Page 22 - CR

LAUNCEST O N

Celebrates 100 Years

osting close to £15,000 the 1800-seat Princess Theatre in Brisbane
C Street, Launceston was designed by and built for Mr. Marino Lucas, a
Greek-born, vaudeville entertainer and budding film and cinema entrepreneur
from Hobart.
Launceston company, J & T
Gunn were the contractors for the
building, decoration and electric
lighting, whilst the pressed-metal
ceilings and large central dome
were provided by the renowned
Wunderlich company.
The Princess opened on
Wednesday 30th of August, 1911
with a silent movie due to the large
stage area not having been yet
completed. The popularity of film
proved so strong that the theatre
continued to operate as a full-time
cinema for nearly 60 years.
In 1916 Lucas sold the Princess
and a year later opened his
Majestic Theatre further down the
same street. New owners of the
Princess leased the theatre to
Spencers Pictures until 1921 when
Union Theatres took over its
operation until it was sold again in
1939 to Hoyts who undertook
modernization of the façade and
foyer areas in the popular Art Deco
style. Apart from some lighting
fixtures and a general
refurbishment, the auditorium
retained its 1911 style and décor
and an official re-opening ceremony
was held in January 1940.
The installation of CinemaScope
and four-track magnetic stereo
sound for the release of The Robe
took place in 1954 with a thorough
paint and revamp to boot. However,
the Princess’s days were numbered
by the start of television and Hoyts
closed the theatre on February 21,
1970.
At this time the Launceston
council was keen to purchase the
Princess as the extremely limited
stage of their nearby National
Theatre was proving to be a
problem.

22 2011 CINEMARECORD