Newmarket Theatre

Greg Lynch says – “THE NEWMARKET PICTURE THEATRE was the beginning of The McLeish chain of theatres – Sat, 5 May 1915 and “The Newmarket Picture Theatre is RE-OPENING UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT. – Mr. Robert McLeish, well-known for his success at the Northcote Theatre. The Newmarket Picture Theatre will be re-opened on Saturday. The theatre has received a thorough overhaul, being renovated and decorated throughout and has been provided with new seating, floor cloths, and electric lighting.” – The Herald (Melbourne, Vic) Sat, 5 May 1915 said: – Newmarket residents are to be congratulated upon the possession of a picture theatre that will challenge comparison with the very best that any of the Melbourne suburbs can boast. The building is an imposing structure, with outstanding architectural features. Through the enterprise of Mr Robert McLeish, it has been transformed both externally and internally Into a most handsome and up-to-date picture house, and one in which the convenience and comfort of patrons have received special attention. It has been renovated, re-seated, and decorated throughout. The approaches to the dress circle and main hall have been beautified with a tasteful and artistic design of cream colouring, and enhanced with a series of finely executed decorative panels in blue and fawn. For the main hall the colour scheme is a harmonious blending of white and brown, in keeping with the suggestion of light and brightness aimed at in the general design. The Newmarket Theatre is the first of a chain of theatres which it is his intention of running in conjunction with the theatre business he has already established in the suburb of Northcote –

DEATH OF A GREAT SHOWMAN The Argus (Melbourne, Vic) Wed, 7 Oct 1953 – Page 3 By F. KEITH MANZIE – THE Australian film industry suffered an irreparable loss yesterday in the death of veteran showman Robert McLeish. No one in Australia has done more in pioneering and establishing motion pictures and Cinema in this country. THEATRES in the McLeish chain, such as the luxurious Regal, in Hartwell, and Rivoli, in Upper Hawthorn, did much to gain for Melbourne suburban cinemas the reputation of “the best in the world. Mr. McLeish was a tireless worker for Melbourne’s charities and needy film industry employees. He has been President of the famed Green Room Club since 1920, the genial Bob had an international reputation as a host to visitors. And it was Bob’s own money which sustained this theatrical club when it passed through parlous times. ROBERT McLEISH, who was 70, began life in North Melbourne – where another world famous film personality in Al Daft, now chief executive of Universal Pictures in America also had his beginning. It was as a silvery throated baritone that he broke into show business. As a singer of “heart throb” songs – such as “Goodbye, Little Girl, Goodbye,” and “In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree” – Mr. McLeish was in great demand at the start of the century at Sunday night open-air concerts, and singing in front of the screen at silent film shows. AFTER appearing in Tivoli Theatre minstrel shows, Mr McLeish went into management for himself, conducting “McLeish’s Weekly Pops” in suburban and country town halls throughout Victoria and Tasmania. Then, sensing the potential growth of screen plays & cinema, he took over managership of the Northcote Theatre in 1912, where he showed complete programmes of pictures, instead of the mixed vaudeville-movie shows previously presented. In 1917 he leased the NEWMARKET THEATRE, and then acquired the Clifton Hill Theatre in 1918; and in 1921 the McLeish “chain” really started to operate with the building of the Rivoli Theatre, in Camberwell.

In 1944 Mr McLeish won the title of “Mr Melbourne” in a competition conducted in aid of the Australian Com- forts Fund. As the Amusement Industries candidate he topped the poll with something like a million and a half votes; which represented the sum of £18,148. – WHEN not working on behalf of the entertainment industry Bob McLeish found time to take a keen interest in horse racing. He was a member of the Victoria Racing Club, the Victorian Amateur Turf Club, the Melbourne Racing Club, and the Moonee Valley Racing Club. Mr McLeish added to an impressive personality a rare flair for story-telling and a rich gift for making speeches, *GREEN ROOM CLUB members gathered yesterday to drink a silent toast to the passing of a loved president and a good friend. Mr McLeish leaves his son, Rob, to carry on for him at the Green Room Club and in the conducting of the affairs of the McLeish Theatre circuit. The funeral service is to be held at St. George’s Church of England, Glenferrie road. (next to the Malvern Town Hall), at 2 p.m. today. It will be conducted by the Rev. Roscoe Wilson. The Funeral will then proceed to Springvale Crematorium. –