtain!
ABN 37 195 378 179
Reg A0020747R With most plays and musicals
nowadays, producers seem to think we
The aims of CATHS are: to record the A Mighty Wind
history of cinemas and theatres, and to enjoy gazing at the (often) single set
promote interest in theatre heritage and I feel it time to offer an explanation until the house lights dim, the actors
architecture, and other related areas. to my friend Bill Murdoch following his take their places and the stage lighting
Patrons: article on theatre curtains (Keeping Tabs comes up. In cinemas the interminable
Frank Van Straten OAM Peter Smith CinemaRecord No.3, 2003). He has length of end-credits, often rolling on
Elaine Marriner Philip Brady
long been perplexed that the breezes to an empty house, might be a reason
Committee: (often gales) which blew, and continue why so many complexes have done
President: Gerry Kennedy 5174 1870 no doubt to blow up Flinders Lane, away with curtains – ugh!
Vice President: Peter Wolfenden 9744 2570 caused the Regent tabs to billow My practical experience of curtain
Secretary: Mike Trickett 5278 1986 forward into the auditorium, while those craft was with Hoyts in the fifties and
Treasurer: Barrie Wraith 9435 9785 of the Metro Collins street, a mere mainly at the Regent and Capitol. These
★ three doors away, were drawn towards two, along with the State and Palais St
the screen. What was this quirk of Kilda were theatres, not just cinemas -
Archivist: Gerry Kennedy 5174 1870
Central Victoria Co-ordinator: nature? built with stages for Tivoli-style variety
Fred Page 5444 0428 (Bendigo) During my years as manager (1959- acts that at one time constituted the first
Gippsland Co-ordinator: 1970) Bob Calloway the Regent manager half of their programs.
Gerry Kennedy 5174 1870 (Traralgon) and I discussed this strange situation. The
Events Co-ordinator: The Regent had the best
Brian Miller 9557 7446 Metro was reputed to have a ghost, presentation. Before CinemaScope
Film Buffs Group: perhaps it was up to no good. introduced those dreaded full-screen
Mike Trickett 5278 1986 Well Bill, the explanation is this. All advertising slides, a separate, standard
Publications Sales: M.G.M city theatres at that time were size screen was lowered in front of the
Garry Saunders 9812 7227
Membership Secretary: Peter O’Reilly air-conditioned. Hoyts on the other magnificent red house curtain. With the
peteroreilly@iprimus.com.au hand, decreed in their wisdom that slides over, the rising curtain would set
CinemaRecord Editor: Melbourne never got hot, and therefore the satin traveller free to billow out,
Ian Smith they never air-conditioned any theatre sometimes so wildly that the on-stage
ijsmith@impulse.net.au south of the border. Albury was the electrician had to pull it back inside the
CATHS website:
www.caths.org.au extent of their comfort zone. proscenium border.
Postal address: At the Metro the result was that air
PO Box 476, Bentleigh 3204. pressure in the auditorium when the
★ system was operating was slightly
higher than behind the curtains, which
Membership
caused them to act strangely. Bob
Annual membership subscription is $35,
Calloway and I sat in the theatre when
and members receive four copies of
the unit was off and there was no
CinemaRecord, notification of events,
and copies of the agenda and minutes ‘reverse billow’ at all.
of all meetings. There is no joining fee. I well remember those eight weeks of
Overseas subscribers: Please contact school holidays over Christmas - five
CATHS Membership Secretary for rate. sessions a day, the first four often
Meetings capacity, in extremely hot conditions -
Meetings are held on the last Sunday of what a blessing the air-conditioning was!
February, April, June, August, October & As a postscript, it was not only For Cinemascope, Hoyts installed a
November. 16.4m curved screen over the pit,
Hoyts that had little knowledge of
Archive outside the 14.6 m proscenium opening.
conditions interstate. When
The Archive is located in the Prahran A gold curtain brilliantly lit by down
constructing the Metro Adelaide,
Mechanics’ Institute, 140 High Street lights compensated for the loss of the
M.G.M. installed iron foot scrapers at
Prahran, 9510 3393. The Archive will traditional act drop. Later, because the
the front doors, to remove snow before
be open between 9.30am and 1pm on image on this large screen was so poor,
entering! Still, their plans had come
the Saturday before each meeting (see
from America. I trust posterity will be a 13.4m wide screen was put back on
above), and at other times by
the better for receiving such the stage – and brought the red curtain
appointment with the archivist.
enlightening information. back to life.
Publications
Back issues of CinemaRecord, other Maurice Scott, East Kew To me moveable masking to cope
with picture ratio differences was a
publications, CDs and videos are
technical, not a decorative feature. I
available at meetings. Items are also
loathed the early practice of the
available by mail. Please contact Garry
masking moving across the image.
Saunders on 9812 7227 for details.
4 2003 CINEMARECORD