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Voices of the Hunter

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Jack Delaney

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Voices of the Hunter

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Cessnock, NSW

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Sam Robinson (c. 1910-1992) - Managed cinemas. Recorded 12 June 1982. Part 2/2.

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SummarySAM ROBINSON
Recorded 12 June 1982
Part 2 of 2

0:32
Ken Hazelton had a theatre at Charlestown. He was a flying crank and was originally a traveller for Universal pictures. Jack Smith was sent to Cessnock. He was the superintendent of theatres, managed the Crown at Wollongong in 1930. Sam and his partners leased the Maitland Theatres. Prince's Theatre, Palace Theatre and Savoy Theatre. Talk of moving to Cessnock to manage and operate the region, his pay and where he lived. Those that became superintendents through the years. The closing of the theatres. Letting out the theatres on license.

6:13
Sam finished up as Chairman and Directors of Kurri Company, earlier on he went to suggest to those in charge about starting a drive-in theatre. Sam located the site for the theatre and designed it all. The drive-in cinema at Heddon Greta opened 19th of December 1967.

9:12
K.K. & S.M.A. Company put into liquidation, sold assets of K.K. & S.M.A. Company, lists them and who they were sold to. The Proposed building on the former site. K.K. & S.M.A. Company shares was originally 15 shillings a share. The accrued profit divided between them. Discussion of views on managerial policy. Sam became assistant superintendent in 1944, then took over the theatres after Jack Smith had his heart attack. Sam recalls accident falling off the roof of the Regent, thirty feet and the company gave him compensation for the twenty-one months he was off work, also how it happened.

16:29
Jack "Blue" Ward was to go fishing with them on the night Sam had his accident, Sam crawled to the Plumb's Café, and they took him to the hospital to see Ward to get x-rays. Ward went home to retrieve a British Medical Journal. Rather than being given compo he was given full wages. The story of how he got his home.

19:01
2CK sponsored programmes. The bands playing in the foyer at the Regent and the Empire theatre. The Regent Theatre was the only one that had its own stage. On the stage they had Ken Neate, "The singing policeman" and Sydney Symphony Orchestra a few times. Introduction of "Cinemascope" in 1955. Seating capacity of theatres; Empire Theatre seated 1280 people, Regent Theatre was 999 people, Aberdare Theatre was 850 people, and King’s Theatre held 1260 people, Abermain, Kurri School of Arts and Weston School of Arts all held 750 people each.

22:34
Description of lighting and equipment used in the theatres. Cummings and Wilson projection equipment. Started using motors to drive equipment in 1926, and the start of "talkies" to Cessnock, 1928.

25:56
Recalls acoustics of picture theatres, Aberdare (tin shed) and West end in particular. Talk of why the sound was so interesting in West End and upgrading amplifiers in the Empire. Vic Saunders was the superintendent engineer in Sydney, and Sam showed him the amp he built by coupling the 41, 42 and 46 amplifier together, to install in West End, which remained there until it closed down. Fred Watson was good with dealing with trouble on the job, the rest were not good at getting themselves out of real trouble. Talk of the many staff members they hired.

31:56
Talk of the running of the pit horse derby, why they started it in the first place. The people involved and the money they raised from it. Sam became President of the Cessnock Rotary in 1966. They gave the Return Soldiers League around fourteen hundred pounds for them to use for return people as they wish.

38:56
End (Tape 239/Side B) part 2 of 2.
Last edited by: Dave Trimble

SubjectRobinson, Samuel George, c. 1910-1992 Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Kurri Kurri (N.S.W.)Motion picture theaters -- New South Wales -- Kurri KurriMotion picture theaters -- New South Wales -- CessnockMotion picture theaters -- New South Wales -- MaitlandCinemasCessnock (N.S.W.)Maitland (N.S.W.)Picture showsPersonJack Delaney Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

CreatorRobinson, Samuel George, c. 1910-1992Delaney, Jack, 1919-2010CollectionVoices of the Hunter Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

PlaceCessnock, NSW Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Date Created12th June 1982Location^[1]Cessnock, NSW Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

^[2]Maitland, NSW Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

^[3]Kurri Kurri, NSW Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

Identifier239B Last edited by: lyn.keily@newcastle.edu.au

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