Outstanding Among Auckland’s Thirty Suburban Theatres

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 538, 15 December 1928, Page 12 (Supplement)

Outstanding Among Auckland’s Thirty Suburban Theatres

Auckland Can Well be Proud Suburban Theatres Are Worthy of City There is no better indication of the growth and enterprise of the motion picture industry than the fact that every suburb of Auckland can boast a theatre of its own. Tho huge sums of money that have

been expended in the erection of these r h eatress are indicative of the confidence The exhibitors have in the future of Auckland. The many fine suburban theatres are. in every sense, worthy of the city. Gone are the days of draughty halls and player pianos, and in their stead there is the comfortably furnished suburban cinema theatre, with an orchestra of three or four providing first-class incidental music of popular and classical numbers. It is only a few years since orchestras were practically’ unknown even in the largest city theatres and the ready recognition of the cultural and practical value of the orchestra is further proof, if proof be needed, that the

modern suburban theatre manager is awake to the needs of his public. But it is not only in the musical side chat the suburban theatre is abreast of the times. During late years there has been steady progress in the art of presenting a well-balanced programme. Gazettes, for example, are no longer snaps of some odd news, but a pictorial record of every event of importance. The educational value of the world’s news being shown regularly to large numbers of suburban theatre-goers can not be calculated. As with gazettes, so with nature study films, scenics, and so on—the typical Auckland suburban theatre presents every evening an up-to-date, ex-cellently-varied programme. Suburban theatres show the same high quality pictures that appear in the bigger Queen Street theatres, as. atter the films have run for one week in Queen Street they are usually taken direct to a suburban theatre. There is no great film success of recent years that has not been shown, within a very short time, in pretty well all the suburban theatres. Such pic-

tures as “Ben-Hur,” "King of King-" "What Price Glory?” "Beau Geste. “Metropolis" and * Charlie Chaplin » “The Circus” have been taken, as were, right to the doors of suburban residents. Most of the suburban theatres are as comfortable as modern theatre construction can go. Any theatre taken at random, for example, with its heating system and fine carpets, is in hrwith metropolitan theatres in man other cities, but it is not uni( i u€ tZr r score of other Auckland suburban theatres can deserve equal praise, an certainly every one has comfortao - sprung tip-up seats of a style unkno cnly a few years ago. prv Although it would appear that e>ei. suburb of importance already fine theatre of its own, new builds? are even now planned, and in s ® cases new construction has begu • Mount Eden will shortly have a n theatre, plans have been drawn up i new theatres to replace existing ° , 1 at Devonport and Three Lamps. | a new theatre is to be construct®* 1 ; Grey Lynn. Other schemes are m ! air.” When these are completed -Wcw- | land will be the proud possessor o | fine a chain of suburban theatres : any city in Australia or New Zeal