Page 12 - CinemaRecord #76C

The opening feature at the Dundas Skyline
was The Racers from 20 Century Fox, with a
th
A mobile food-to-car service attached to the cartoon and short as the supporting program.
snack bar was provided by a four-wheel cart The main feature was in CinemaScope and
pushed around the field by two attendants. made a great impression on the huge screen!
Patrons could summon refreshments by A small introduction film instructing patrons
activating a switch next to the volume about drive-in amenities, speaker volume
control on each speaker; this lit a red bezel control, etc. opened the program.
located on top of the speaker junction box
on each post. Gates opened at 5.30pm with two sessions
held each night at 7.30 and 9.30pm. At
Over a period of time, this system proved each session’s conclusion, another trailer
unsuccessful as the cart attendants couldn’t was screened advising patrons to place the
possibly see all red signals over such a huge speaker back on the post and proceed to the
field and after enough complaints from exit by the advertised direction.
patrons the practice was discontinued and
the lamp wires were disconnected. All drive-ins suffered the loss of speakers at
Midnight Shows a regular rate. Patrons often unintentionally
There were usually six midnight shows each The projection room was in four sections. drove off from their position without
year, these usually occurred on nights prior The main projection area contained two removing them causing the sound cable to
to a public holiday. Gaumont Kalee machines fitted with BTH rip off from the junction box. When patrons
Commencing on New Year’s Eve the arc lamps, a NTS slide machine and a rack realized that this accident had occurred, they
programs usually were of a so called horror containing 12 valve amplifiers. Room two would simply throw the speaker out onto the
variety or other subjects such as motor cars had two Lincoln generators for arc supply, ramp. Others would not discover theirs until
or motor bikes (The Wild Ones with Marlon room three the mains switchboard and in a later date, but few were returned. Quite a
Brando a good example). Dusk-to-Dawn four was the film rewind/storage and speaker number of speakers would be deliberately
movie marathons also proved very popular.
maintenance room. cut from the cable and therefore stolen.

Such losses were most unfortunate because the
original speakers had been specially manufactured
for the Skyline and were very precise with
housings fitted perfectly for maintenance. New
cases were made to replace the losses, but these
were nowhere as good, often resulting in bad
alignment of fronts and backs.

Viewing window for interested patrons. Slide Projector.

12 2012 CINEM AREC ORD