Page 3 - CinemaRecord #80

ŚĞ ĐŝŶĞŵĂ ŚŝƐƚŽƌLJ ĐŽŶƟŶƵĞƐ ƵŶĂďĂƚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚŝƐ ĮŶĂů ŝƐƐƵĞ ŽĨ
T ŝŶĞŵĂZĞĐŽƌĚ ĨŽƌ ϮϬϭϯ͘ / ĚŽ ƐŝŶĐĞƌĞůLJ ƚŚĂŶŬ ĞǀĞƌLJŽŶĞ ǁŚŽ
ŚĂƐ ĐŽŶƚƌŝďƵƚĞĚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŶƟŶƵĞĚ ƐƵĐĐĞƐƐ ŽĨ ŽƵƌ ƋƵĂƌƚĞƌůLJ ũŽƵƌŶĂů
ʹ ŶŽƚ ũƵƐƚ ŽƵƌ ǁŽŶĚĞƌĨƵů ǁƌŝƚĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ƉŚŽƚŽ ĐŽŶƚƌŝďƵƚŽƌƐ͕ ďƵƚ ĂůƐŽ
ƚŚĞ ƉƌŽŽĨͲƌĞĂĚŝŶŐ ƚĞĂŵ͕ ŽƵƌ d,^ ĐŽŵŵŝƩĞĞ͕ ŽĞ DĐ ŽŶĂůĚ
ĨŽƌ ŚĞƌ ĚŝŐŝƚĂů ƌĞͲĨŽƌŵĂƫŶŐ͕ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ŐƌĞĂƚ ƚĞĂŵ Ăƚ ^ŶĂƉ WƌŝŶƟŶŐ
; ŽůůŝŶŐǁŽŽĚͿ ǁŚŽ ŵĂŬĞƐ ƐƵƌĞ ƚŚĞ ĞŶĚ ƌĞƐƵůƚ ĂůǁĂLJƐ ůŽŽŬƐ
ĨĂŶƚĂƐƟĐ͘
DLJ ĨƌŝĞŶĚƐ͕ ĨĂŵŝůLJ ĂŶĚ ǁŽƌŬ ĐŽůůĞĂŐƵĞƐ ĂůƐŽ ĚĞƐĞƌǀĞ ŵLJ ƐŝŶĐĞƌĞ
ƚŚĂŶŬƐ ĨŽƌ ďĞŝŶŐ ƐŽ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƟǀĞ ĂŶĚ ŐƌĂĐŝŽƵƐůLJ ƉƵƫŶŐ ƵƉ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ;ŶĞǀĞƌͲĞŶĚŝŶŐͿ ŵĂĚŶĞƐƐ ŽĨ ŵĞ
ƚƌLJŝŶŐ ƚŽ ƉƵƚ ϰ ĞĚŝƟŽŶƐ ƚŽŐĞƚŚĞƌ ĞĂĐŚ LJĞĂƌ͘
/ƚ ŝƐ ŶŝĐĞ ƚŽ ŬŶŽǁ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ ŽƵƌ ŚƵŵďůĞ ĞīŽƌƚƐ ǁĞ ĂƌĞ ŚĞůƉŝŶŐ ƚŽ ƌĞĐŽƌĚ ƚŚĞ ŚŝƐƚŽƌLJ ŽĨ ŽƵƌ
ĐŝŶĞŵĂƐ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞĂƚƌĞƐ ĨŽƌ ĨƵƚƵƌĞ ŐĞŶĞƌĂƟŽŶƐ ƚŽ ƌĞĂĚ ĂŶĚ ŵĂƌǀĞů ĂďŽƵƚ͊
DŽƌĞ ƌĞĐĞŶƚůLJ͕ ůŝŬĞ ŵĂŶLJ ŽƚŚĞƌ d,^ ŵĞŵďĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ŝŶĚƵƐƚƌLJ
ĐŽůůĞĂŐƵĞƐ͕ ů ŚĂǀĞ ďĞĞŶ ǀĞƌLJ ƉůĞĂƐĞĚ ƚŽ ĂƐƐŝƐƚ 'ƌĂŚĂŵ EĐEĞŝĐĞ
WƌŽĚƵĐƟŽŶƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŵĂŬŝŶŐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŶĞǁ ĚŽĐƵŵĞŶƚĂƌLJ ƐĞƌŝĞƐ ͞^ĂƚƵƌĚĂLJ
EŝŐŚƚ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ DŽǀŝĞƐ͘͟
'ƌĂŚĂŵ ĂŶĚ ŚŝƐ ĐƌĞǁ ŚĂǀĞ ƚƌĂǀĞƌƐĞĚ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŶƟŶĞŶƚ ƚŽ ƉƌŽĚƵĐĞ ƚŚƌĞĞ
ŽŶĞͲŚŽƵƌ ĞƉŝƐŽĚĞƐ ĨŽĐƵƐĞĚ ƐƋƵĂƌĞůLJ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ŚŝƐƚŽƌLJ ŽĨ ƵƐƚƌĂůŝĂŶ
ĐŝŶĞŵĂƐ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞĂƚƌĞƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ŽƵƌ ůŽǀĞ ŽĨ ŐŽŝŶŐ ŽƵƚ ƚŽ ͞ƚŚĞ ƉŝĐƚƵƌĞƐ͘͟
dŚĞ ƐĞƌŝĞƐ ǁŝůů Ăŝƌ ŶĞdžƚ LJĞĂƌ ĂŶĚ ŚŽƉĞĨƵůůLJ ĂůƐŽ ďĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ ŽŶ s ͙
ƐŽŵĞƚŚŝŶŐ ƚŽ ƌĞĂůůLJ ůŽŽŬ ĨŽƌǁĂƌĚ ƚŽ ŝŶ ϮϬϭϰ͊
/ ĚŽ ŚŽƉĞ LJŽƵ ĞŶũŽLJ ƚŚŝƐ ŝƐƐƵĞ ŽĨ ŝŶĞŵĂZĞĐŽƌĚ ĂŶĚ ƚĂŬĞ ƚŚŝƐ
ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚLJ ƚŽ ǁŝƐŚ LJŽƵ ƚŚĞ ^ĞĂƐŽŶƐ 'ƌĞĞƟŶŐƐ͘ / ůŽŽŬ ĨŽƌǁĂƌĚ ƚŽ LJŽƵƌ
ĐŽŵƉĂŶLJ ĂŐĂŝŶ ŝŶ ϮϬϭϰ͘
tĂƌŵĞƐƚ ZĞŐĂƌĚƐ͕
Kevin Adams.
ĚŝƚŽƌ͘

urther to the (CR 79) Newsreel piece about In 1979 the Council had no interest in the
Fthe Dux Theatre in Albert Park (Vic) building as a heritage site and one suggested use
being used for the next television series of The was as a restaurant. Demolition by Whelan the
Block (purchase price $5.85m)… Wrecker was estimated at $20,000.
7KH EXLOGLQJ ZDV FODVVL¿HG DV ³QRQ FRQIRUPLQJ´
The building was at one time owned by The as the area was zoned residential, and this made
National Theatre group and used primarily for LW GLI¿FXOW WR JHW D JRRG SULFH IRU WKH DXFWLRQ
storage of their costumes, props & scenery.
This was during the period (pre 1974) that In July 1967 it was valued at $17,000. We
the National did not have its own home and vacated February 1st 1980.
was renting theatres (primarily the Melbourne
Princess and Palais St.Kilda, and some co- Regards,
productions with the city Tivoli). Robert Taylor.
National Theatre, Melbourne.
The former Dux was sold at auction November
14th 1979 for $66,250.00.
After we sold it the building eventually had a n the article on the Cinemas of Geelong in
VXEVWDQWLDO UHPRGHOOLQJ DV RI¿FHV ZH ZHUH ICinemaRecord 79, on page 38 it is stated
asked to support the new owner’s application in that Reading 8 at Waurn Ponds opened in 2001.
February 1981). This is incorrect, as l was there on the opening
th
night on Thursday 30 March 2000.
I also noted that the Greater Union Russell
Cinemas (Melbourne) have closed. Do you
know if they are opening another cinema
complex in central Melbourne?
Yours Sincerely,
John Barrow
Newtown (VIC).
Thankyou John- it’s unfortunate that one slip of the
¿QJHU ZKHQ W\SLQJ FDQ VR HDVLO\ SXW \RX D \HDU RXW
Sadly there are no plans for a replacement for the
Russell Cinemas. – Editor.

FRONT: Russell Cinemas Melbourne 1989 by David Kilderry. BACK: The 6 Russell
auditoriums. – from Kevin Adams, Dave Wilson, Robert Hirst and Graeme McBain.

CINEMAREC ORD 2013 3