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CINEMA AND                   From the Editor....
                        THEATRE
                                                    The write-up of a trip is a tight-rope assignment. The selection of words and
                        C A  T  H S              pics may not gel with the favourite impressions of the participants, nor can the

                                                 selection hope to convey the atmosphere for readers who were not present. The
                HISTORICAL                SOCIETY
                                                 best that can be done is to present the facts about the theatres, the main reason for
                                                 the trip, and to follow-up themes in later issues.
                                                    Ian Hanson’s story of the Regent Fitzroy could have been subtitled ‘ Always in
                                                 the Shadows.’ In the early thirties the management shunned the style of advertising
           The official journal of the Cinema And  that other theatres thrived on. Although worthy of consideration as a peer to
               Theatre Historical Society Inc.
                                                 Regent South Yarra and Victory St. Kilda, it never used block advertising like they
           ISSN 1443-3664 • Published quarterly
                                                 did and in the round robin of individual theatre advertising that accompanied the
                            ★
                                                 roll-out of sound, no ads were placed for Regent Fitzroy. This reticence may partly
                      Editor: Ian Smith
                            ★                    answer Ian’s question about the place of the theatre in local lore.
                  CinemaRecord Artwork:             Eric White’s Cinerama at the Plaza expertly captures a time of excitement and
              Bill Kerr, Optimum Design 9419 4144  explains the changes to the theatre in loving detail. Re-living this time through the
                            ★                    article I concluded that the Plaza could have gone on for years longer. The day of
              The main aim of CATHS and this
                                                 the single screen was not over when it closed. The flurry to open theatres like the
           publication is to accurately document and
                                                 Bercy, Roma and Total may have been the last fling for the single screen, but in
           create an archive of the history of
           cinemas and theatres in Victoria.     that company the Plaza could have remained top of the tree. – Ian Smith
              Input in the form of articles,
           constructive criticism, and substantiated
           dispute of printed matter is welcome, and    NOW SHOWING!
           necessary to enable us to reach our
           objective.
              Opinions expressed are those of the
                                                 4    Letters
           Editor or contributors, and unless
           expressly stated so, are not necessarily  4  Newsreel
           those of the Cinema And Theatre
           Historical Society.                   7    The Amazing Brenograph
              Articles printed in CinemaRecord   8    Cinema War in Bingara - Gerry Kennedy
           should not be reproduced without the
           permission of the author or the editor.  12  Cinerama at Hoyts Plaza
              All photos are from the collection of   Collins Street - Eric White
           the person or organisation stated. Every
                                                 18   The Regent Fitzroy - Ian Hanson
           effort has been made to trace the
           ownership of copyright. In the event of
           any questions arising as to the use of any
           material, the author and publisher will be
           happy to make the necessary corrections
           in future printings.
              Contributions and suggestions for
           CinemaRecord are most welcome. Please
           contact the Editor if you are planning
           to write an article for the magazine.
           We may be able to assist you with
           information, contacts, etc and it will help
           us with forward planning.
                                                 25   CATHS Adelaide Tour - Brian Miller and Gerry Kennedy
                            ★
                     Contact: Ian Smith
               Telephone: 5443 0692 (1-9pm)        Images in this publication are from CATHS-V Archive unless credited to another source.
               Email: ijsmith@impulse.net.au
                Postal Address: PO Box 476,      Cover: The rather stark exterior of the Regent Fitzroy belied its stylish interior.
                  Bentleigh, Victoria, 3204      See story page 18.


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