They're all gone...

but some country and suburban historic picture palaces survive

In 1957 there were 660 theatres and cinemas in NSW, some dating back a hundred years. Now only about twenty historically significant cinemas survive.

The National Trust seeks your support in saving these cinemas.

The Cremorne Orpheum and the Randwick Ritz are two Sydney suburban picture palaces which have survived with relatively intact main auditoriums. The addition of more cinemas has increased their viability.

But in smaller country towns it is not possible to commit the considerable expenditure necessary to add additional screens.

Theatres such as the Mudgee Regent, Scone Civic and Grafton Saraton with their large seating capacity and single screens are best suited to showing movies in the traditional style - short seasons of a week or two so as not to run out of audience.

With a 900 seat theatre in a town of six to twelve thousand people it would be pointless showing the same movie six sessions a day for four to six weeks. This formula only works in the smaller one hundred seat theatres in suburban multiplexes.

SO WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?

The problem for the small country town historic cinema operator is that the major film distribution companies often require the same screening policies as applied to the multiplex cinemas and may require first release hire rates long after a movie's first release.

WHY CONSERVE HISTORIC PICTURE PALACES?

Communities have a sense of place which makes them unique and distinctive. A combination of the landscape and building stock generally produce this sense of place.

Buildings of landmark quality such as post offices, churches, schools and picture palaces are often vital components which attract tourism and promote community pride.

Multiplex cinema developments in recent years tend to be anonymously hidden within shopping malls which are sited away from main streets and often lead to the decline of a town's main street and its small businesses.

Many of the picture palaces also provide an important live theatre venue for major shows touring Australia or local school use.

Importantly they provide a vastly different experience to the smaller multiplex theatre(tte). While giant screens and the latest digital sound are an attraction these can be accommodated in the historic theatres. Village Theatres Albury Regent is a fine example of an historic auditorium upgraded to the latest technology.

But the experience of a large auditorium of 900 people reacting to a movie cannot be replicated in a small 100 seat theatre.

Picture palaces are valued by the community for their social significance as the place where families were entertained over generations.

It is still important for families to provide local entertainment rather than have teenagers and young adults travelling to other towns to see movies.

Cinemas are usually fine examples of architectural styles particularly art moderne and other less common styles such as Spanish Mission.

Some of the picture palaces still utilise and conserve rare technologies such as carbon arc projectors which have been almost totally taken over by the newer xenon bulb projectors.

Three hundred historic cinemas are being conserved in the USA. It should be possible to conserve and continue operating two dozen in Australia.

HISTORIC NSW CINEMAS

1890/91 Victoria Theatre, Perkins Street,               Newcastle (not operating)

1903 Newcastle Mission Theatre
        (now live theatre)

1905 Australian Hall, Elizabeth St

1914 Dungog Theatre, Brown St.

1915 Newcastle Lyrique Theatre,
        Wolfe Street.

1920 Enmore Theatre, Enmore Rd
        (now a live theatre)

1926 Grafton Saraton, Prince St.

1926 Narooma Soldier's Memorial
        School of Arts, Campbell St

1927 Albury Regent, Dean St.

1928 Sydney Capitol, Campbell St

1929 Sydney State, Market St

1929 Tumut Montreal Theatre

1929 Newcastle Civic
        (now a live theatre)

1930 Leeton Roxy, Pine Ave.

1930 Parramatta Roxy

1935 Cremorne Orpheum, Military Rd

1935 Mudgee Regent, Church St

1936 Manildra Amusu, Delowie St

1936 Bingara Roxy, Maitland St

1936 Katoomba Savoy, Katoomba St
        (not operating at present)

1937 Randwick Ritz, St Pauls St

1937 Scone Civic, Kelly St.

1937 Malachi Gilmore Hall, Oberon St,         Oberon

1938 Collaroy Odeon, Pittwater Rd

1957 Wollongong Regent, Keira St

1957 Sawtell First Avenue Cinema

THEATRE NAMES
Cinemas often have fascinating names. The Manildra ‘Amusu’ was obviously intended to provide amusement for its patrons.
Both the Tumut Montreal and Grafton Saraton Cinemas have names which are variations on their founders names - Learmont and Notaras respectively.

Regrettably new multiplex theatre names are less imaginative, lack style and are generally Cinema 1, Cinema 2, Cinema 3 etc.

HISTORIC PHOTOS
If you have photographs of cinemas you might consider donating them to the National Trust’s Photographic Archives or loaning them to the Trust for scanning and return.

The Trust is proposing to place historic cinema photographs on its website to promote the remaining heritage cinemas and a greater public awareness of the richness and diversity of our cinema heritage.

Please contact the Trust Archivist Julie Blyth on (02) 9258 0128

Tumut Montreal Theatre

Scone Civic Theatre

FILM DISTRIBUTION COMPANIES' POLICIES AND THEIR IMPACT
ON HISTORIC COUNTRY CINEMAS

Some country cinemas operated by community groups are prepared to book movies at the end of their exhibition period when they are less expensive.

But the traditional commercially operated cinemas are very much reliant on obtaining movies at or very closely following their first release when publicity on television and in the newspapers is at a peak.

Film distribution companies refer to this as hiring ‘day and date’ and have screening policies which must be followed by the exhibitor. Commonly this may involve screening the movie for a minimum season of four or even six weeks at up to four sessions a day.

The first release hire rate is generally 55% of box office takings and this will usually drop back progressively week by week to 50%, 45%, 40% etc.

But what if a Blockbuster has been showing at a multiplex in the next town for several weeks and your audience has travelled to see the movie?

Well, some of the film distribution companies will still insist that the movie is on first release in your town and still charge 55% or a flat rate well in excess of the movie’s earning potential.

NATIONAL TRUST PROPOSAL FOR A PILOT SCHEME
TO ASSIST HISTORIC CINEMAS IN RURAL AREAS.

The National Trust recently wrote to the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia suggesting a Pilot Scheme to promote the survival of important historic cinemas some of which are threatened with closure.

The scheme involves the major film distributors agreeing to provide just one print of the 220 to 240 or more prints of major movies from their first week of release for exhibition in turn on a circuit basis by a number of theatres listed on the National Trust Register.

Each theatre would in turn exhibit the print for one week at the first release rate (generally 55% of box office takings).

At the conclusion of the four week run of this print it should be offered for a subsequent second run at any of these theatres at the percentage being charged for that film in its fifth week in suburban Sydney.

If these theatres can have access to popular first release movies in the first four weeks of their release then they will be able to maximise their audience and generate the highest level of box office takings for both the distributors and their own management. This is a simple answer to a difficult issue which has seen the closure of many historic cinemas.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Go to the Movies. Become a regular patron at your nearest historic cinema and bring your family and friends. Visit the National Trust’s website at www.nsw.nationaltrust.org.au to find details of movie programs and sessions at historic cinemas.

Join the National Trust. The Trust is a community conservation organisation and its action on issues such as the five year campaign to save historic cinemas is funded largely through members’ fees and donations. Join the Trust and consider donating to the Trust’s Appeal to Save Historic Cinemas - Phone (02) 9258 0123 or email to membership@nsw.nationaltrust.org.au

Make your views known on this issue. Write to your local newspaper Contact your local state and federal parliamentarian and ask for their help. There is a federal election approaching and all candidates appear to agree on the need to save country towns and their infrastructure and social values.