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The OrpheumOrpheum foyer The OrpheumOrpheum main auditorium
OrpheumOrpheum
OrpheumOrpheum

Hayden Orpheum Picture PalaceHayden Orpheum Picture Palace
The Hayden Orpheum Picture PalaceHayden Orpheum Picture Palace exterior
was proposed for it by the purchasers – conver-
sion to shops and a pinball parlour. Subse-
quently it was leased to Phil McGee and, after
HaydenHayden
RexRex
some refurbishment, it reopened as a cinema in The HaydenHayden The RexRex
September 1980. In 1982 it was here that Ian
Hanson (our visit guide) organised the inaugural
meeting of the Australian Theatre Historical
Society. In 1984, faced with rent increases, Phil
McGee had to regretfully give up the cinema
and, despite protests, the stage house was
converted into offices and the stalls became a
shopping arcade. Salvation came in December
1986 when the building was purchased by Mike
Walsh OBE, a well-known personality on Austra-
lian TV. After A$2.5 million of restoration and The WalshWalsh The ArcadiaArcadia
WalshWalsh
ArcadiaArcadia
improvement, the Hayden Orpheum Picture Hayden Orpheum Picture
Hayden Orpheum Picture Hayden Orpheum Picture
Or PalacePalace Above – some of the screens at the OrpheumOrpheum
Orpheumpheum foyer
OrpheumOrpheum
Palace
Palace reopened on 7 December 1987 with
OrpheumOrpheum
decoration
755 seats. Included in the improvements was
the 3-manual, 12-rank Wurlitzer organ, with lift and revolve, from the Finally coaxed away from the OrpheumOrpheum, we got back on the bus for
OrpheumOrpheum
Wilson Theatreilson Theatre, Fresno, California. Since then, five more screens
Wilson TheatreWilson Theatre
W the short trip to the Greater Union Mosman 2Greater Union Mosman 2, a purpose-built but
Greater Union Mosman 2Greater Union Mosman 2
have been added to the right of the original building and the original unremarkable two-screen cinema centre opened in 1987. Following
Art Deco foyer recreated. a brief look inside the building, which was now open for business, we
OrpheumOrpheum
Arriving outside the OrpheumOrpheum, we were boarded the bus again for the journey further round the North shore-
greeted by an attractive Art Deco front- line to Manly for a lunch break. The main street of Manly, The Corso,
age with plenty of neon signage; later we runs across the spit of land joining North Head to the mainland and
were to find out that this was not pres- so has beaches at both ends. The Pacific Ocean side was busy with
ently working. We then entered a stun- surfers despite the poor weather. A number of sites of old cinemas
Manly Twin CinemasManly Twin Cinemas
ning Art Deco foyer and equally amazing were seen and also the exterior of the modern Manly Twin CinemasManly Twin Cinemas,
main auditorium, where we were seated although they were not yet open for business.
and entertained with a short organ dem- Having rounded everyone up from their break, we boarded the bus
onstration by Neil Jensen, the resident again and headed back through North Sydney, back across the
organist. The cinema had everything bridge and through Central Sydney to the South West area of the city
that you could ask for – Art Deco atmos- known as Glebe. Here we were lucky to be able to visit and look in-
pheric lighting and ceiling motifs, pro- side the Astor CinemaAstor Cinema. More recently called the ValhallaValhalla, the cinema
ValhallaValhalla
Astor CinemaAstor Cinema
scenium with cove lighting, burgundy had just been closed and the building was to be auctioned. The cin-
velvet house curtain, golden ‘Nordic A Nordic Nude ema had originally had stalls and balcony but had been divided into
Nude’ statues in niches in the splay two screens, one using the whole of the stalls and with a new screen
walls… not to mention a huge modern screen and state of the art at the front edge of the walled-in balcony providing the second audi-
projection facilities. We were finally dragged away from this gem to torium upstairs. Many Art Deco decorations and fittings remained
view the other smaller screens to find equal care and attention to intact but will they survive the building’s likely conversion to offices?
detail had been lavished on them too. Varying in size between 127
and 307 seats, the total capacity of the complex is actually now 2
more than when the cinema originally opened!

Valhalla Valhalla
Valhalla lhalla detail
GUGU
GU
GU Mosman Mosman – an auditorium
GU MosmanMosman GU MosmanGU Mosman The Astor/Valhalla Astor/Valhalla Glebe Va
Astor/Valhalla Astor/Valhalla
GU MosmanMosman exterior
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