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SILVER SCREENS




















          The town hall was also Star Pictures (1940)  Lyric theatre, early 1920s (Murray Bridge Historical Society).













                                                                               Drive-in site in 2006: soon to be all
                                                                               housing. (Ken Wells)
                                                                                  D. Clifford Theatres Ltd. (1923),
                                                                               was originally the Star Theatre chain
                                                                               (c.1916), and Jack Brook mentioned
                                                                               earlier, was the spool boy at Clifford’s
                                                                               latest venture.
                                                                                  The Lyric had a spacious single-
                                                                               level auditorium with a capacity of 928
                                                                               seats. It was decorated with garden
          Cameo Cinema, 2006                                                   murals on the walls and windmill
                                                                               murals on either side of the proscenium.
            Before the Lyric became a reality,  almost impossible to find a vacant date
                                                                               There was also a large illuminated
          another proposal did the rounds. In  on the list of this hall, and a high rental
                                                                               pendulum clock below the left
          June 1922, The Murray Bridge Coffee  is paid by a picture show company for
                                                                               windmill, which alerted patrons to train
          Palace Ltd. published a prospectus to  Wednesday and Saturday nights only.
                                                                               times for nearby Tailem Bend!
          raise £50,000 ($100,000) to build and  Although this prospectus preceded  Community singing often preceded the
          operate a Coffee Palace and construct a  the Lyric proposal by about six  film screenings, the words for the songs,
          Picture Theatre on portion of Railway  months, nothing came of it. (4,10)  projected by the ‘Magic Lantern’. (4,6,9)
          Terrace opposite the railway station.   Instead, the Lyric opened on Bridge
                                                                                  In September 1929, Holland’s
                                            Street at the corner of West Terrace as
                                                                               Talkies screened at the town hall. This
                                            planned, the dream of a group of local
                                                                               travelling show featured a sound system
                                            business identities. In 1922 they had
                                                                               of Australian manufacture. They toured
                                            formed The Murray Bridge Picture
                                                                               Tasmania and South Australia,
                                            Palace Company Ltd., anticipating a
                                                                               complete with their own electricity
                                            population explosion in the town due to
                                                                               generating plant. This independence
                                            the construction of a new bridge across
                                                                               enabled them to operate successfully
                                            the Murray.
          Source: Harold McLaren                                               anywhere, free from concerns about the
                                               The consortium chose architect  reliability and standard of local power.
            The Coffee Palace (above) was to  Chris. A. Smith from Adelaide, and in
          be a grand building of three stories,  February 1923 tenders were called for  Holland’s program included Peter
          providing an up-to-date hostel with  construction of a theatre and nine  Dawson, a popular singer, Cecil Parkes
          special regard to bath and lavatory  shops. Opened as the Lyric Picture  and his violin, from radio station 3LO
          accommodation. The two-level picture  Palace on 16 April 1924, it was  Melbourne and The Dixie Melody Four.
          theatre, it was claimed, should be a  operated by Daniel Clifford, who  It would be highly unlikely that this
          profitable venture, as there is only one  controlled a large circuit in South  was a sound on-film program; rather
          licensed hall in the town, and it is  Australia.                     sound-on-disc, with the artists miming
                                                                               their own recordings for the camera.
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