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Cl N EMARECORD

the all-purpose public halls that inevitably came to represent like the present day Hea lesvi lle Cinema). To the north of
civilization in each small settlement. Whether Community Hall, Ringwood. on the Yarra River, was Warrandyre with an
Progress Hall, PubJjc HaJJ or Memorial Hall these ubiquitous occasional cinema in the Mechanics Institute.
timber and fibro structures served their fledgling communities as
A small Public Hall ran films intermittently at Ringwood East
a venue for everything from dances and political ra!Jies to
while, to the south, there was the Bayswater Public HaU and, in
meetings of the Country Womens Association or the Returned
Boronia, the Progress Hall was the frrst cinema. Upper Pemtree
Servicemens League. Even where there was precious little in the
Gully had the Loyalty. a more substantial cinema (now home to
way of population (like East Burwood or Montrose) there would
the 18 12 Theatre Company).
still be a hall to serve the local community.
Croydon too had a more imposing hall tl1at ran films right up to
Architectural refinements were rarely a consideration in the the 1970s before the coming of the Croydon Twin Cinemas.
design of public halls like these. A rectangular box-shaped
building of weatherboard and plaster, iron-roofed. usually with a Beyond these eastern fringes of suburbia you would, at various
stage to encourage local thespians or to serve as a platform for times, have encountered country cinemas, ranging from
local dignitaries or aspi.ring political movers and shakers. Healesville and Warburton to Montrose, the Basin, Olinda,
Upwey, the Cameo at Belgrave and Lilydale's Athenaeum
If the movies were rated high on the list of priorities a separate Theatre. AU tl1e latter halls still stand, save Upwey's, which bas
projection box might be provided, accessed by an internal stair been engulfed by commercial development. After this quick
from the foyer or by an extemal ladder or stairway (especially if Cook's Tour of cinemas let's return to our starting point beyond
film shows had been an after-thought in the construction of the Box Hill.
hall). Tn fact, where films had come later (or were seen as having
a low priority) the projection box might be no more than a The Regal, Blackburn
structure on sti lts inside at the rear of the hall or a box appended
to the outside wall on struts! The screen could either be a white- This is one of the now-vanished ones. It was essentially a small
painted wall at the back of rhe stage or a roll-down type screen
flown from above the stage.
Decorative touches were rare or non-existent, apatt from, perhaps,
a portrait of the ruling monarch and a Union Jack gracing one
wall. Seating was of the removable kind: often rows of fold-up
wooden seats on battens that could be pushed against the side
walls when the regular dance occurred. Wooden floors. bare walls
and ceiling, the only touch of glamour the stage curtains. most
often in traditional maroon colour.
Acoustics were generally appalling, especially for fthn shows as I
can personally testify after attempting to screen films in a number
of the halls and obtain acceptable sound quality! But what did
and basic timber ball rhat stOod on the southern side of the
these early movie audiences care, anyway? Movies were too big a
railway crossing on the comer of Blackburn and Central Roads.
drawcard to worry about a trifle like quality sound? Earlier. if it
Today, the Blackburn Library occupies the site. It still surprises
had been a silent film show, the only accompaniment would
that such a primitive 35mm hall as the Regal (originally merely
probably have been an out-of-key piano!
known as the Public Hall) was still operating in 1965.
The Halls of the Outer East My last visit had been in February of 1965 to see a double of The
Let"s rake an imaginary visic to those cinemas or halls that were Ladyki l lers with Denver and Rio Grande. The Regal was
still showing films around about 1950. demolished the same year.
Although the Blackburn Hall (as it was generally known) was
Moving east from the relative civilization of Box Hill with its two
bare and basic, its projection standards were high. Jt seated 200.
conventional cinemas, the Regent and the Rialto, the first
ln its heyday it had been operated by R.H. Toll who also operated
settlement you reached was Blackburn.
a mini cinema in Blackburn known as The Preview which seated
Here you were back to the most basic of public halls for the Regal 14. The precise location of this mini cinema I have not been able
(as it was named in later years). While to the south of Blackburn ro establish (unless it was an ame-room in the Blackburn Hall!).
you reached the region of East Bm·wood. with its East Burwood
The Blackburn Hall was built in 1888 but wasn't opened as a
Public Hall. Further south again was Glen Waverley with a
picrure theatre until 1929. As the then local newspaper. The Bo>-.
Public Hall for cinema.
Hill Reporter, reported in February of 1929:
To the north of Blackburn. the Athenaeum served the Doncaster
·Blackburn is to make another step forward in her march of
area and a Memorial Hall was Tcmplestowe"s venue. Travelling
progress on Wednesday - as on that date motion pictures will be
further east along Whitehoa·se Road the next port of call was
shown in the Blackburn Hall. and on every Wednesday and
Tunstall (now Nunawading) with a small Public Hall cinema
certain Saturdays hereafter. A special programme has been
alongside the railway crossing on Springvale Road.
arranged for the opening night. featuring Jack Holt and Dorothy
A couple of kilometres funher out along Whitehorse Road was Revier in the ""Tigress'" and a Warner special '"A Race for Life"'
Mitcham. The Memorial Hall was a bare and basic hall taned up featuring Rin-Tin-Tin. the wonder dog of the screen. A special
with marble pillars each side of the entrance .. Beyond Mitcham. anraction will be the showing of a film taken at Lhe recent
nothing until Ringwood. Here the cinema occupied a hall attached Blackburn Carnival and parems will also be interested in a film
to the municipal offices: the Town Hall cinema. At least this taken of the local school children at work and play. Prices of
substantial building gave movie-going a little more class (rather admission will be one shilling [ten cents] and one and sixpence
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