Page 10 - CinemaRecord #82

RICHARD STEPHENS

Toowong Gaiety
th
The business dealings, acquisitions, at the reserve on the 15 April as London 1910 - Stephens Picture Company, operated by
partnerships and rivals of Richard Stephens Bioscope Co., and continued until June that Richard Stephens, advertised that you could
would fill this magazine ten times over, but a year, reopening at the Cricket Reserve on 1 st buy all the equipment needed to set up and run
précis appears below: September. your own theatre; he also hired films to theatre
proprietors.
1907 - R F Stephens & unknown partner – The London Bioscope Co., under the
doing the ‘smalls’ in Brisbane Valley. directorship of Stephens and Ogilvie were 1911 - Earl’s Court Open-Air Theatre
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1908 – with an unknown partner in Cheswick, operating on a Wednesday night at the cricket opened 8 August 1911 on the corner of Barker
London. Reserve and on a Tuesday and Saturday nights and Brunswick Streets, New Farm under the
1909 – as London Bioscope Company at at Dutton Park. partnership name of Stephens & Ogilvie. It
Queensland town halls in Harrisville, Ipswich, later became the Rivoli.
Esk, Rosewood, Lowood and Toogoolawah, 1909 - Dutton Park Garden Theatre, as
with the moving picture Aladdin and His stated previously it opened in August 1909 and 1911 - Toowong Pavilion was situated on
Magic Lamp and with film commissioned by ran its summer season with great success for the corner of Church St and Sherwood Rd
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Ogilvie of the Franco British Exhibition. ten months before it closed for winter. While Toowong; it opened on 16 December 1911.
1909 - Ipswich Cricket Reserve – E. J. Carroll’s Richard was working at Dutton Park Garden The Toowong Pavilion later became the
Summer Continentals closed his winter Theatre he had the idea to expand ever further Gaiety Theatre and then with the Jubilee of
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season on the 10 April 1909, and 5 days later into the suburbs, and with Bert Ive, and Hugh the King, it changed its name to the Jubilee.
Stephens & Ogilvie commenced showing Black they decided to branch out.
1911 - St Mary’s Church Picture Shows,
They found land surrounded by advertising Kangaroo Point, was a short term project
hoardings that had previously been used as an for the Stephens Ogilvie team as a way to
open air boxing arena. It was owned by Charles show the congregation of St Mary’s that not
Burgess and was located on the corner of all films were evil in nature as had been so
Castlemaine and Caxton Streets, Paddington, often touted in the press, and they arranged a
which became the Pavilion. number of biblical showings in the parish hall
at Kangaroo Point.
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1909 - On the 15 November 1909 the
Paddington Picture Pavilion opened its doors 1911 - Pineapple Picture Gardens was an
to the public. The Pavilion struggled on for a open-air theatre in Raymond Park, Kangaroo
few months not making any headway, Richard Point. Stephens and Ogilvie ran this venture
finally withdrawing from the venture. for approximately 2 months.
Toowong
1913 – This was the year that many suburban
theatres amalgamated under the directorship
of Richard and Arthur Richards. Theatres in
the amalgamation were: Spring Hill – Hugh
Black, Cook’s Fiveways – Arthur Richards,
Normanby - Hugh Black, Toowong Pavilion
– Stephens & Ogilvie, Bulimba – Hugh Black,

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