The Regent Theatre Geelong
A ‘facelift’ for the 102 year old Regent
The Regent was not King Charles’ representative, but one of Geelong’s oldest theatres. Do you remember when the Regent Theatre was showing movies? It was a prominent Geelong landmark at the corner of Little Malop and Union Streets.
Peter Fogarty, a current Committee and longtime member of our Society, sent me photographs of the building just this week. Peter noticed the removal of the scaffolding and thought it was “History in the Making” as the grand old building’s façade is restored and being revealed. Once more its appearance is that on show in 1922.
Comparing the appearance THEN and NOW is possible when we look at the Geelong Heritage Centre photographs taken in the 1920s
1922 was when the theatre opened. Saturday’s Geelong Advertiser, two days before the opening on December 11thpublished an advertisement for the Grand Opening. “Geelong’s famous baritone” Mr John D Brownlee was booked to perform “Song of the Sword” and other popular songs. The first silent black and white movie to play was Cecil B De Mille’s “Fool’s Paradise”. A comedian, Clyde Cook was also booked for the night’s entertainment.
On the day of the Opening night the Geelong Advertiser described the plans. The Dress Circle was sold out at two shillings and sixpence (plus tax) per seat and only a few one shilling and sixpence (plus tax) stalls remained. Conductor, Mr Percy Jones, was in charge of the eight musicians who provided the music for the evening. Geelong’s Mayor, Alderman King, was to officially open the theatre.
The Regent Theatre’s last film was shown in 1965 and then retail commerce replaced entertainment as the primary function of the building. Once more, traditional facades gave way to the modern and Geelong lost yet another piece of architectural history.
The building was repurposed and was first occupied by McEwan’s Hardware, The Reject Shop (sounds appropriate for the old ‘rejected’ theatre!) and then Dimmy’s.
Although the façade is restored, little remains of the interior which the 1922 article described as a “magnificent piece of work”. Like all ‘facelifts’, the exterior looks new and fresh, but the interior is still ageing and in need of repair.
Geelong’s Hamilton Group is performing the façade’s restoration. The interior will not resemble the past, no doubt to the chagrin of local thespians and cinema patrons. However, it is encouraging to see that the grand old theatre looks the same on the outside, even though its interior is now designed and constructed for modern commercial enterprises.
References:
https://intown.com.au/historic/geelongs-cinema-theatre-history.htm
https://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/news/geelong/first-look-inside-geelongs-old-regent-theatre-bright-hitchcock-developments/news-story/ec87c9fee145f198505cef337717c577
https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/32017
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fool%27s_Paradise_lobby_card.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Brownlee_-Lord_Calvert–Valentino_Sarra,_1947(cropped).jpg
Bunting, Chelsea, “First look inside Geelong’s old Regent Theatre, Bright & Hitchcock developments” Geelong Advertiser August 15, 2023
