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THE POWERS THAT BE

From Kev Franzi’s series “The Time Machines”

It is regrettable that so many important
decisions in our lives are made when
we are still teenagers - and very "wet
behind the ears".
In a moment of aberration, I was about
to make such a decision. "Hoyts
Theatres Pty Ltd require Assistant
Projectionists and Trainee Assistants
for number of Suburban Cinemas" the
advertisement read. Mmmm,
interesting.

Now I was very happy with my job at The Padua Theatre, Brunswick, Vic. Image: CATHS Archive
the Commonwealth Films Division
working in the labs and helping, from
time to time, to make documentary films. But So, I found myself with the illustrious title of
progress is never fast enough when you're Second Assistant Operator (Trainee) at Hoyts
young. Imagine working in a beautiful picture Padua Theatre in Brunswick (Melbourne). I
theatre, operating a pair of magnificent 35 mm even had a licence issued by the Health
projectors, seeing all those great Feature Films Department. In those days, strict regulations
free. The pay was good too … and all those required all projection room staff to be trained
gorgeous usherettes! Then, working at night, I and licensed because of the fire hazard
would have the whole day for my associated with nitrate film and the risk to
photography. Yes! That sounded good to me. public safety.
The Padua Theatre was Hoyts' pride and joy,
being the last theatre built just prior to World
War II, and it was still state of the art in the late
1940s. It boasted three standard Simplex
projectors mounted on the latest pre-war RCA
sound heads with the famous rotary stabilizers.
Wow! My job was to clean, lubricate and
LEFT: This Simplex Projector is identical to the
three used in the Padua Theatre, Brunswick. The
Simplex was common throughout the Hoyts circuit.
They were quiet, reliable and completely enclosed.
All the 1916 models were modified to rear shutter
operation and this one entertained generations of
patrons at the Wintergarden Theatre, Ipswich,
Queensland, for half a century.
6 REEL DEALS December 2020