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CINEMARECORD

           The hal l provided  an  entertainment  magnet  for  the early  isolated   public halls of the east ... at Boronia or East Burwood. Croydon
           settlers  at  the  Kalorama end  of the  Dandenong  Ranges  that rise   or Doncaster or Templestowe.
           directly above Montrose. In  its earlier years, films alternated with   Other halls still stand. beyond the then fringes of the suburbs (and
           a variety of live entertainments.
                                                                  beyond  the scope of this  history):  such as  the  Olinda Hall  (the
           By the  beginning of the  1960s regular  film  screenings  were still   first  home  of the  Melbourne  Film  Festival  in  1952).  the
           surviving the impact of television  under the exhibitor Brian   Athenaeum Theatre at Lilydale and the  like. All are reminders of
           Dodge,  bu t evenLUally even  the Saturday  night  film  show   a  long-vanished  time  when  cinema-going was a  more  primitive
           succumbed as it did  in so many small  venues in  the outer-east of   and uncomfortable but definitely a  more colourful experience on
           Melbourne around about the mid 1960s.                  the expanding fringes of the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
           Independents in the Outer-East                         References:
                                                                  Blackburn: A Picturesque History, by Robin DaCosta
           All  these small public hall cinemas of the outer-eastern suburbs of
           Melbourne were in  the hands of independem exhibitors. They all   Box Hill: Ofticial History. by Andrew Lemon
           shared  the problem  of obtaining  films  that the independent   Box Hill Reporter
           experienced in  the face of competition from the major circuits like   Cinema And Theatre Historical Society Victoria
           Hoyts or  Greater Union.  This meant,  inevitably, standing well   History of Croydon. by Muriel Givem
           down  in  the  ·pecking  line'  to get a  chance  at the more  popular
                                                                  History ofNunawading, by Niall Bre1man
           box  office successes and often having  to  be content with  the
                                                                  Nunawading Historical Society
           failures  or 'also-rans·  when  finding  product  to  program  in  their
                                                                  Motion Picture Directory (Film Weekly)
           halls (or popuhtr successes only when they'd passed their 'use-by'
           dates at other more  favoured cinemas). Operating as  they  did  in   Nunawading Gazette
           tiny  halls  with  modest-sized audiences,  one way  of coping  with   Retumed Services League
           the problem of diminishing returns  was  for the same  licensee to   Ringwood: Place of Many Eagles. by Hugh Anderson
           operate several  venues.  For example.  the Box Hill  cinemas.  the   Ringwood: Short Notes on its Development 1857-1963
           Regent and  Rialto,  had interests  in  the  Ringwood Town  Hall   Templestowe: A Folk History, by  Hazel Poulter
           Cinema.  Or the same exh ibitor might  work ou t  of several
                                                                  Windows on Nunawading. by Diane Sydenham
           locations:  Roy Fam1er is  recorded  as  being the exhibitor at both
           the Electra in  Boronia and  the Loyalty in Upper Ferntree Gully in   Special thanks to  all  who  helped with  this histo1y, in  particular
                                                                  Eric Yeomans and Marlin Powell.
           around  196 I -62.  The  more sites an  exhibitor had.  the  more  he
           could  keep out any competitor and.  presumably.  the  more
           bargaining  power he may  have had  with  the  film  exchanges.
           George Kirby and Kirby TheatTes could not be considered a major   THE  ORIGINAL-PATENTED .
           circuit, yet operated a  number of venues  besides  the  Ringwood    OLDEST  and  BEST
           Town  Hall  Cinema:  other  locations  included Sorrento,  Highett,   PROT'EcntD tiY U.S. PA16NT N .. l.l71.n)
           Altona, Sunshine. Maidstone and Bacchus Marsh.
           Another aspect of co-operation between the independents was the
           sharing of programs. with exhibitors switching programs between           BROADCAST
           adjacent cinemas:  once again,  like  Box Hill  with  the  Ringwood    your  SCREEN  ADS  and
           Cinema, for example.                                                    ANNOUNCEMENTS
                                                                                         on
           While some halls maintained pem1anemly set up projection plant.
           other  independents  made use  of portable equipment  and ,           RADIO· MATS
           according to  fonner exhibitor Eric  Yeomans, quite an amount of        Accept  no  Substitute
           16mm  substandard  projection  gear was  used,  as at  the Croydon
           Hall  Cinema and  rhe  Mitcham  Memorial  Hall  alongside standard
           35mm  plant.  Others had  to  be  content merely  with  16mm gear
           alone,  in  which  case the particular exh ibitor  might  well  be        TYPe  DallY  for:
           severely  restricted  in  the  range  and  sources  of films  for   t'-'1\tbnon' Aanotmc·vn.n.at   Bccdi:u and Ounty J•c:rfomu.llCt'-'
                                                                         Loc:al  Newt and SocUJ  Caltnd~r   Chu<dw-Schoob-Y. M. C. A.'•
           programming.                                                  l..l' c  lndiYidwtl  Ad"uWin~t   8ht or Humor--Pru.t r~nara.ph.
                                                                         !»pcci.al  S.lu-Priu  Contt~U   Agluing  Unrwir  LtgWadon
           The Demise of the Public Hall                                 C.t<h  Una and  D1ily Talb   Popular Sona Cbonucs ~nd Jok•
                                                                         5<r«n "'BBrt,._, .. or  BCt.  Evtnu   Sporu..  El«tion  Rcw.ms.  Et<
           Cinema
           As cinemas. the old  public halls of the outer-eastern  suburbs have   - Advertisement -
           gone. Some still survive as multi-purpose meeting halls and social
                                                                                      hard to eet
           venues  for  their  local communities but  regular film  shows are
                                                                             COLLECTABLE VIDEOS!
           now only  to  be  found  in  the  ubiquitous  mu ltiplexes  like  Knox,
                                                                             ·Large 188 page catalogue w•th
           Forest Hill  and  the  like,  or in  the smaller multiple cinemas at
                                                                              9 5 categories of videos to buy
           Boronia, Croydon and Belgrave. You have to go well  beyond the
                                                                             • Exclustve! Bi-Monthly Newsletter
           suburbs  to  find  relics  like the  Healesville  Public  Hall  cinema  or
                                                                             • Discounts! - valuable spectal offers
           Warburton's Civic Theatre.  While  the  cinema chains  are        · Mention thts advert for a free Kift!
           contemplati ng  further  multi  or megaplexes  at  Box  Hill  and       WRITE FOR DETAILS
           Ringwood (and doubtless elsewhere) one can still  imagine that
                                                                               MOVIE BOULEVARD
           the ghosts of old projectionists and the sound and smell  of ancient      P.O BOX lt30
           projectors  whirring  away must  still  haunt the few  remaining     ST KILDA SOUTH, VIC, 3182
                                                                                   (Enclose 2 x 4 5• sL•""P•)
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