Opening on 5 May 1927, the theatre seated 1,722 persons. During 1939 Hoyts remodelled this house at a cost of 12,000 pounds. At the official opening of the remodelled cinema, on Saturday 2 September, there was a "full house" and many were turned away. The final screening was held on Saturday 1 October, 1960. The cinema was then converted into an ice-skating rink which was very popular. In 1966 the building became the home of an auction house - "Associated Auctioneers" after which it became vacant. On the evening of Saturday 16 October 1971, the building was extensively damaged by fire and subsequently demolished to make way for a shopping complex.

Hurlstone Park Theatre 686 New Canterbury Road, Hurlstone Park

The official opening ceremony on 5 May, 1927

Looking from the upstairs gallery towards the stage, 1939

Images courtesy of Barry Sharp

Outings

If there was a movie showing at this cinema starring Shirley Temple, Jane Winters (a child actress) or was considered a suitable children’s film, the theatre manager would allow the girls to go free entry. But he requested Matron compile a list of the girls she was sending and he checked the girl’s names off this list when they went into the theatre and when they left. This wonderful treat was organised for Saturday afternoon matinees and only for the girls whose parents did not visit to help them not feel so left out. The treat was enhanced for the girls by Gartrell White (a local cake distributor) who would send a large tray of fancy cakes to the theatre for the Home girls, who attended the theatre, to eat after the pictures. The cakes were only for the girls whose parents did not visit and the girls were allowed to eat all of the cakes at the evening meal at the Home. Note: Gartrell White was a local cake and pie distributor located on Canterbury Road, on the northwest corner of Sharp Street, Belmore opposite the St George Hotel.

Extract from : NSW Protestant Federation Girls’ Home written from information courtesy Mary Brown (Source: Image with story on Pictorial Canterbury)Information courtesy Mary Brown who lived at the Protestant Girls Home at Hurlstone Park: Outings

Orion Theatre 283 Beamish Street, Campsie

“The Theatre of the Stars”The Orion opened in 1936. It had close ties to the RMS Orion. First films screened were Love Me Forever starring Grace Moore and Lady Tubbs starring Alice Brady. It closed in 1959 and is now a function centre and renamed the Orion Centre.

Image courtesy of Barry Sharp

Front facade of the Campsie Orion Theatre, 155 Beamish Street (1960)

Saturday afternoon at the Pictures

When I was about 10 or 12 years of age, I was allowed to go to the ‘pictures’ at Lakemba on a Saturday afternoon. My brother, Ron, would take me a lot of the time and leave me to sit down the front while he went to the back rows with his friends. It cost only 6d (six pence piece which was replaced with the five cent piece in decimal currency) and when we were coming home we usually went to the 'fish and chip' shop and bought a feed to eat while walking home. They were always wrapped in white paper then a heap of newspaper to keep them hot.

The Lakemba Pub was right opposite 'The Magnet' theatre, and on Saturday afternoons it was buzzing with activity. The hotels closed at 6 pm then so the men would be standing around the bar, with beers lined up on a shelf near them, to drink quickly before closing time. I remember the noise of the men all talking loud when I walked pass the hotel.

The ''pictures” we went to see were usually ones with Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, Stan and Laurel or Abbott and Costello - all funny men - or cowboy and Indian pictures, which were the most popular. With these the audience liked to "boo” the villains and cheer the goodies. There was always a cartoon and a “to be continued'' serial and there were always two main pictures shown, with an interval in between, to buy some lollies or an ice cream.

Extract from : My Childhood Days 1931 - 1946 Written and submitted by Nola Joy Reidy (nee McGann) Saturday afternoon at “the pictures”

Magnet Theatre Lakemba

Cnr Haldon & Gillies St, Lakemba

Image courtesy of Barry Sharp

Magnet Theatre Lakemba, 1960

The Advance newspaper 26 August 1943

Packed house at the Lakemba Magnet Theatre, 1936Image courtesy of Barry Sharp

Magnet Theatre LakembaCnr Haldon & Gillies St, Lakemba

Royal /Odeon Theatre Lakemba Situated on the western side of Haldon St, north of Lakemba St, Lakemba

Odeon Theatre Lakemba circa 1960s

Image courtesy of Barry Sharp

Image courtesy of Barry Sharp

“The Advance” newspaper, 14 October 1943 Looking over the front stalls towards the screen, circa 1950s

The theatre was originally opened in 1938 as the Lakemba Royal and seated 791 patrons. In 1951 it was acquired by Greater Union Theatres and renamed the Lakemba Odeon. The final screening was held on 14 July, 1966.

Royal /Odeon Theatre Lakemba Situated on the western side of Haldon St, north of Lakemba St, Lakemba

Image courtesy of Barry Sharp

The Campsie News and Lakemba Advance 9 June 1965

Des Blackburn of Narwee recalls his theatre going days at the Lakemba Odeon.

In particular he remembers seeing the highly controversial and very scary ‘THE THING’ in 1949 and ‘National Velvet’ with the late great Elizabeth Taylor in 1950. Des was also a fan of the legendary ‘all day sucker’, a lollipop of mammoth proportions that would keep your sugar cravings satisfied whilst you watched the latest flick! A bargain at only a tuppence! Although perhaps Des thinks he might have got through the one he had when watching ‘THE THING’ as it was ‘pretty scary for those days’.

Campsie-Lakemba Courier 10 Jan 1962

Mrs Urquhart of Roselands has a fond memory of all the sweet treats she enjoyed as a young girl at the picture theatre.

Along with the ‘All Day Suckers’ she remembers enjoying the well known toffee that everybody loved. It was covered in hundreds and thousands and as an added bonus, apart from tasting great, there was the ‘lucky draw’ that there might be a half penny or even a penny on the bottom so that you could afford to buy another one! You could purchase all these wonderful treats from one of the “Lolly Boys” that would go around the cinema with the tray of treats. There was often a lolly boy (or girl) carrying around a tray of ice creams also.

She also recalls visiting the theatre near Lakemba station where she saw Ray Milland in ‘Dial M for Murder’. It was the night before her wedding and it didn’t put her off!

The weekly Saturday matinee at the movies - where we got two films, plus a newsreel, a cartoon, shorts and previews - all for about one shilling!! We went to either the Chelsea or the Mayfair cinemas- both were in Homer Street in Earlwood and it depended what movies were showing as to which one we went to each week.

Meeting friends at the local Milk Bar - the "in" place to be. There were numerous milk bars located along Homer St at Earlwood - I think they were all in the vicinity of the cinemas - as they always did a roaring trade from the people at the movies at interval.

Extract from : Childhood Days Written and submitted by Susan Fotheringhame (nee Buchanan) (Image with story on Pictorial Canterbury)

Chelsea Theatre285 Homer St Earlwood

Image courtesy of Barry Sharp

Mayfair Theatre, Earlwood324-330 Homer St Earlwood

The Mayfair opened in 1927 with seating for 1412 patrons and closed in 1958. The very last shows were Dunkirk and Windom's Way. The building was demolished in September 1964. A variety of shops now occupy the site.

Image courtesy of Barry Sharp

Looking from the upstairs gallery towards the stage of the Punchbowl Astoria Theatre ca 1950s

Punchbowl Astoria corner of Punchbowl Road &Highclere Avenue,

Punchbowl

Image courtesy of Barry Sharp

Punchbowl Astoria corner of Punchbowl Road &Highclere Avenue, Punchbowl.

Punchbowl Punch newspaper, 21 Aug 1952

The Punchbowl Astoria opened on 17 July, 1935. The theatre had seating for 915 persons. The final programme was shown on Wednesday 4 February, 1959. The Punchbowl Astoria was eventually gutted and refitted as a three storey office building.

opening night - 17 July, 1935Image courtesy of Barry Sharp

Punchbowl Regentcorner of The Boulevarde and Matthews Street,

Punchbowl

Operated by Enterprise Theatres Ltd, The Regent opened on Saturday 24 May 1923 showing The White Rose. It was a large cinema with seating for 1,287 patrons. The final programme was shown on Wednesday 4 February, 1959. The Regent was demolished during August 1964 and a block of shops was built on the site.

Punchbowl Regent Theatre, 1959Image courtesy of Barry Sharp

The days when you saw “films” at the “picture theatre”!Noel Duncan

After many years working at Sydenham my dad started working for the Regent Theatre group who had theatres at Punchbowl , Bankstown and a much smaller one at Yagoona. He mainly worked at Punchbowl and Bankstown, rarely at Yagoona. I managed to go to the Saturday Matinee most weeks with the family tradition of Tuesday being movie night continuing through my high school years.

It was at Punchbowl that on occasions I was allowed to “operate” the showing of the pre show and interval advertising. This was via designs printed onto a square glass slide which were feed into a projector to be shown on the screen. The sound for the slide was on a recording disc and the secret was to co ordinate the slide feeding with the recording otherwise an ad for baby food was shown whilst the sound sang the praises of the local shoe store; a recipe for a break out of laughter and catcalls from the audience.

In an effort to combat the declining patronage due to television, immediately after interval live variety type acts were staged; though this was reasonably short lived.

Through the 40s, 50s and perhaps even the early 60s every programme commenced with the national anthem [God Save the King/Queen] which played whilst a portrait of the reining monarch (George VI or Elizabeth 2nd) being shown on screen with the audience standing for the duration.

With dwindling audiences many theatres reduced their screening schedules and hence reduced the need for casual projectionists and my father’s career in that regard came to an end. Oh for the “golden era’ of local movie houses when there were:Hurlstone Park : 1; Canterbury 2; Campsie 2; Belmore 2; Lakemba 2; Punchbowl 2; Bankstown 3; Yagoona 1, a total of 15 theatres ,with all filled at or near to capacity every Saturday evening.

Canterbury Windsor Theatre225 Canterbury Road, Canterbury

Canterbury Windsor Theatre at the time it was being sold. It opened during January, 1938 and had seating for 765 patrons. The Theatre closed during 1981. The building was later converted into the Mitalinin Brotherhood Building.

Image courtesy of Barry Sharp

The Alert newspaper 6 June 1924

Marina McNally of Riverwood was off to the pictures at the Campsie and Lakemba Odeons in the 60’s. She remembers seeing all the films that were made then specifically for the teenage audience. The Sandra Dee and Pat Boone flicks of the late 50s and early 60’s as well as every single Gidget movie. During these outings she all recalls enjoying her jaffas as one of the picture treats. Particularly when the floors in these theatres were timber and that was of course perfect for rolling them down the aisle! She also described that girls and boys in this colourful period of our history were called “Widgies” (girls) and “Bodgies” (boys). The girls liked to wear their short starched skirts and the boys wore their tight jeans and t-shirts very similar to the look we are familiar with in the movie ‘Grease’.

Marina can also remember that the Lakemba Odeon was eventually converted into one of the first self serve grocery stores in the area. It was called ‘Tom the Cheap’!

Esma Pope has seen her fair share of pictures in the area over quite a few decades starting with the 30’s and 40’s. She remembers seeing the Tom Mix Western movies, and the Lone Ranger series of movies starring Clayton Moore. It was 6 pence for a child and 1 shilling for adults in ‘her day’ and it was something she liked to do every weekend. Esma recalls the Magnet Theatre on Haldon Street on top of the hill near Gillies Street. It could be seen from a distance with a flashing red light above it!

There was also the Belmore Picture Shows Number 1 and Number 2. Number 1 was located around from the station in Bridge Road and Number 2 was on top of the hill on Belmore Rd. One theatre would have the documentary/ newsreel footage on first whilst the other showed the feature film. Then at intermission they would swap!

Image courtesy of Barry Sharp

The bio box camera used at the Campsie Odeon Theatre, 283 Beamish Street, Campsie.

Esma can also recall the days when women were not allowed to wear pants or trousers out in public. At this time when visiting the Windsor Theatre on the river just near the bridge she can recall how her legs would often get wet. At high tide the river would swell and seep into the picture theatre.

Odeon Theatre Campsie283 Beamish Street Campsie

Campsie Odeon Theatre, interior, 1960s

This theatre first opened in 1906 as an open-air theatre and in 1912 it was given a roof. It was renamed the Excelsis Theatre in 1923. In 1948 it was taken over by Greater Union and named The Odeon. The final screening was in 1972 and featured the Wizard of Oz. It was demolished and a shopping arcade constructed on the site.

Image courtesy of Barry Sharp