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Next visit to Bourke, Mrs. Randal’s
son picked me up at the station - leaving
the Warner Bros. rep. Ozzie Pressner
lamenting - and took me to the house
for an exquisitely laid out afternoon tea.
Mrs. Randal bought everything I had to
sell: Fox, Gaumont British, Republic,
and renewed the newsreels.
Next day I went back to Wellington.
Mrs. Warton and her late husband had
achieved fame as circus performers -
The Flying Wartons. Gertie still had a
fine figure but a scary face and was
renowned for her toughness. She took
me for coffee and supper into the cafe
next to her theatre, paid the bill and
bought everything I had.
Mrs. Wolff at Narromine was like
everyone’s Grandma. She had a lively
daughter with a boy friend who
specialised in fishing and mushroom
gathering. So in due season, after the
show, I was invited home for a feast.
On my return to the office for the
Friday interview the boss was amazed
at the sales results, “What did you do -
take them to bed?”
When Ron Pitt insisted that I go to
Ivanhoe, I caught the Silver City Comet
from Parkes arriving in Ivanhoe early in
the afternoon. With no cabs around I
carried my bags into town.
Grasshoppers in plague proportions
were singing in the grass and weeds
beneath the corrugated iron fences. I
checked into the hotel, to a room with
gaping rat holes in the skirting boards,
then went out to find the exhibitor in
his nearby garage.
“Fox”, he said, “I’ve never seen a
Fox rep. before.” So here I was,
plugging another gap in Ron’s itinerary.
This was the era of six o’clock
closing. After a few beers and a deal (a
beer was one shilling [10c] a middy for
bottled beer - the hotel had run out of
draught), I went to bed to the sounds of
revelry from the bar, which continued
unabated.
At seven the next morning the car
park was full of utes from 200 miles
away (330km), their owners loading up
with supplies of bottled beer. That year
the pub changed hands for the
extraordinary sum of 50,000 pounds
($100,000). From top: The Silver City Comet ran between Parkes and Broken Hill. When introduced
in the 1930s it was innovative and fast on the light-weight track.
At Warren via Nevertire there was
an exhibitor named Lionel Graham, The platform at Parkes shows the importance of the rail network. Film cans are likely to
known to all as “The Laughing be amongst the light freight.
Cavalier” because he never cracked a Refreshment room, Junee. High ceilings, ornate pillars, a welcoming fire in winter, hot if
smirk. Lionel owned a store next to his basic food and alcohol for travelling salesmen; scenes like this were repeated at many
theatre in the main street. stations across the State.

26 2006 CINEMARECORD