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Courtesy of The Moreland Star - Historic Moreland:

Screening at the Empire - The Tiger’s Claw is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Joseph Henabery and written by Jack Cunningham. The film stars Jack Holt, Eva Novak, George Periolat, Bertram Grassby, Aileen Pringle, and Carl Stockdale. It was released on March 18, 1923, by Paramount Pictures.

EMPIRE THEATRE, 294 SYDNEY RD, BRUNSWICK It’s hard to believe that none of the many grand and glamorous cinemas that once lined Sydney Rd are used as cinemas today – or that most of the buildings are demolished. The Padua, the Lyric, the Brunswick Theatre, the Alhambra, the Grand, the Empire: all are gone.

The 1920s was a golden age for Australian cinema and Sydney Rd was the centre for Picture Palaces in Moreland.

But of all the cinemas along Sydney Rd, the Empire Theatre at 294 Sydney Rd was one of the grandest. Opened by the Mayor of Brunswick to a huge crowd in June 1912, it was designed by architect Frank G. Richardson and built by John Carey. In 1929, it was the first Brunswick theatre to install ‘talkies’ when ‘In Old Arizona’ was screened. At it’s peak in 1946, the Empire housed a massive 1450 seats.

By 1957, TV had all but destroyed much of the picture house business.

The Empire was revived by screening Italian films and then later, Greek films, when it was purchased by the Greek owned Cosmopolitan Motion Pictures chain. But eventually, the Greek audience also drifted away and the Empire Theatre closed in 1975.

In 1976, the Empire Theatre was destroyed by fire and the site is now an Aldi supermarket.

Contributed by Greg Lynch -