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Letter to the Editor from 9.5 F all- EastMalvem

I was intrigued to read Roger Seccombe's wonderful and infonnative article "The Cinema At Home" in the May issue of
CinemaRecord. Roger is correct in the facts surrounding the 9.5mm libraries in the 1950's in Melbourne. The last 9.5
library of any significance was on the ground floor of Foy and Gibson's store on the corner of Bourke and Swanston
Streets. The manager of the library was Doug Jones.

However 9.5 was alive and well at Home Cinemas in the Century Building in Swanston Street Melbourne until the end
of 1954. The business was then run by father and son, Bett and Gordon Peters. Home Cinemas was the Australian
distributor for Pathe and Pathescope products in Australia, and Pathescope in North Circular Road, London, re.leased a
catalogue of their library films in 1952, listing 780 silent and sound films.
Home Cinemas in Melbourne did not carry all those titles in their library, but they had a good cross section of them,
ranging from sound features like "Land Without Music", starring famous tenor Richard Tauber and Scbnozzle Dw·ante,
to the Leni Riefenstahl silent mountaineering classics.
Other big name stars on 9.5 sound in Melbourne were Alan Ladd, James Mason and Laurel and Hardy.

Home Cinemas library was so popular that the company employed a lady full time rewinding and checking library films
which had been hired the day before. Not bad for a gauge which was on the way out!

Ultimately the 9.5 gauge died in Australia because it could not match the worldwide publicity machine and resources of
Kodak. But those of us who used it regarded it quality-wise and price-wise by far the best "sub-standard" or "amateur"
gauge available.

Letter To Noel Kerr from. Arthur Knox

I was pleased to read your very interesting literary effort on the Camegie Theatre in CinemaRecord. It brought back a lot
of memories. There wasn't very much I could have added to it- Arthur Dittmar preferred to be called "Les",

My most lasting memory was of the tiny rewind room (corner). In case you may be interested the equipment was Simplex
projectors on R.C.A. sound heads, with a locally made amplifier system.

In my day there the Community Singing once a week was very popular. The local shopkeepers donated vouchers, which
kept the audience coming along. Congratulations on a well researched effort.

THE COOK-ALONG MOVIES AT THE PROM by Noel Kerr

Who remembers the outdoor movie theatre at Wilson's Promontory in Victoria? The vision of watching movies there
came to mind the other day when a trip to Tidal River was suggested.

It must have been in the mid 1950's when I last camped down there with a group of friends. Facilities at the time were
rather primitive, with no direct power to the area. A generator was the only source.

From memory the theatre seats were planks nailed to stumps set in the ground, and the screen was either stretched
material on poles, or white painted timber. Can any readers fill me in? I do remember the area being quite small, with
seating probably for under 100.

The evening we attended was so cold that I went back to our tent to get some blankets and a primus stove, together with
cups, frying pan, eggs etc. etc. We then proceeded to cook eggs and bacon on toas~ and have a nice cup of coffee.

The smell and sound of the primus must have prompted other members of the audience, as a short time later cooking
stoves sta1ted up all over the place. The atmosphere became very friendly, and when the film bad finished a group was
formed for a sing-along until the early hours of the morning. Even the projectionist came over for a cuppa.

I somehow don't think we could do this at the new Multiplex theatres.