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| THE STAR THEATRE, INVERMAY ROAD |
And yes.....I do requests.......When I
asked Marvin (my husband, and not his real name) which building he
thought I should look at next, he nominated the Star Theatre without
hesitation. This lovely building is in a highly visible spot on a
major road, and yet is easy to simply drive past without fully
appreciating its beauty.
According to a report in The Examiner ,
when the theatre opened in Invermay on October 05th 1937,
hundreds gathered outside to admire the neon lighting. It was also
truly impressive inside. (Take a look at the description in The
Examiner of 01 October 1937 via TROVE!) There were 250 velvet
upholstered lounge chairs in “the circle” and 650 rubber
cushioned seats in the stalls, and the lighting was provided by amber
globes.
The Star was Launceston's first
suburban theatre. Guy Crick (from Sydney) was the architect (“in
association with Mr A Harold Masters of Launceston”), but the
building work was undertaken by local firm J and T Gunn. The design
is “a mixture of interwar functionalist and art deco style”...and
if you want to know what that means, consult the building's
description on the Australian Heritage database
Alderman Hollingsworth undertook the ceremonial opening, saying that “the management had assured him that a very careful watch would be kept, and that nothing harmful to the youth of the district would be screened.” We are left to ponder what would have been deemed “harmful” but
evidently the opening films Roberta (with Fred Astaire and Ginger
Rogers) and The Plot Thickens were judged to be acceptable.
The
theatre had a revolving star, which was turned on at 7 o'clock each
night, and people would dress in their Sunday best, and book regular
seats. The demise of the theatre was attributed to competition from
television and the drive-in. (Examiner 27th
July 1999)
The
theatre closed on July 26th
1969. The last movie shown was The Green Berets. The building was
purchased by the St Vincent de Paul Society in 1971, and is still
occupied by them today.
A few years ago I went inside this theatre to view anything that obviously remained. from the "movie" era.
ReplyDeleteI was somewhat surprised to see that there was still art deco relief decoration near the old projection room.