History of The Regent.

The Regent cinema in Fitzroy Melbourne is a fascinating venue with a rich history dating back to 1911; not only does the Regent have a very interesting story but the venue reflects the changing of the times in Australia with the introduction of ever evolving technology. This venue is the perfect example for discussion on how the introduction of television into Australian homes has affected cinemas directly however let us first discuss the history of this great venue.

The Regent, located on 84 Johnson street, Fitzroy, was originally named Solway Theatre when it was first opened on the 6th of June, 1911, it had a seating capacity of 1108 and thrived as a cinema venue. Competing cinemas in the surrounding suburbs; such as the Lyric Fitroy and even the Fitzroy cyclorama, seemed to suffer a loss as the new venue drew huge crowds. This, according to issue number 43 of the CATHS cinema record, also caused the subsequent closure of near by open air cinemas due to the new found viewing comfort of an enclosed cinema. Also described in the cinema record was information on how the cinema was shut down in 1928 due do an unforeseen building design error which left the venue with inadequate rest room facilities. It was said that the venues neighboring buildings were being damaged by the male patrons urinating on the outer walls, the health department was notified and the venue was made to close. The Cinema was then reconstructed to the specifications of Hoyts Theatres (although the building was only part owned by Hoyts till it took full ownership in 1948,) the seating capacity was increased to a grand 2257 and it was re-opened under the new name "The Regent."

As described by an article in the Argus newspaper, the opening of the newly refurbished theatre was very grand indeed. The interiors were reconstructed beautifully with a large lobby containing a domed ceiling adorned with crystal chandeliers, the cinema contained at least seven of these chandeliers. The cinema was fully prepared to house not only film but live theatre, which it would go on to do in the future. It contained an orchestra pit, large changing rooms and theatrical lighting although the use of the orchestra used in conjunction with silent films was short lived with the introduction of sound in films.

The Regent successfully drew crowds till the late fifties when television was becoming more popular, the number of patrons visiting the cinemas began to dwindle with the almost exponentially rising numbers of television being introduced into the lounge rooms of Australian families. Cinemas all over Australia were not bringing in enough money to cover costs and the Regent was one of the early casualties of this trend as it closed it's doors on the 17th of September, 1960. 

Being a cinema owned by Hoyts, procedure said that the building could not be sold to another cinema company so as to not let another company profit from what Hoyts had build, thus the building would have to be sold to be used for something other then cinema viewing or it had to be torn down. The evidence of this ruthless business practice aided in the demise of many cinema venues such as the Lygon Hoyts  and The Roxy in Sandringham.  Luckily for this venue the layout of the building meant it was perfect for it's next owners. 

The impact of television on the cinema industry becomes interestingly evident with this venue as after it was closed and sold in 1960. It was then, ironically, bought by channel seven to be the new television recording studio; the H.S.V teletheatre. The cinema that was closed due to, amongst other things, the impact of television was now becoming a television studio! 

An interesting newsletter made by channel seven employees describes the opening night of the H.S.V teletheatre with amazing detail and insight. The opening night show was supposed to be a star studded extravaganza featuring Bob Crosby, his band and Jimmy Edwards however behind the scenes, it didn't all go as planned. The newsletter explains how the venue was meant to do it's first show live but the venue's electrics weren't capable of completing such a task so the show was beamed to a truck outside which relayed the footage to channel sevens main studio in Dorcas street, Melbourne. The organizers also didn't have enough microphones for the show and some had to be lent to production at the last minute. 

In 1975, H.S.V moved out of the building (Although the venue was owned by the H.S.V Channel seven till 1979) and it was renovated one last time, essentially to make the venue a prop for the stage show of 'Rocky Horror Picture Show'. The seating was changed and the building was made to look distressed to match the theme of the show. By 1977 the showing was over and there was no longer any use for the building.  

Owner at the time, Guiseppe Fodera, appealed to the council to make the venue into a theatre restaurant but his request was denied. Many other ideas were put to the council for the future use of the venue such as office blocks, parking and Victorian style housing but all were rejected. The building was left to be destroyed and gutted by vandals till it was no longer a viable venue and it was demolished in 1984.