State Theatre Collection During COVID Part 7 The Full Show

The structure of a whole show was now developing. The main film was working out a system of music that brought it to life. The problem of assuring quality music without losing an audience who wanted popular music and the latest hits was being addressed. The show was split into several sections. It started with an overture with nothing to do with the films about to be shown but something to show the quality of the orchestra with often a movement from a well-known symphony or classic. That explains to me the vast number of classics owned by The State Theatre Collection. The show at least in Australia started properly with the conductor saying”Please be upstanding for the National Anthem”,  and all the well-trained audience would stand for God Save The King. This was followed by a newsreel accompanied by a march, often Sousa or well-known English march such as Colonel Bogey. Again masses owned by the library. All the military bugle calls were known and played at appropriate moments. It is still done, watch an interesting Youtube below on its developmentYet another element of film developed in the early days of the movie theatres.Following this was pastoral music for a travel film. The reason I think for all the  Haydn Woods and gentler salon music by Ketelbey was found in the collection. There might then be a musical novelty like a pianola version of Rachmaninov”s Prelude in C# minor  (although as I found, if the orchestra had to play it as part of the show, it suddenly became C minor.) or novelties like In a Clock Store which uses all sorts of sound effects. It is also found in the collection. This was when the cartoons were shown including Australia’s Felix the Cat and the first Disney ones. Finally, the comedy shorts accompanied by popular music reappeared. More about that later.After all this, the main feature was shown. These days they were incredibly long, The Hunchback of Notre Dame was a moderate 102 minutes long, The Thief of Bagdad 140 minutes, Intolerance a whopping 210 minutes. As an introduction to the main film, there was often a prologue to unify the whole show. It borrowed from the vaudeville days by having a live act to add to the excitement. I mentioned earlier, The Phantom of the Opera for its opening in Sydney, as well as its VIPs like the governor, used the final wonderful quartet from Gounod’s Faust Chorus of the Angels probably sung by Melba’s opera company. This has been one of the fascinating links I have found from the Trove archives and that collection.We come to the end. By the mid-twenties, theatres were installing enormous Wurlitzer Organs and the State Theatre was no exception. It installed the largest Wurlitzer pipe organ outside America and was a major drawcard for 1929 Sydney theatre-goers, rising dramatically from its console. However lovely films accompanied by the orchestra were, they were extremely expensive to run. They also needed breaks to keep performing well and the organ filled that space. The show then ended with an organ solo as the audience left the auditorium. Eventually, that organ would sadly replace the orchestra completely. The Moving Picture Show has taken another option by using advertising glass slides accompanied by a pianola, again to give the orchestra a break. For me, the added plus as I have said is to display the pianola rolls that were produced by the Mastertouch Company in Sydney.