Two points:
(a) “Each Theatre holds 6660 cars - no waiting!” Typographical errors are not new! Should be 1320/2 = 660 cars.
(b) The “CIRCUS PLAYGROUND” was part of the centre complex consisting of the “CIRCUS PLAYGROUND”, a sheltered open seating area with loudspeakers and the “DINE-IN” diner.
Dear David,
I went to school near Chullora. In July 1979, the school had a walkathon where a part of the walkthon was a walk along the Hume Highway from about Roberts Road to Brunker Road. As one walked along the Hume Highway part of the walkathon, the drive-in located in Waterloo Rd could be seen.
What caught my attention during the July 1979 walkathon was:
(i) a huge bonfire in the middle of Field 1.
(ii) the partial dismantling of Field 1’s screen. In retrospect having read that both screens' surfaces were made of asbestos sheeting would raise health concerns about workers handling asbestos sheeting.
(iii) The towering sign at the entrance said “This theatre is closed”.
Most of the land occupied by the drive in became the Chullora Marketplace in 1981.
The other part of the land from the former entrance to the drive-in to about half to a third of the way up from the former Field 1 lay vacant until the early 1990s where a high school was built. Until the construction of the high school, the land was piled up with speaker poles and its concrete foundations.
The plan to sell the drive in started in 1976. In 1976, a tender notice to sell the land occupied by drive-in was placed in the newspapers. I saw the archived advertisement online recently, but regret not saving the link to the tender article.
Further comment. Based on the background, this photo is likely to be taken during the day. Seems pointless to exhibit a film during the day since one cannot view it.
I also forgot to mention that there is another piece of footage from Channel 9 Central West, October 2019. The advertisement mentions there is the projection box. Inside the projection box is an 35mm projector, https://www.facebook.com/9NewsCentralWest/videos/lithgow-theatre/548110869328077/
Thank you,
Anthony
For your information and enjoyment there is a video of the theatre which includes some drone footage of the Lithgow district. This also includes interior photos of the auditorium at https://www.facebook.com/ljhooker.lithgow/videos/theatre-royal-208-216-main-street-lithgow/1766275166947365/
Twenty six photos of the interior can be seen at this site, https://www.commercialrealestate.com.au/property/208-216-main-street-lithgow-nsw-2790-2015965139
OR
https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-lithgow-109299941
It is likely that copyright in the photos exists with the real estate agent.
It features a 54 space carpark, a commercial kitchen and a bar.
Most of the interior of the theatre has been preserved. The lighting batten before the proscenium would have to be removed in order for movies to be shown.
The deepened floor towards the proscenium is the dance area.
While the asking price was $825000, it was sold by private treaty in 2019.
As at 20-10-2020, while the photos of the biobox have not been as long as the other photos of the interior, it seems that there is some interest in the biobox but not at the same rate as those of the interior of the theatre.
The equipment that puts the picture on the screen and the audio through an amplifier are as important as the internal and external of the theatre. Without such equipment, you would not be able to enjoy your movie.
Furthermore, who would ever think that projectors, sound heads and amplifiers were once made in Australia? The photos of the projection equipment was state of the art in 1937.
Leaving aside the economic issues of producing goods in Australia, it demonstrates that where there is a will to make things locally, there is a way. The projectors were made locally by Cummings & WIlson and the sound head was made by Raycophone. Raycophone was founded by Mr Ray Allsop who also was a pioneer in radio and TV broadcast electronics. When it comes to theatre audio equipment, he demonstrated stereophonic sound at the Plaza cinema, George St, Sydney in 1938. For further information on his life use the following google search terms: Raymond Allsop adbonline.
Speaking of economics, one commenter remarked that in the late 1970s he noticed no more than 12 people in the Kings theatre. Thinking of the cost to pay for staff, council rates, power, water it would have been uneconomical to run the theatre. Then there’s the cost of hiring the movie. In the early weeks of the release of a movie, the theatre makes a profit from the sales of ice-cream, drinks, confectionery and popcorn. Most of the price of the ticket goes to the film distributor.
Then there is the technology to operate a modern cinema. In the 1930s, two projectors were needed to provide a continuous presentation of the movie. The carbon rods for the arc lamp needed replacement during the reel change. Xenon lamps replaced arc lamps using consumable carbon rods. Then two projectors were replaced by one projector running the movie on a very large platter running in a continuous loop. Before the Plaza’s demise in the late 1970s, the platter system was tested in the Plaza cinema before being applied to the new “Hoyts Entertainment Centre” now known as “Event” combining the Hoyts and GU complex.
Here, multiplexes such as Event, the then former “Pitt Centre” and “Village” were designed to have most of their auditoria adjacent to each other. There weren’t several bioboxes, but one. This also resulted in needing fewer operators. Later the digital projector took over from the platter system.
Instead of lugging heavy steel hexagonal-shaped boxes holding spools or lugging a large platter, movies are sourced from an encrypted hard disk or from a satellite distribution centre. Today’s cinema broadcasts live concerts. It is “back to the future”. One of John Logie Baird’s original idea of TV was to project images in public places such as a cinema.
Thus it was economics that resulted in the demise of the single-screen cinema and the rise of the multiplex.
Acknowledging that a multiplex having larger screens and improved multi-channel sound quality than the single-screen theatre of yesterday, the multiplex’s interior design lack the awe and feeling of going to the cinema of yesterday. There is an exception to this rule which are the interior design of the “Hayden Orpheum’s” auditoria. Generally the multiplex’s interior design of the auditoria lack the simplicity of those lines, lighting design of Crick & Furse as demonstrated by the Ashfield Kings.
While Lidcombe is a suburb of Sydney, to be precise, the venue is at 12 Bridge Street, Lidcombe NSW 2141, NOT 12 Bridge Street, Sydney NSW 2141. This is because there may be many streets in Sydney called Bridge St, for example Bridge Street Sydney may well refer to Bridge St City.
Sadly, the headline in Sydney’s “Daily Telegraph”, October 18, 2014 5:38pm, by Ian Walker was “Fire at Grand Westella reception centre in Lidcombe damages the building’s structure”.
One further remark on the outside sign “Kings”. I am not sure when the sign changed, nevertheless, in the last few years of this theatre’s operation, the single sign was replaced by individual letters spelling the name “K-I-N-G-S” with blue lettering lit by fluorescent backlights.
In an often repeated documentary on the ABC during the 1980s and 1990s the filming was around the theatre and you could clearly see the individual blue lettering of each sign.
Thank you,
Anthony
Over a week since I posted the photos, and I am surprised that in some photos over 300 views.
As at the 9th October 2020 at 1230, the most popular photos in order are:
1 to stage 332
2 to biobox 314
3 outside 275
4 steps 242
5 foyer 224
It means that people want to see what the interior of the cinema looked like more than the facade, foyer and steps even though they are integral to the overall design of the theatre.
If you want to see the original equipment used at the Ashfield Kings in 1937, I avert you to the site of the Australian Museum Of Motion Picture & Television Inc. Google the search terms in the search bar: AAMPT Cummings Wilson projector.
Within the first few google results there is a page about the projectors installed in the Ashfield Kings' biobox in 1937. These projectors were made by the Australian manufacturer Cummings and Wilson. The sound head was made by another Australian manufacturer Raycophone, a company founded by Mr Ray Allsop.
I have never seen such an unprecedented number of people view the latest five uploads of the Ashfield Kings Theatre on the 24-09-2020.
Again the most popular pictures are those of the auditorium’s views: from the dress circle to the stage/proscenium and the view from the stage/proscenium to the bio box.
It indicates to me people wanting to view not just the facade (exterior), though the facade is integral to the exterior appearance, but people want to view the the interior, or the “…what did it look like inside…”. It may bring back memories and associated feelings of what it was like to go inside an art-deco cinema.
From the image of the Ashfield Kings, one did not need to design an auditorium with statues, frescos and other decorative items like the atmospheric cinemas like the Capital or State.
Simple flow lines used also as lighting direct the viewer to the front. The foyer with a lounge-room welcome the patron. There is a sense of awe in the designs of “Crick & Furse”. It was beauty in its simplicity. Today’s multiplex auditoria are dimly lit when there is no presentation and side drapes are a poor substitute for design. It is not a welcome feeling. Even an art-deco box-office looked beautiful.
The only ‘modern’ cinema that I could say that was aesthetically pleasing was the former “Roselands Theatre Beautiful” also known as “Roselands Cinema Beautiful” which according to the CATHS (The Cinema and Theatre Historical Society of Australia Inc) is beyond recognition. Which means that the former cinema space has been repurposed for cinema tenants.
As I recall as a toddler/child, the Roselands theatre had side wooden panelling, oyster lights on the side and the saw-tooth ceiling had hidden lighting within the back recesses of the saw-tooth. I stand corrected on this, but the ceiling lighting was fluorescent because of its bluish colour temperature.
Towards the proscenium, deep-red spotlights made the curtains look deep red colour when the curtains were brown. On the right side of the proscenium was a panel of XLR microphone connectors.
I wish to make a few observations about the recent b/w uploads of the Kings Theatre Ashfield.
While all facets of cinema design including the exteriors and interiors are integral to the design and appearance of the cinema, by looking at the viewer counts, the most popular views are the views from the dress circle to the stage/proscenium and from the stage/proscenium to the bio box (top) (Notice the four ‘port holes'which is well above the dress circle seats).
The year of publication of the photos was 1937. I have seen a book at the Campsie Library’s reference section books on cinemas. In one of the books there is a photo of the Ashfield Kings' stage/proscenium as at 1959. At that time, the proscenium was widened for movies of an aspect ratio of 2.20 to 2.40. Previously movies were presented with an aspect ratio of between 1.37 to 4:3. It may well explain why despite many of the screen conversions of the Forum (George St near UTS), Century (George St), Paris (Liverpool Rd), the screens were too small for ‘Cinemascope’ presentation. There was not enough room to widen the proscenium. You wouldn’t do that to the State without detriment to the ‘decoration’ on the overarching arch.
In a cinema like the Ashfield Kings, and with the 1959 photo of the stage/proscenium, it was possible to sacrifice the left and right sides of the proscenium for widening the screen.
A similar approach to widening the proscenium is the Westfield Burwood Hoyts, formerly Astor in 1966. The published photos on this site from the 1930s show a ‘narrow’ proscenium compared to the unpublished photo of the cinema with a wider and taller proscenium for the exhibition of wide screen movies. While there are no ‘modern’ photos of the Burwood Hoyts (formerly Astor) in its 1966 remodelling, a similar approach was taken, reference this site of the “Hoyts Bankstown 19 Restwell Street, Sydney, NSW 2200”, one can compare the widened proscenium with the original proscenium. Click the “Photos” tab. You’ll see left and right sections of the proscenium have been sacrificed for a wider screen.
Two points: (a) “Each Theatre holds 6660 cars - no waiting!” Typographical errors are not new! Should be 1320/2 = 660 cars.
(b) The “CIRCUS PLAYGROUND” was part of the centre complex consisting of the “CIRCUS PLAYGROUND”, a sheltered open seating area with loudspeakers and the “DINE-IN” diner.
Dear David, I went to school near Chullora. In July 1979, the school had a walkathon where a part of the walkthon was a walk along the Hume Highway from about Roberts Road to Brunker Road. As one walked along the Hume Highway part of the walkathon, the drive-in located in Waterloo Rd could be seen.
What caught my attention during the July 1979 walkathon was: (i) a huge bonfire in the middle of Field 1. (ii) the partial dismantling of Field 1’s screen. In retrospect having read that both screens' surfaces were made of asbestos sheeting would raise health concerns about workers handling asbestos sheeting. (iii) The towering sign at the entrance said “This theatre is closed”.
Most of the land occupied by the drive in became the Chullora Marketplace in 1981.
The other part of the land from the former entrance to the drive-in to about half to a third of the way up from the former Field 1 lay vacant until the early 1990s where a high school was built. Until the construction of the high school, the land was piled up with speaker poles and its concrete foundations.
The plan to sell the drive in started in 1976. In 1976, a tender notice to sell the land occupied by drive-in was placed in the newspapers. I saw the archived advertisement online recently, but regret not saving the link to the tender article.
Thank you
Further comment. Based on the background, this photo is likely to be taken during the day. Seems pointless to exhibit a film during the day since one cannot view it.
Source, archive.org, https://media.apnarm.net.au/media/images/2017/11/27/b881104059z1_20171127113057_000gbasov0f2-0-w7y0wlduawf1joeybp2_t1880.jpg
I also forgot to mention that there is another piece of footage from Channel 9 Central West, October 2019. The advertisement mentions there is the projection box. Inside the projection box is an 35mm projector, https://www.facebook.com/9NewsCentralWest/videos/lithgow-theatre/548110869328077/ Thank you, Anthony
For your information and enjoyment there is a video of the theatre which includes some drone footage of the Lithgow district. This also includes interior photos of the auditorium at https://www.facebook.com/ljhooker.lithgow/videos/theatre-royal-208-216-main-street-lithgow/1766275166947365/
Thank you,
Anthony
Twenty six photos of the interior can be seen at this site, https://www.commercialrealestate.com.au/property/208-216-main-street-lithgow-nsw-2790-2015965139 OR https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-lithgow-109299941 It is likely that copyright in the photos exists with the real estate agent.
It features a 54 space carpark, a commercial kitchen and a bar. Most of the interior of the theatre has been preserved. The lighting batten before the proscenium would have to be removed in order for movies to be shown.
The deepened floor towards the proscenium is the dance area.
While the asking price was $825000, it was sold by private treaty in 2019.
Thank you,
Anthony
As at 20-10-2020, while the photos of the biobox have not been as long as the other photos of the interior, it seems that there is some interest in the biobox but not at the same rate as those of the interior of the theatre.
The equipment that puts the picture on the screen and the audio through an amplifier are as important as the internal and external of the theatre. Without such equipment, you would not be able to enjoy your movie.
Furthermore, who would ever think that projectors, sound heads and amplifiers were once made in Australia? The photos of the projection equipment was state of the art in 1937.
Leaving aside the economic issues of producing goods in Australia, it demonstrates that where there is a will to make things locally, there is a way. The projectors were made locally by Cummings & WIlson and the sound head was made by Raycophone. Raycophone was founded by Mr Ray Allsop who also was a pioneer in radio and TV broadcast electronics. When it comes to theatre audio equipment, he demonstrated stereophonic sound at the Plaza cinema, George St, Sydney in 1938. For further information on his life use the following google search terms: Raymond Allsop adbonline.
Speaking of economics, one commenter remarked that in the late 1970s he noticed no more than 12 people in the Kings theatre. Thinking of the cost to pay for staff, council rates, power, water it would have been uneconomical to run the theatre. Then there’s the cost of hiring the movie. In the early weeks of the release of a movie, the theatre makes a profit from the sales of ice-cream, drinks, confectionery and popcorn. Most of the price of the ticket goes to the film distributor.
Then there is the technology to operate a modern cinema. In the 1930s, two projectors were needed to provide a continuous presentation of the movie. The carbon rods for the arc lamp needed replacement during the reel change. Xenon lamps replaced arc lamps using consumable carbon rods. Then two projectors were replaced by one projector running the movie on a very large platter running in a continuous loop. Before the Plaza’s demise in the late 1970s, the platter system was tested in the Plaza cinema before being applied to the new “Hoyts Entertainment Centre” now known as “Event” combining the Hoyts and GU complex.
Here, multiplexes such as Event, the then former “Pitt Centre” and “Village” were designed to have most of their auditoria adjacent to each other. There weren’t several bioboxes, but one. This also resulted in needing fewer operators. Later the digital projector took over from the platter system.
Instead of lugging heavy steel hexagonal-shaped boxes holding spools or lugging a large platter, movies are sourced from an encrypted hard disk or from a satellite distribution centre. Today’s cinema broadcasts live concerts. It is “back to the future”. One of John Logie Baird’s original idea of TV was to project images in public places such as a cinema.
Thus it was economics that resulted in the demise of the single-screen cinema and the rise of the multiplex.
Acknowledging that a multiplex having larger screens and improved multi-channel sound quality than the single-screen theatre of yesterday, the multiplex’s interior design lack the awe and feeling of going to the cinema of yesterday. There is an exception to this rule which are the interior design of the “Hayden Orpheum’s” auditoria. Generally the multiplex’s interior design of the auditoria lack the simplicity of those lines, lighting design of Crick & Furse as demonstrated by the Ashfield Kings.
Thank you,
Anthony
While Lidcombe is a suburb of Sydney, to be precise, the venue is at 12 Bridge Street, Lidcombe NSW 2141, NOT 12 Bridge Street, Sydney NSW 2141. This is because there may be many streets in Sydney called Bridge St, for example Bridge Street Sydney may well refer to Bridge St City.
Sadly, the headline in Sydney’s “Daily Telegraph”, October 18, 2014 5:38pm, by Ian Walker was “Fire at Grand Westella reception centre in Lidcombe damages the building’s structure”.
Fortunately there were no injuries.
Thank you,
Anthony
Photo taken in 1942
One further remark on the outside sign “Kings”. I am not sure when the sign changed, nevertheless, in the last few years of this theatre’s operation, the single sign was replaced by individual letters spelling the name “K-I-N-G-S” with blue lettering lit by fluorescent backlights. In an often repeated documentary on the ABC during the 1980s and 1990s the filming was around the theatre and you could clearly see the individual blue lettering of each sign. Thank you, Anthony
Dress Circle Foyer at the Campsie Odeon Cinema
Taken 29/6/1948 Sources: http://archival.sl.nsw.gov.au/Details/archive/110007801
Taken 1937, source http://archival.sl.nsw.gov.au/Details/archive/110004916
Taken in 1937, source http://archival.sl.nsw.gov.au/Details/archive/110004911
Over a week since I posted the photos, and I am surprised that in some photos over 300 views. As at the 9th October 2020 at 1230, the most popular photos in order are: 1 to stage 332 2 to biobox 314 3 outside 275 4 steps 242 5 foyer 224
It means that people want to see what the interior of the cinema looked like more than the facade, foyer and steps even though they are integral to the overall design of the theatre.
Thank you,
Anthony
If you want to see the original equipment used at the Ashfield Kings in 1937, I avert you to the site of the Australian Museum Of Motion Picture & Television Inc. Google the search terms in the search bar: AAMPT Cummings Wilson projector.
Within the first few google results there is a page about the projectors installed in the Ashfield Kings' biobox in 1937. These projectors were made by the Australian manufacturer Cummings and Wilson. The sound head was made by another Australian manufacturer Raycophone, a company founded by Mr Ray Allsop.
Thank you,
Anthony
I have never seen such an unprecedented number of people view the latest five uploads of the Ashfield Kings Theatre on the 24-09-2020.
Again the most popular pictures are those of the auditorium’s views: from the dress circle to the stage/proscenium and the view from the stage/proscenium to the bio box.
It indicates to me people wanting to view not just the facade (exterior), though the facade is integral to the exterior appearance, but people want to view the the interior, or the “…what did it look like inside…”. It may bring back memories and associated feelings of what it was like to go inside an art-deco cinema.
From the image of the Ashfield Kings, one did not need to design an auditorium with statues, frescos and other decorative items like the atmospheric cinemas like the Capital or State.
Simple flow lines used also as lighting direct the viewer to the front. The foyer with a lounge-room welcome the patron. There is a sense of awe in the designs of “Crick & Furse”. It was beauty in its simplicity. Today’s multiplex auditoria are dimly lit when there is no presentation and side drapes are a poor substitute for design. It is not a welcome feeling. Even an art-deco box-office looked beautiful.
The only ‘modern’ cinema that I could say that was aesthetically pleasing was the former “Roselands Theatre Beautiful” also known as “Roselands Cinema Beautiful” which according to the CATHS (The Cinema and Theatre Historical Society of Australia Inc) is beyond recognition. Which means that the former cinema space has been repurposed for cinema tenants.
As I recall as a toddler/child, the Roselands theatre had side wooden panelling, oyster lights on the side and the saw-tooth ceiling had hidden lighting within the back recesses of the saw-tooth. I stand corrected on this, but the ceiling lighting was fluorescent because of its bluish colour temperature.
Towards the proscenium, deep-red spotlights made the curtains look deep red colour when the curtains were brown. On the right side of the proscenium was a panel of XLR microphone connectors.
Thank you,
Anthony
I wish to make a few observations about the recent b/w uploads of the Kings Theatre Ashfield.
While all facets of cinema design including the exteriors and interiors are integral to the design and appearance of the cinema, by looking at the viewer counts, the most popular views are the views from the dress circle to the stage/proscenium and from the stage/proscenium to the bio box (top) (Notice the four ‘port holes'which is well above the dress circle seats).
The year of publication of the photos was 1937. I have seen a book at the Campsie Library’s reference section books on cinemas. In one of the books there is a photo of the Ashfield Kings' stage/proscenium as at 1959. At that time, the proscenium was widened for movies of an aspect ratio of 2.20 to 2.40. Previously movies were presented with an aspect ratio of between 1.37 to 4:3. It may well explain why despite many of the screen conversions of the Forum (George St near UTS), Century (George St), Paris (Liverpool Rd), the screens were too small for ‘Cinemascope’ presentation. There was not enough room to widen the proscenium. You wouldn’t do that to the State without detriment to the ‘decoration’ on the overarching arch.
In a cinema like the Ashfield Kings, and with the 1959 photo of the stage/proscenium, it was possible to sacrifice the left and right sides of the proscenium for widening the screen.
A similar approach to widening the proscenium is the Westfield Burwood Hoyts, formerly Astor in 1966. The published photos on this site from the 1930s show a ‘narrow’ proscenium compared to the unpublished photo of the cinema with a wider and taller proscenium for the exhibition of wide screen movies. While there are no ‘modern’ photos of the Burwood Hoyts (formerly Astor) in its 1966 remodelling, a similar approach was taken, reference this site of the “Hoyts Bankstown 19 Restwell Street, Sydney, NSW 2200”, one can compare the widened proscenium with the original proscenium. Click the “Photos” tab. You’ll see left and right sections of the proscenium have been sacrificed for a wider screen.
Thank you,
Anthony