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ith its vibrant night-life and The sign on the rear of the building
Wmyriad restaurants, Melbourne’s read: Palais Cinema- late Luna Park-
beachside suburb of St Kilda has long Summer Location. This open-air
been a mecca for locals and tourists enclosure had been a skating rink. The
alike. Settled in the 1840s it soon seating capacity is not known, but the
developed as a holiday haven based on same newspaper reported that a
rather quaint English-style customs. screening on 22 March 1915 raised
The colonial government wasted no money for the Mayoress Fund.
time in establishing transport links to The venture continued for a year or
the beach. A roadway from the city was two but by 1917, after a restructure and
followed by a direct rail service in some expansion into other cinemas, the
1857. A cable tramway opened in 1896 Palais Cinema Ltd was in financial
completed the link to the beachside. trouble. The business was wound up on
.(1/p9)
St Kilda has a claim to be the 9 July 1919
birthplace of Australian cinema in all A Third Palais
facets. In 1906 Millard Johnson and
William A. Gibson made Australia’s first The Early Years Steventon’s misfortunes were
perhaps compounded by a decision by
feature The Story Of The Kelly Gang, By Ian Hanson the directors of Luna Park, with (Sir)
processing it in their chemist shop. John Monash as Chairman, to screen
By 1910 Johnson and Gibson, with In 1913, Amalgamated Pictures movies in their Palais De Danse. This
John and Nevin Tait as directors, had merged their interests with Spencer’s was a dance hall erected in 1913 on
formed Amalgamated Pictures Ltd. Its Pictures, West’s Pictures and the land leased on the site now occupied by
core function was film production and Greater J.D. Williams Amusement the present Palais Theatre, just across
processing, film imports and the Company to become Union Theatres. the road from Luna Park.
acquisition or construction of theatres in The Williams’ share in Luna Park and This early dance hall was a flimsy
which to show them. This company laid the amusement arcade at Sydney’s affair - more like an aircraft hangar
the foundations for what eventually Crystal Palace Theatre with its rifle than entertainment venue. Timber
became Amalgamated Holdings, owners range, 300 automatic machines and a latticework across the front in a Persian
of the Greater Union Organisation. host of electric gadgets, was of no
interest to Union Theatres. James motif tricked it up a bit. It contained the
requisite dance floor with small stage
Dixon Williams resigned from Luna
for the band, but the ceiling was
Park Ltd., and returned home to pursue
unlined and decorative features appear
picture-making ventures. He gave
to be non-existent.
producer Adolph Zukor the idea of
amassing stars under contract to one The years of the First World War
studio. The result was Paramount would prove difficult for Luna Park, but
(2/p14) not so for the popular dance hall.
Pictures. By coincidence,
Paramount would be the main supplier Profitability soared after a decision to
of movies for the later Palais Pictures. introduce dance hall pictures managed
by Luna Park’s Amusement Manager,
The first record of a Palais cinema
The First Palais the very capable Herman Philips. On 20
appeared around 1914 as one of the
Other entrepreneurs could see the September 1915 the building became
numerous wonders in Luna Park.
lucrative entertainment possibilities of a the Palais De Danse Pictures. Movies
Joseph Steventon managed the theatre,
popular beach resort. Herman F. Philips and dancing alternated over different
known at first as The Lounge and then
and J.D. Williams made an application nights. This proved so successful that
as the Palais Cinema, during the
to the St Kilda Foreshore Committee the directors were soon planning a
winter of 1914 in the Palais de Follies
for the construction of an amusement purpose-built cinema.
then just inside the entrance to Luna
park on the site of Dreamland, a failed (1/p8)
Park. A Fourth Palais
fun park which opened on the Lower Restrictions on building materials
Esplanade in 1906. On 10 July 1911 The Second Palais after World War I hampered plans for
the Committee granted them occupancy Steventon moved his Palais Cinema the new cinema. At the same time the
of the site for five years at an annual from the confines of Luna Park to
(1) popularity of dancing could not be
rental of 1200 pounds. The American- Barkly Street, near Ackland Street, in overlooked. A rather ingenious solution
born Philips and Canadian J.D. the area known as the Village Belle. The devised in 1919 was to erect the new
Williams formed Luna Park Ltd. St Kilda Advertiser published a (fourth Palais cinema) around the
Williams and Philips were joined by photograph of this cinema in 1915.
existing dance hall. Longer, wider and
Henry Robinson and (Sir) John Monash
(1/Appendix p10) higher, construction could proceed by
as directors. day whilst movies and dancing
Luna Park officially opened on 13 WHERE THE continued at night.
December 1912. Most, if not all the COOL SEA
rides were imports from the United When the outer shell was complete,
States, with Whitney Brothers of Coney BREEZES BLOW the old Palais building was carefully
dismantled from within and the
Island, New York the principal suppliers.
16 2008 CINEMARECORD