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conversion to a single level cinema, it
          had been repainted, and the gold leaf
          redone. The WurliTzer was in daily use
          until the end, its music broadcast every
          Sunday night.
            The charm of this theatre was its
          balance of detail and restraint. Upon
          entering, the central marble staircase
          was an immediate focal point. The
          marble eagle at the head of the stairs,
          said to have been purchased because it
          resembled the eagle in the Republic
          Pictures logo, was just the right touch
          of Hollywood. The foyers were lavish
          but not overdone, in fact, the same
          could be said of the whole theatre.
            The auditorium was elegant in reds,
          tans and gold. The three Moroccan-
          style windows, softly backlit gave just
          the right ornamentation to complement
          the sweeping arched proscenium, which
          was never altered.
            The chandeliers in the two recessed
          rectangular domes added just the right
          amount of glitter. The large front
          central one had originally graced the
          Regent, Fitzroy. I can’t think of
          anything that needed to be done to
          improve the appearance of this well
          proportioned interior.
            I hold memories of the Regent,
          Adelaide as the most elegant and
          cohesive of this family of theatres, and
          the Regent, Melbourne as the most
          magnificent.
          FURTHER READING.
          A history of each of the capital city
          Regents is to be found in Ross Thorne’s
          Cinemas of Australia via USA.
          The story of the Regent, Melbourne is
          also documented in The Regent Theatre,
          Melbourne’s Palace of Dreams,
          ELM publishing 1994.

















                                             Left: Regent, Ballarat; stage detail in the familiar style. This interior was destroyed by
                                             fire in 1940. Image: BPC
                                             Above: Regent, Adelaide. Refrigerated air conditioning installed in the mid-1930s
                                             justified the slogan, Every seat a cool retreat. The Advertiser 2 Dec. 1932. JTC







                                                                                       CINEMARECORD 2006 19
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