Page 10 - CinemaRecord #83
P. 10

complaint from both the neighbours and the
                                                                                         audience in the opposite field.  Consequently
                                                                                         a large screen fence was built between the two
                                                                                         fields to improve privacy.

                                                                                         Video eventually took its toll on the Starline
                                                                                         and it was closed on 26 August 1992.  The final
                                                                                         films  were Basic  Instinct  (Field  1)  and
                                                                                         Sleepwalkers  and Gladiator  (Field  2).    The
                                                                                         drive  in  was  then  redeveloped  as  a  housing
                                                                                         estate.

                                                                                         The hard-tops

                                                                                         The twin cinema which BCC came to operate
                                                                                         in the city centre evolved from their former
                                                                                         Earls  Court  theatre.    This  theatre  and  its
                                                                                         surrounding  gardens  originally  occupied  the
                                                                                         site in Denham St, between Alma St and Alma
                                                                                         Lane.  A chemist shop now occupies the corner
                                                                                         of Denham and Alma Sts, which was once the
                                                                                         main garden of the Earls Court theatre.  This
                                                                                         large  single  floored  cinema  of  2114  seats
                                                                                         became a victim of the times and was rebuilt
                                                                                         into two attractive smaller cinemas.
                                                              The Earls Court single level interior
                                                                                         During  the  1970s  the  construction  of  twin
                 Regional Australia’s first twin drive-in  6000 ft. spools were used. Due to the power  cinemas became very popular across Australia.
                                                     supply problems being experienced in north  As well as newly constructed venues, many
                 In 1972 BCC spent $250,000 constructing a  Queensland at this time, a standby generator  single screen theatres were converted to twin
                 second  screen  on  a  field  at  the  back  of  the  was also installed.  Given the capacity of the  cinemas  with  seating  capacities  often  in  the
                 original   theatre,   which   opened   on  twin theatre, traffic management was carefully  hundreds. At the time, BCC had reduced its
                 28 November.  A new projection room was  considered.    Four  entrance  lanes  led  to  the  venues  in  Rockhampton  to  three;  the
                 built  on  the  second  field  but  the  original  common four booth ticket centre; two lanes  Wintergarden and Earls Court theatres, and
                 cafeteria facilities were shared.  The second  then proceeded to each field. The second field  the Starline Drive-in, in the suburb of Kawana
                 field  added  another  400  cars  to  the  total  opened withThe Cowboys (a John Wayne film).  (also known as the Kawana Drive-in).
                 capacity that was then about 800 cars. This was
                 the first twin drive in built in Queensland, and  The early 1970s saw the release of “R” rated  As part of the rationalisation of BCC facilities
                 indeed in regional Australia.  It is likely that a  adult  movies  on  the  commercial  circuits.  in Rockhampton, the Earls Court theatre was
                 major reason for BCC’s twinning of the drive  Drive-in  theatre  managements  took  to  these  closed  on  9  September  1972  for  conversion
                 in  was  to  give  the  company  an  additional  films  as  a  means  to  build  the  business  with  into a state of the art twin cinema. That theatre
                 screen in the city prior to the rationalisation of  young people.  Unfortunately, these same films  being of long rectangular shape, with a single
                 its two city hard-tops.             were to contribute to the demise of the drive-in  raked  auditorium,  was  more  suitable  for
                                                     theatres  by  driving  family  audiences  away.  twinning  than  the  traditional  Wintergarden
                 New Cinemeccanica 35/70 mm water cooled  With the Starline Twin situated in a housing  “lyric style” theatre, with its extensive stage
                 projectors were installed in both theatres and  area,  the  “R”  rated  films  caused  much  facilities, balcony and upstairs foyer spaces.

                                                                                                     The  inside  of  the  former
                                                                   The rebuilt Earls Court as the City Cinema Centre  Earls Court was gutted and
                                                                                                     totally  rebuilt.    The  rake  of
                                                                                                     the   auditorium   was
                                                                                                     reconstructed to provide for
                                                                                                     two  parallel  cinemas.  The
                                                                                                     entrance  foyer  containing
                                                                                                     ticket  box,  a  large  candy
                                                                                                     counter  and  access  (to  the
                                                                                                     right)  to  new  toilets.    The
                                                                                                     entrance foyer was located at
                                                                                                     the  top  of  14  steps.    This
                                                                                                     unusual  entry  arrangement
                                                                                                     was designed to allow for the
                                                                                                     construction  of  a  sub-
                                                                                                     basement   to   house
                                                                                                     refrigeration  and  storage
                                                                                                     facilities.  The building was
                                                                                                     extended over the land to the
                                                                                                     right hand side of the original
                                                                                                     building.    This  extension
                                                                                                     accommodated  new  toilets
                                                                                                     for patrons, staff facilities and
                                                                                                     a  machinery  room  to  house
                                                                                                     the stand-by power generator
                                                                                                     and air conditioning plant.


                 10    CINEMARECORD  # 83
   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15