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exits to clear the premises in three minutes, women to distinguish themselves as a
concave rows of seats to give each person the landscape artist. She was a friend of the
(5)
best possible view of the screen, four aisles Burley Griffins and, on their recommendation,
rather than seats butted against the walls, and painted the murals in the Cafe Australia,
a so-called Typhoon ventilation system ‘which Collins Street. The images for the theatre were
floods the auditorium with pure air without her last public work. Months later she threw
(4)
creating a draught’ . According to publicity, herself from a train as it approached Flinders
the Typhoon system was installed in the Street Station (6) .
world’s two most celebrated picture theatres –
the Rivoli and Rialto in New York.
The novel feature of the balcony foyer was its
The original entrance foyer was patterned with view into the stalls, (an idea also used at the
miniature mosaic tiles, with an art-tile dado. Victory St Kilda). These windows gave a
The staircase to the dress circle foyer was pleasing visual continuity, even if the sound
described as white Sicilian marble on which flooding the foyer was a more questionable
was set ‘dainty flowerboxes, with Iceland side-effect. The idea was later refined for
(4)
poppies and other flowers’ . The several Regent theatres.
ladies’ rest room included a
telephone, and gentlemen The auditorium was wide; 34 metres at the
had a smoking rear of the balcony, tapering to 19 metres at
room. the stage. It included a return to the
tradition of stage boxes which, in this
instance, were oversized relative to the
stage opening. With the boxes and the The Mayor of Malvern congratulated
stage as almost equal elements, the effect Mr Turner for giving the residents a theatre
worthy of the city. Turner replied that the
was a panorama of shape and colour, yet it
‘The people of Malvern had been good to him, and
robbed the proscenium of its natural role as the
Lounge in its he wanted to be good to them. He then handed
general equipment, centre of attention. Here was a style ripe for the Mayor a cheque for £50 (that’s $4,000 in
artistic effect and perfection by other minds in other theatres. today’s money), as a contribution towards the
restfulness surpasses that of any Blind Institute Appeal.
picture theatre in Australia,’ gushed The written account of opening night, in the
Table Talk. The colour scheme – black and presence of the Governor of Victoria and Lady The New Malvern was claimed to be on
gold - sounds surprisingly modern: gold Stradbroke, suggests a fine spectacle. A fan- American lines entirely new to Australia and
upholstered settees ‘into which one sinks with fare from two costumed trumpeters introduced the dress circle the largest in Australia. It was
a feeling of delicious ease’ were set on ‘a very a stage prologue The Spirit of the Movies. true that the balcony seating, in proportion to
fine gold and black Axminster carpet.’ The Another fan-fare closed the scene and the the total, was as large as any cinema of the day;
usherettes wore black and white. (4) 18-piece orchestra struck-up, the audience 45 percent of the total. Although the total of
captivated by the novelty of swirls of light
1,675 seats was later reduced, the New
The circle foyer was decorated with paintings from the electric-tipped baton of the Malvern remained Hoyts seventh largest
(4)
by Bertha Merfield, one of the first Australian conductor . suburban outlet.
A Hoyts image taken before fitting a small CinemaScope screen within the proscenium. C. 1953

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