With the smell of buttery popcorn in the air and cold Passiona fizzing in eager hands, everyone got settled into their seats. Rows of sturdy, wooden folding chairs filled the Iluka Memorial Hall as Iluka’s own picture show man, Frank Clancy, prepared to project the latest film on the big screen. Born in 1905, Frank […]
When Dancing Lady screened in Australian cinemas in 1934, promotional fans were distributed featuring a portrait of the lead actress, Joan Crawford. Serving a similar purpose to the imagery on popcorn buckets today, these fans were intended to generate excitement for new releases. This particular fan was produced and distributed by T. J. Dorgan’s North […]
Imagine Dan Alderson’s surprise when he found this ‘Woods Australian Diary’ from 1930 stashed behind the safe at Tamworth’s Theatre Royal. It was not just a plain old diary – when Dan opened its cover, he discovered that its pages were filled with handwritten notes revealing the titles of films screened decades before at the […]
Inspiration comes from many places. Sometimes an object’s story is much bigger than simply what it is or did. Hinting at what inspired Headlie Taylor’s (1883-1957) innovative agricultural inventions, this comb also reveals the story of the dynamic Henty community the designer was a part of. This comb is known as a short comb, most […]
An unassuming piece of history stands on High Street, Morpeth. The once-thriving Astor Picture Palace and Ballroom was always alive with activity during its heyday in the 1930s. Locals gathered there for flower shows, choir practice, mid-week dances and the annual debutante ball, among other events. On quieter occasions the busy dancefloor gave way to […]
Its been more than 100 years since electricity was installed at West Wallsend. The bulb and fitting shown here is an electric light that belonged to undertaker and carpenter William Turnbull (Snr). It dates from the era when West Wallsend, then a small coal mining town, switched to using electricity. Today, safe, reliable lighting in […]
Along with ice-cream, advertising has been a mainstay of the cinema experience in Australia. Indeed, as soon as the large movie screen appeared it was used for promotion, and cinema advertising quickly became an important revenue stream for operators. In the 1950s, and before the main feature movie, these colourful, or ‘talkie’, slides were shown […]
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