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Extensive renovations were made to On 28 July 1934 the country’s ace October 1938 was a busy month.
the entrance and vestibule in late aviatrix Jean Batten caused a sensation The Australian comedy Let George Do
November without missing a session. when she made a personal appearance. It with George Wallace played to
Widening the entrance overcame any A short film Contact - A brief history of packed houses for three weeks. Six
possibility of congestion, and enhanced British aviation preceded the feature finalists in the N.Z. Woman’s Weekly
the view of two galleries which depicted Right To Happiness with Richard Miss New Zealand Contest made
a slice of western culture as represented Tauber. personal appearances, with audiences
by symbols of ancient Greece and voting for who would be Miss
Rome, and shields and coats-of-arms of Auckland. Voting took place over three
England, Scotland and the crusaders. nights. Who won remains a mystery
The refreshed ceiling was treated in because the newspapers did not publish
ivory inlay plastering, reprising the a winner. Presumably the audience
Adam style, while a portion of the votes did not tally with the verdict of
tinted walls were in the same design. A the official judges.
massive electric candelabra and several The 1940s opened with great
novel lighting effects brought into promise on the film front. With
prominence elaborate frescoes, glass improvements in all aspects of
display cabinets and new ticket boxes production Dodge City with Errol
constructed to an overseas design. Flynn settled into a long run from
Potted palms and other decorative January. It’s A Date with Deanna
touches provided a splendid entrance Durbin did wonders in May and in
from Queen Street. All work was October Virginia City, again with Errol
completed on 13 December. Flynn, nearly out-did Dodge. In March
This burst of activity coincided with 1941, with Gloria Jean on the screen in
the opening of the Civic Auckland,a A Bit Of Heaven, management
4,000 seat ‘atmospheric’ behemoth, the extended an invitation to visiting
largest cinema in the Southern officers and men of the American Fleet
Jean Batten, the nation's ace aviator
Hemisphere. If the Civic was now the to be guests at any session.
(1909-1982) was known as 'The Garbo of
place to gawk at extravagance, the The Wurlitzer was removed in 1944,
the Skies.' Internet image.
novelty lasted a year. Better films just when attendances were peaking. It
brought the crowds back to the Regent, was a curious decision. The instrument
The year ended with a Gala
St James and the Majestic. ended up at Lower Hutt near
Premiere on Saturday 29 December in
A year into talkies, sound engineers Wellington. *
the presence of His Royal Highness the
from the Western Electric Company The Regent opened for Sunday
Duke of Gloucester, the Governor
(which in April 1929 had opened their entertainment for members of the
General of New Zealand and his wife
N.Z. office in Wellington) spent two forces in uniform and the Merchant
Lord and Lady Bledisloe and party. Not
weeks conducting acoustical Navy. Each could bring a civilian
surprisingly, the film was the British hit
experiments. They announced in July friend. Many of Auckland’s theatres
The Count Of Monte Cristo, starring
1930 that ‘There is no more perfect took advantage of this concession to
Robert Donat.
sound theatre in the Dominion than difficult times, and it had an advantage
The theatre advertisement for 10
here at the Regent Auckland’. The for the distributor and exhibitor - no
June 1935 stated that 500 members of
views of the other exhibitors are not entertainment tax was imposed for this
the staff of John Court Ltd. were to be
recorded. one day. Sunday shows lasted many
entertained at the Folies Bergere that
In 1931 the theatre promoted the months. The Regent began the trend on
evening. This was a local amateur
Empire Cancer Fund with charity 5 November 1944 with the patriotic and
production, for one night only, with no
concerts and donation screenings. In timely British film San Dementrio
connection to the celebrated French
December of the same year J.C. London - based on the perils faced by
revue. Courts, Auckland’s largest
Williamson Films went into merchant shipping.
department store, was doing its bit to
receivership. A new company was Films were mainly from Warner
keep the staff happy.
registered in April 1932, the J.C. Bros, Universal, Paramount and British
By mid 1936 Norman Dawe was at
Williamson Picture Corporation N.Z., Empire Films (BEF). The theatre
the Wurlitzer supported by Trevor Eady
Ltd. New name, same owner, new played every type, and unlike some
and his Virtuoso Orchestra. Charles
directors, but very little change in theatres in Auckland, could never be
Smith took over as manager in 1938
policy to show for it. pigeon-holed in this regard.
and George Knight was assisting
Budding organists could take Williamson’s other theatre in Auckland,
projectionists Allan MacGregor and
lessons held between the 2pm and 8pm the Embassy (opened April 1936) was
Jimmy Coyle. The swimming pool was
screenings, (four sessions a day were also eclectic in its programming.
now drained and boarded over; part of
still to come). Popular with enthusiasts, Although the lineage of the theatre was
the kauri diving board became George
they cost two shillings and sixpence per identical to the capital city Regents in
Knight’s film rewind bench.
person ($NZ 10.50 today). The duration Australia, a different management
of a lesson is not known. structure meant that there were no films
from 20th Century -Fox.
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