History
The theatre's location is part of a ribbon development of shops in the Marryatville centre. This arterial road location was an extension of the Kensington suburb and was built in proximity to the Marryatville Hotel, police station, post office, and former primary school and bowling club sites. It was the locus for the Coopers Brewery site (many of whom worked in Leabrook and lived in Kensington).
The cinema was opened on November 24, 1925, by National Cinemas. The cinema location at 275 Kensington Road has had several boom and recession periods but traditionally experiencing good patronage due to the affluent nature of the surrounding residential and (historically, a farm-based) population. Since opening, it has had a chequered past and was subsequently sold in 1928 to the Ozone Theatres.
An Adelaide News advertisement (placed on May 30, 1941) states the cinema had two sessions: an evening one at 7:50 PM on weeknights and a matinée session at 2:00 PM on Wednesdays and Sundays. Reservations could also have been made by telephoning the cinema.
The initial refurbishment in 1941 allowed the building to be freshened up with new facilities and internal structures. A function room, parents room and facilities for the hearing impaired were installed with this redevelopment. A feature of the entrance foyer included a fireplace. Upholstered chairs made up the seating arrangements. The plaster mouldings adorning the roof and walls of the cinema were added at this time.
The cinema was sold to the Hoyts Cinema Group in 1951. A cinemascope screen was added (and the smaller traditional screen removed) in 1955, allowing for a wider range of movies to be shown. The Burnside City Council bought the building in 1964 and it was leased back to the Hoyts company. in 1971, the Wallis Group took over the lease.
The cinema's future was then discussed at a council meeting in 1977, due to the ongoing need for restoration of the cinema. Wallis Theatres replaced the screen and reduced the seating capacity with some of the sections of the building being white ant infested. During the 1983–1984, period the last of the major renovation activities took place. The screen and projection equipment were again updated by Wallis, allowing the theatre to compete with the then fledgling video industry. The Crying Room was developed into a galley for the confectionery bar area. Subsequently, the function room was usurped as the crying room. The cinema remains as a council-owned property (from 1972) with the Wallis Cinema chain leasing the building from the council.
Read more about this topic: Chelsea Cinema, Marryatville
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