Page 19 - CinemaRecord Edition 3-2003 #41

Brighton Bay

Cinemas

Evolution of a Pioneer
By Brian Miller
1920’s
n December 2009 Palace Cinemas
Iopened the refurbished Cinema 2 of
their Brighton Bay Cinema Complex.
With new carpets and luxury seating,
this is another step forward for a
building that has served the bayside
Melbourne suburb for an amazing
eighty-eight years.
Opened in 1922 as the Brighton
Theatre with over 1200 seats, it was 1930’s
partially updated in the early thirties
with the coming of sound. It
eventually became part of the Hoyts
suburban circuit in 1932. Renamed
Hoyts Centre, it was completely
modernized in 1941 to compete with
the then, all-new, Dendy Cinema in
nearby Middle Brighton.
Television took its toll and the
Centre closed in 1959 along with 1941
many others, but Hoyts retained the
building. The front shop, stalls and
circle foyers were let to several
tenants. The stalls part of the
auditorium became a warehouse to sell
surplus theatrical equipment and
fittings. In 1978 Hoyts sold the
building to a developer along with the
Broadway, Camberwell (one year
lease-back) and Hoyts Bentleigh (six
2001
years lease-back).
The new owner of the Centre In 1990 the property was purchased
converted it into two smaller cinemas by local businessman, Ralph Taranto
upstairs with an entrance and shops at and from 1993 Palace Cinemas have
street level. During conversion, the held the lease on the theatres. In recent
Art-Deco décor years Cinema 3 and 4 were added by
was completely replacing a first-floor dance studio
gutted and at situated over adjoining shops on the
one stage east side of the original building. This
revealed the involved heightening the walls of the
original silent former dance studio and extending the
screen, façade of the theatre across to intergrate
plastered onto the two buildings as one. When lit at
the bricks of night the effect is quite imposing.
the back wall. The Brighton Bay, Melbourne
It re-opened as Regent and the Yarraville Sun are
the Brighton amongst the few cinemas to re-open
Bay Twin in after years of neglect. Eighty-eight
1981 as an art- years down the track it’s wonderful to
house outlet. see Brighton Bay still growing and
glowing - may the bright lights continue
Photographs from the Kevin Adams Collection to twinkle for many more years! ★

CINEMARECORD 2010 19