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The thirties make-over brought the trend to ‘streamlined’ surfaces to the Eclipse.

The night I was there for Show that the Port had the better films, due
Business, audience reaction to Johnny to their Paramount and Metro Encore, Encore
Ray’s song ‘If You Believe’ was so connections. Charles said that the
An early example of a reward for
enthusiastic, the manager, Mr Rayment Eclipse showed anything they could get
enthusiasm, was reported in Film
came on stage at the end of the film their hands on in his youth.
Weekly in 1930.
and said that for those who wanted to As lolly-boy at the Port, Charles
see it again, the projectionist was still had to pay his 7d to get in, despite The Merri North Fitzroy screened
prepared to replay it.” (See - Encore, missing part of the show. What was a Mickey Mouse cartoon to such
Encore.) worse, he had two friends, one who applause that a slide was shown
informing the audience that the picture
Kay’s father recalled how his worked at the Park Albert Park, the
would be re-screened at the end of the
ushering duties came to an end after a other at the Eclipse, and they got in for
show. Everyone stayed to watch it
fall-out with the manager. “It was a nothing. Smarting one day at the
poor night. We only had two adults injustice of paying full price to see two again.
lined up, and when the manager came thirds of the show, he took his case to This was the Depression of
in for a head count, he found ten kids the owner, Councillor Alec Rogers course, and with the tonic of laughter
and two adults. He asked me why 12 whose terse reply was, “Well, this ain’t in their possession, theatre managers
people were there when only the two the Eclipse!” were pleased to give out a big dose.
adults had paid for tickets? I told him it The late Reg. Oldham had projected Twenty-five years later, Hoyts policy
was better to have ten non-paying kids, at the three Port theatres, before he had ruled out spontaneity, but it could
than to only have two adults in the settled in as projectionist at the still break out. At the Eclipse, an
theatre. He didn’t like that and started Ivanhoe, (which opened the same night astute Mr Rayment knew his audience.
to tick me off. I told him to keep his as the Eclipse.) Reg’s view may have Johnnie Ray, The ‘Prince of Wails’,
job and walked off.” been coloured by the comparison with
was the most successful of the
Arthur never saw any fights or Ivanhoe, but he remembered all the
entertainers Lee Gordon brought to
drunks. One evening he walked into the Port theatres as having “primitive
Australia for his Big Shows. Ray was
Eclipse and smelled smoke. He conditions” in their bio boxes, which he
at the peak of his popularity when his
immediately went to the manager and considered to be fire-traps. He
screen appearance came to the
asked him to check any electric motors. conceded that the Eclipse may have
Eclipse.
The one that worked the curtains had been the safest of the three.
seized up and was starting to burn. Arthur Knox has more positive Manager Rayment’s announcement
Arthur thought this incident was the memories of the projection facilities at from the stage, “For those who would
most exciting thing that happened while the Eclipse in the early thirties, where like stay to see the Johnnie Ray song
he worked there. he was often the relieving projectionist. again, there will be a tin in the foyer
Charles Hall who was once the He remembers the Simplex projectors for you to put in a silver coin for the
lolly-boy at the rival Port theatre, and Western Electric sound, in what he projectionist,” lifts this night at the
agreed that the Eclipse was the best of regarded as a good size projection Eclipse into a class of its own.
the local theatres, but he also thought room.

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