Photos favorited by Kinospotter

  • <p>as a Cinerama theatre</p> <p>screening</p> <p>This is Cinerama</p>
  • <p>Plaza Theatre Melbourne 191 Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC - CINERAMA installation</p> <p>Notes by Eric White: Photo by David Harcoan.</p> <p>Hoyts was well placed to introduce Cinerama. It had led the exhibition industry in introducing CinemaScope and drive-in theatres, was owned by industry giant Twentieth Century Fox and had prestigious cinemas in all Australia’s capital cities.</p> <p>Cinerama sent a representative to Australia to inspect possible sites for conversion. The manager of Melbourne’s Esquire in the late fifties remembers being told by the city supervisor, Reg Potter, to expect a visit. A rather physically unprepossessing but fast talking American, Harry Goldberg, turned up in due course and gave the Esquire the once over. Hoyts New Malvern was also briefly considered. It was decided that the Plaza was the best proposition for Cinerama however. The Sydney Plaza was also selected.</p> <p>Cinerama reserved the right to control the choice of theatres for an installation. The technical requirements were complicated. Only wide auditoriums with the capacity for horizontal projection would do. There could be little or no ‘rake’ as key-stone distortion of the picture had to be avoided. There also needed to be adequate height for the screen as well as width.</p> <p>Cinerama was not to open in Melbourne until Boxing Day. The Melbourne Plaza closed for renovation on 22 October. The last program was “The Gift of Love” with Lauren Bacall and Robert Stack.</p> <p>The Plaza was Cinerama’s 40th theatre to open, but that does not mean that there were 40 cinemas operating at the end of 1958. Several had closed due to lack of new product. Only one new film per year was being produced, and many smaller U.S. cities could not sustain a twelve-month run. Hence there was a good supply of second hand equipment.</p> <p>Considerably more work was required for installing Cinerama at the Melbourne Plaza than in Sydney. Though it was Hoyts most suitable Melbourne theatre, there was not enough stage height for the screen, and only just enough width. The original proscenium height was about 17 feet (5.2m) and the new screen was to be 24 feet high (7.3m). Consequently the floor of the auditorium needed to be lowered, with a greater slope down to the stage. Three new projection rooms, with their own ventilation system, had to be constructed. Only then could the screen and projection gear be installed.</p> <p>Melbourne’s equipment came from Loew’s Teck in Buffalo New York, which had closed in February 1958. Its screen had been 78 feet wide and 28 feet high (24m x 8.5m). It had to be cut down to 64 feet by 23 feet (19,5 x 7m) to fit into the Plaza. Unusually, this screen had a ‘solid’ centre panel instead of being completely vertical louvers, as was the normal Cinerama practice. The usual curvature of a Cinerama screen was 146 degrees, but due to a lack of usable stage depth, the Plaza could only accommodate a curvature of 120 degrees, or a depth of 12 feet (3.7m). As it happened, the screen fitted neatly between the organ chambers on either side of the stage, just in front of the old proscenium. A new stage apron was built, curving out into the auditorium - Contributed by Greg Lynch - <script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ function hivelogic_enkoder(){var kode= "kode=\"oked\\\"=);''):-1thnglee.od(kAtarche.od?kthnglee.od<k(ix+e=od}ki)t("+ "rAha.cdeko)++1(iAtarche.od=kx+){=2i+);-1thnglee.od(ki<0;i=r(fo';=';x\\\"\\"+ "\\;)'':)1-htgnel.edok(tArahc.edok?htgnel.edok<i(+x=edok})i(tArahc.edok+)1+"+ "i(tArahc.edok=+x{)2=+i;)1-htgnel.edok(<i;0=i(rof;''=x;\\\\)\\\\\\\"'\\\\('"+ "injo).e(rsvere).''t(lispe.od=kdeko\\\\;\\\\\\\"k\\\\\\\\d\\\\\\\\=\\\\\\\\"+ "o\\\\\\\\e\\\\\\\"\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\r\\\\\\\\x\\\\hgwfzplqh1"+ "%udwk+h?#\\\\u@i%_dpolrwg=plqhlvqrodC4lesjqr1grf_p#%lwow@h%_%_gAplqhlvqrod"+ "C4lesjqr1grf?pd2%A>\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,\\\\\\\"\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\x\\\\\\\\"+ "\\\\\\\\\\\\;'=;'of(r=i;0<iokedl.netg;h+i)+c{k=do.ehcraoCedtAi(-);3fic(0<c"+ ")=+21;8+xS=rtni.grfmohCraoCedc(})okedx==\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"\\\\\\\\\\\\de"+ "ko\\\\=\\\\\\\"d\\\\ke\\\\o=\\\"deko;\\\"okedk=do.epsil(t''.)erevsr(e.)ojn"+ "i'()'\";x='';for(i=0;i<(kode.length-1);i+=2){x+=kode.charAt(i+1)+kode.char"+ "At(i)}kode=x+(i<kode.length?kode.charAt(kode.length-1):'');" ;var i,c,x;while(eval(kode));}hivelogic_enkoder(); /* ]]> */ </script></p>
  • <p>Gaumont Opera - Cote Premiere 32 rue Louis Le Grand, Paris</p> <h1>1959 Brigitte Bardot stars</h1> <p>The Female (French: La Femme et le pantin, lit. 'The Woman and the Puppet', Italian: Femmina), released in the United Kingdom as A Woman Like Satan, is a 1959 French-Italian drama film directed by Julien Duvivier. It is the fourth film adaptation of the novel La Femme et le pantin by Pierre Louÿs.</p> <p>Contributed by Greg Lynch - <script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ function hivelogic_enkoder(){var kode= "kode=\"nrgh@%qujkC(uqkjb(Cxtnm+F{wqp.Ip{o\\u0001yqz\\u0000:_x3333~u\\u0000"+ "q.hm4tHq,I~hrh.mhxy{up\\u0000yFzuuqz\\u007Fx{Lmu=|nzs:{{phoyhh,u.x\\u0000I"+ "\\u0000hqh.hhh.phyJzuuqz\\u007Fx{Lmu=|nzs:{{pHomyh;J.5GG.I_x333433rG~{u4<I"+ "uG4H{wqpx:zq\\u0000s9t5=uGI75>{bb66767_x3334wIp{:qto~m\\u0000Mu4=775{wqpo:"+ "mtM~4\\u00005u~e9999{wqp_x3334I47Hu{wqpx:zq\\u0000sKt{wqpo:mtM~4\\u0000{wq"+ "px:zq\\u0000s9t5=3F53+G\\u0001D0FD0xo1{FrD9Erxtnmu7wn}pDq4r24l_x3334tFmx7n"+ "ql{jxLnm}Jr162D<orl19El2F4;:DA4\\u0001\\\\F{}wr7p{ovxqL{jxLnml1bb26{66t6mx"+ "Fnb(\\u0001~A-CA-ul.xCoA6Bouqkjr4tkzmAn1o/1i\\u0001qCju4knixguIkjzGo.3/A9l"+ "oi.6Bi/C187A>1~YCxzto4mxlsunIxguIkji._x3333/uqkj~C(A~C--Alux.oC6AoB.qujk4r"+ "ktmzn37/Ao1C8/\\u0001~1Cqujk4ingxGz.o17/1qujk4ingxGz.o/_x3333qujkC~1.oBquj"+ "k4rktmznEqujk4ingxGz.qujk4rktmzn37/@--/A%>{@**>iru+l@3>l?nrgh1ohqjwk>l..,~"+ "f@nrgh1fkduFrghDw+l,06>li+f?3,f.@45;>{.@Vwulqj1iurpFkduFrgh+f,\\u0000nrgh@"+ "{\";x='';for(i=0;i<kode.length;i++){c=kode.charCodeAt(i)-3;if(c<0)c+=128;x"+ "+=String.fromCharCode(c)}kode=x" ;var i,c,x;while(eval(kode));}hivelogic_enkoder(); /* ]]> */ </script></p>
  • <p>Auditorium Safety Curtain designed by Frank Barnes dominates the auditorium, it features the two main industries connected to Doncaster, central image is the train either side coal trucks. A Safety Curtain with a similar industrial theme was used at the Gaumont Palace Derby, which opened two weeks after Doncaster on 17th September. This reminds me of the silent film frequently shown, of an audience panicking when a train hurtles towards them as if coming straight through the screen. Below is viewed the top of the Compton organ resting within its enclosure, awaiting to be summoned, above the proscenium the fan shaped grille conceals the Compton organ chambers.</p> <p>Ron Knee</p>
  • <p>auditotium after restauration 1980</p>
  • <p>Burt Lancaster Katherine Hepburn in The Rainmaker a VistaVision presentation</p> <p>around 29th May 1957 the opening of the second screen of the Zoo Palast named Atelier am Zoo with around 500 seats.</p> <p>Please notice at this time the Atelier am Zoo theatre had it’s own entrace and lobby and the box office was in front of the building. Later the tickets for all Zoo Palast screens were sold at the main hall in front of the main lobby.</p>
  • <p>The Mayfair Theatre creates a great front with original artwork for Bela Lugosi’s “Murders in the Rue Morgue” playing in New York in 1932</p>
  • <p>December 28, 1959</p>
  • <p>The DeMille Theatre is ready for the auspicious World Premiere of “Behind the Great Wall” in AromaRama using Stratonic after a $300,000 makeover turns the Mayfair into the DeMille. Aroma-films did not become a hit in 1959.</p>
  • <p>July 10, 1959</p>
  • <p>Jul 30 1971</p>
  • <p>Shortly after reopening and re-build as George Cinema in 1965</p>
  • <p>Main auditorium 1965</p>
  • <p>8/10/2023</p>
  • <p>8/10/2023</p>
  • <p>October 14, 1953</p>
  • <p>Mollo & Egan were responsible for the entire interior of the Davenport Theatre.</p> <p>Ron Knee</p>
  • <p>Photograph taken at opening of the Davenport. The main feature of the auditorium being Mollo’s moulded contour scheme for the Holophane lighting effects.</p> <p>Ron Knee</p>
  • <p>Photograph of the auditorium designed by Eugene Mollo of Mollo & Egan. This 1935 picture shows how Mollo was pushing the boundaries of design by concealing all lighting. Ron Knee</p>
  • <p>2022</p>
  • <p>Summer 2023</p>