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Each Department had a winter kerosine heaters on which we
representative on the Club committee, warmed up our supper of the new taste
to which I was soon elected. Three treat, chicken noodle soup.
main functions were held each year - a In this way we saved our two
Christmas party for disadvantaged shillings and sixpence tea money for
children, which included a film, and the more important purposes.
Staff Christmas Party on Christmas Eve Paul Terry of Terrytoons offered a
when work ceased at 1pm. What an eye bonus to any international office which
opener for an 18 year-old; I had never could exceed his pre-set quota, and for
seen drinking like it! the first (and I think the only time)
The third event was the annual Fox Australia won the award.
Ball, a glamorous black-tie event, open I later discovered that the Managing
to all who could afford tickets. On my Director pocketed 500 pounds, the
first or second attendance the Managing Sales Manager 100 pounds and the
Director’s wife Madeleine invited me to Branch Manager 50 pounds. Cedric and
dance with her, which I perceived as I, the ones who had done the work,
outstanding democracy at work. were given ten pounds each! But at
Before the age of 20 I was least we were getting many hours of
promoted to Assistant Booker, a overtime each week, and in my case I
position at the heart of distribution. Every theatre had its own Service saved enough to get married.
How rewarding it was to be a film Card, which showed the bookings and Each Thursday morning the shorts
booker - more than a job, it was a the price to be invoiced. Frank’s cards bookers were invited to a screening of
creative discipline. matched his Long Book - more a all the newsreels, plus any new shorts
I believe great film bookers are born Pakapoo Ticket than a financial record - and cartoons. As the booker was in
not made, and many people have whilst the careful Perry never touch personally or by phone with his
elected to stay in that role rather than committed such sins. exhibitor clients, this frequently
accept promotion. Why? Because it After a six weeks apprenticeship - enabled a fast update. In case of an
offers multiple challenges and demands installing Long Book pages and storing emergency at least one booker was
accuracy. Juggling the complexities of these ‘Bibles’ each evening in a fire rostered for work every Saturday
multiple prints, knowledge of time and proof strong room, retrieving them for morning and public holiday.
distance between hundreds of theatres, inspection each morning and learning Newsreels were really a piece of
and switching decisions for nearby the complexities of a service card - I cake. They followed a predetermined
theatres, are tasks which permit no was made Shorts and Newsreel Booker. pattern each week, to the point where I
mistakes. Above all, only film Doesn’t sound too much? Think of had my Long Book pre-printed.
despatched is revenue earned - prints an International and an Australian The challenge of the Australian
are nothing sitting in a vault; they are Newsreel each week, fifty-two shorts a Movietone News came in November at
only alive when projected on a cinema year, twenty-six new Terrytoons Melbourne Cup time. That night
screen. annually plus thirteen episodes of the Movietone and Filmcraft (later
The only job I found more March of Time - and those nine Colorfilm) staff worked all night.
demanding was as Head Office Print hundred theatres to service. And in the
After the negative arrived from
Controller in the first days of days of Saturday matinees, up to two
Melbourne in the late afternoon or early
simultaneous Sydney-Melbourne splash hundred repeat Terrytoons per week,
evening, it was processed immediately,
releases - city and suburbs - with taking care not to repeat one too soon,
and the release prints slowly became
Adelaide and Brisbane a week later and because kids who attended each
available. One year an aircraft was
no more than eighteen prints. Saturday matinee had long memories.
chartered, processing equipment
As an Assistant Booker I benefited No wonder I was given an assistant, installed and the developed negative
from the craftsmanship of two disparate because as I have already pointed out, arrived at the lab for prints to be struck.
but equally talented professionals, in film booking mistakes are not The booker’s task was to allocate
Frank Manning and Perry Erskine. permitted.
prints to the most important theatres in
Frank had flair and took risks to oblige My assistant was Cedric Gurner and
each State for exhibition as soon as
his exhibitor friends, whilst Perry did together we devised a chart for
possible, a job that entailed detailed
everything by the rules. I like to think I organizing the cartoons. Having timed
knowledge of airline schedules, travel
found a reasonable balance between the main feature and support for
time to Sydney airport, and
both philosophies. Saturday’s matinee, the bookers from
coordination of transport. All this to
Frank did the unthinkable and even Hoyts, Greater Union and Snider and bring a great Australian event to the
wrote in his hard-cover Long Book in Dean would phone with the number of maximum number of viewers in the
ink. For anyone else pencil was cartoons required for each theatre. shortest possible time - and beat
mandatory due to the possibilities for The volume was such that we had to Cinesound to the nation’s screens.
last minute changes. The Long Book work back at least one night a week. Needless to say, next day the office
was just that; long pages for each title, This was a period of power shortages mood was one of mental exhaustion.
and a line for each print of that title. and frequent blackouts in Sydney, so
we had standby pressure lamps, and in

CINEMARECORD 2006 11