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simultaneously from hundreds of throats, as help arrived in the nick of time. This was usually followed by cheers
and stamping feet as our hero wreaked his revenge on the "baddies". A short feature film followed, and then,
after interval, the main film that we had all been waiting for. Matinees and the evening show on Saturdays were
frequently booked out and so an Intermediate session was introduced in between, starting at around four o'clock.

On Saturday nights the theatre was lit up like a beacon, and was the social centre of the district. Hampton Street
was busy as the red bus from Moorabbin and the green bus from Highett disgorged dozens of patrons onto the
footpath outside Straws.

I well remember the day the wreckers moved in and a man with a jack-hammer perched high on the noble facade
one Sunday morning sent bricks and cement tumbling to the footpath below. It seemed to me as though part of
Hampton's soul was being removed, leaving only faded memories of boyhood pals, teenage sweethearts, screen
goddesses and swashbuckling heroes.

Saturday Night At The Movies
The two Picture Theatres - the ROXY at Sand ring ham and the SOUTHERN at Hampton - were major sources
of entertainment for local people for many years.

Between the two cinemas there was a good range of shows available and there were two choices of programme
a week as well. An interesting feature of the advertisement is the mention of "Sandringham City Celebrations".
This appears in the News on Friday, March 23rd, 1923 and shows how quickly the newsreels oft he day recorded
and showed current events, as Sand ring ham was only proclaimed a City of 21st March and the film was to be
shown on Monday 26th.

Technical advances in the city cinemas- Vistavision and Cinemascope and other large screen and extended
sound treatments- proved expensive for suburban theatres, but both the Southern and the Roxy were upgraded
in the early 1950s. Drive-l n Theatres were the next foe to assail the conventional cinema and this caused a loss
of patronage, especially among young people. The coming of television in 1956 caused the death of many
suburban cinemas, and both the Roxy and Southern fell to the demolisher's hammer.

Sandringham

Picture Theatre

TO-NIGHT- SATURDAY and Saturday MATINEE at 2.30
- - ··--- -- - - --- - ----- - - - - -
GAUMONT GRAPHIC LOSE NO TIME
LIFE IN LONDON 1 Pal be Comedy)
LOVE NEVER DIES THE SHEIK
SCENIC
MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY

BLOOD AND
Burton Holmea' Travelogue
A TRIP TO PARAMOUNT
TOWN

CROWNING 1"0RCHY SAND
American Gazette RUDOLPH \' ALE!"TINO
SANDRINGHAM CITY CELEBRATIONS

Come and See Who Wn~ There
THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY
------
GAUMONT GRAPHIC I 'F YOU BEUEVE IT, IT'S so
LATE LODGE~S Comedy A Paramount Picture
THE SHEIKS WIFE Featuring THOS. MEIGAK

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