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Your Sydney’s Regent cost 250,000 pounds, while
Letters (continued) Melbourne’s was 360,000! Union responded
with the Capitol (Sydney), State (Sydney
& Melbourne), Ambassadors Perth and the
total reconstruction of the Brisbane Tivoli.
egarding the question over use of the
RMemorial Hall at Canterbury (Vic) Arguably Doyle’s State Theatres outclassed the
as a cinema (“Almost a Theatre” CR-74), Regents in scale and he spent over one million
Ross King has unearthed some interesting pounds on cinema construction in the two years
information from the old Argus Newspaper. from 1927. By 1921 Union Theatres controlled
80% of the Sydney cinemas.
Burgoyne and Casey was an accounting firm
which also had connections with film shows in Frank Thring Snr. On 1 September 1930 Fox Film Corporation
Dandenong, Mentone, Chelsea and Essendon.In purchased a controlling interest in Hoyts
June 1925, they are reported to have signed with Theatres. Amongst those who sold to Fox was
the hall trustees to show films on Wednesday n his article on the Regent Theatre in Frank Thring who also resigned as Managing
and Saturday nights. The trustees retained the IThornbury (Vic), Ian Smith describes it Director. He had decided to become an
right to vet every film prior to screening, in as the sole survivor of Thring’s surburban independent producer and Fox had promised
keeping with the solemn purpose of the hall. dream. I beg to differ – while not renamed to distribute and exhibit his films.
as a “Regent”, The Victory in St.Kilda
Their picture enterprises seemed to have was certainly part of Thring’s dream He established Efftee Films in September 1930
been fairly short-lived as the partnership and certainly remodelled seriously by and leased the partly burnt Her Majesty’s in
was dissolved in much acrimony following architect, Cedric Ballantyne. Melbourne as a Studio. He collaborated with C
a court case in 1935. J Dennis in 1932 to make the “talkie” version
of The Sentimental Bloke (generally considered
Frank Thring Snr was intimately involved in
Whether the Canterbury arrangement even the early Australian cinema business, both in inferior to Raymond Longford’s silent version in
lasted two years is still to be determined. terms of making films and building the actual 1919) which was released by Universal Pictures.
cinemas. He entered the industry in 1910 and
Ian Smith, moved from being a projectionist to part- Thring also purchased a dance hall in St.Kilda in
CATHS Research Team. 1933 (cnr Alfred Square & Upper Esplanade –
owner of Electric Theatres which owned, formerly the site of an “open air” cinema) to use
amongst others, the Victory in St. Kilda. as a studio – in fact it became Australia’s largest
at the time. After the Studio closed it stayed open
In 1918 he became Managing Director of J C as the St.Moritz Ice Rink and Frank Thring Jnr.
Williamson Films (distribution company) and held the site until 1955.
in 1926 his interests merged with Hoyts to
form Hoyt’s Theatres. Thring now controlled From 1933 Thring extended his activities into
Australia’s second largest film exhibition radio and live theatre. Getting his films released
chain, rivalled only by Union Theatres. outside of Victoria was always difficult due to
the American control of the industry in all other
Union launched a massive modernisation states. He then became very involved in the
of all their sites in 1921 under Stuart quota disputes of the 1930s. Ironically NSW
Doyle and Thring responded from 1923 introduced quotas before Victoria, and Thring
with a string of new Regent Theatres was in the process of moving Eftee to Sydney
and upgrades of existing theatres such when he died aged 53 in 1936.
as St Kilda’s Victory ( reopened 1928 Robert Taylor.
after being “Regentised” at a cost of National Theatre,
40,000 pounds). St.Kilda.Vic.

NEWSREEL THEATRE NEWS
CINEMA AND

ACT:

WATSON: As the sole survivor of the 1957 BUNBURY: Bunbury Council are interested
Starlight Drive-In Theatre, the significance in purchasing the heritage-listed former Lyric
of the original neon entrance sign has been Theatre for use as a museum. Currently in
recognised for Heritage significance and use as a furniture store, the property is on the
possible listing. Closed in 1993, the sign market for $1.7 million.
remains in situ despite the site having been
redeveloped for housing in 2003.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA:
PERTH: Replaced by the new State
Theatre, the (1956) Playhouse Theatre
was recently demolished.

CINEM AREC ORD 2012 5