The Odeon Star Semaphore Cinemas, usually referred to as the Odeon Star, is an independent

multiplex cinema A multiplex is a movie theater complex with multiple screens or auditoriums within a single complex. They are usually housed in a specially designed building. Sometimes, an existing venue undergoes a renovation where the existing auditoriums a ...

in the beachside

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

suburb of

Semaphore, South Australia Semaphore is a northwestern suburb of Adelaide in the Australian state of South Australia. It is located on the Gulf St Vincent coastline of the Lefevre Peninsula about from the Adelaide city centre. History Semaphore was first surveyed for ...

. It is the oldest purpose-built cinema in Adelaide, opened on 22 May 1920 as the Wondergraph Picture Palace.

History

Picturedrome

In September 1910, before there were any indoor

picture theatre A movie theater (American English) or cinema (Commonwealth English), also known as a movie house, cinema hall, picture house, picture theater, the movies, the pictures, or simply theater, is a business that contains auditoriums for viewing fi ...

s in Semaphore, the Continental Wondergraph Company bought land on the

esplanade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...

, intending to establish a

tea garden A tea garden is an outdoor space where tea and light refreshments are served, or any garden with which the drinking of tea is associated. Especially in India, it is also a common term for a tea plantation. The tea garden was a part of early Eng ...

and

open-air cinema An outdoor cinema consists of a digital or analog movie projector, scaffolded construction or inflatable movie screen, and sound system. History In the summer of 1900, in Syntagma square, Athens, films were projected outdoors, in the cafés. Ar ...

. On Monday 26 December, Wondergraph gave the inaugural screening at its "Picturedrome", although the construction of the

kiosk Historically, a kiosk () was a small garden pavilion open on some or all sides common in Iran, Persia, the Indian subcontinent, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward. Today, several examples of this type of kiosk still exist ...

and tea garden had been delayed. The seating faced the sea, and several

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

s were projected onto a solid

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

"silver wall", a new technology claimed to have been brought to Australia by the European company. In winter, the Greater Wondergraph Company (formed in Adelaide in 1911) showed films at the

Semaphore Town Hall The Semaphore Library is a public library in Semaphore, South Australia, Semaphore, South Australia. It was formerly the Semaphore Institute, Semaphore Town Hall, Ozone Theatre, and Semaphore Cinema, and is heritage-listed on both the state and ...

, which was referred to as the Semaphore Wondergraph. In July 1912, a film of the British Antarctic Expedition led by

Captain Scott Captain Robert Falcon Scott (6 June 1868 – ) was a British Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the ''Discovery'' expedition of 1901–04 and the ''Terra Nova'' expedition of 1910–13. ...

was shown at the Semaphore Wondergraph. Competitor

Ozone Theatres Ozone Theatres Ltd, formerly Ozone Picture Company and then Ozone Amusements Ltd, was a movie theater, cinema chain based in Adelaide, South Australia, from 1911 until 1951, when it sold its theatres to Hoyts. It was founded by Hugh Waterman and ...

also used the town hall for showing films in the winter months. A scheme to enclose the Picturedrome was advertised in November 1914, but this was apparently not concluded. Films were last advertised as being shown there at the end of summer in March 1915. In December 1917, an advertisement refers to the "Semaphore Wondergraph Residential Cafe", right opposite the beach, for short stays. The Picturedrome, which seated 1,000 patrons, was adjacent to the Customs Boarding Station, which still stands today, on the corner of the Esplanade and Semaphore Road.

New indoor cinema

In 1920, Wondergraph had a "palatial" new indoor cinema built on Semaphore Road, to cater for the people of the

Lefevre Peninsula The Lefevre Peninsula is a peninsula located in the Australian state of South Australia located about northwest of the Adelaide city centre. It is a narrow sand spit of about running north from its connection to the mainland. The name given ...

in winter. The magnificently fitted out building was designed by prominent South Australian architect Eric Habershon McMichael and built by Messrs. Emmett Brothers. By this time the

trams A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

were running to

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide city centre, Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is t ...

. The theatre opened on Saturday 22 May 1920 with the screening of the 1920 American silent comedy film ''

What's Your Husband Doing? ''What's Your Husband Doing?'' is a 1920 American silent comedy film directed by Lloyd Ingraham and written by R. Cecil Smith based upon the play of the same name by George V. Hobart. The film stars Douglas MacLean, Doris May, Walter Hiers, W ...

''. It had a seating capacity of 1,246 in

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

and balcony levels, described at the time as "palatial". In September 1920

Dan Clifford ''Holby City'' is a British medical drama television series that premiered on 12 January 1999 on BBC One. The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty''. It is set in the sam ...

bought Wondergraph's suburban circuit, including the Wondergraph Semaphore, which cost him £15,000. In 1921 the freehold was transferred to Clifford, and then in November 1923 to his company, D. Clifford Theatres Ltd. A

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

troupe known as The Dandies performed at the Wondergraph before its name change. It was renamed Star Theatre in 1930 (like most other cinemas in the Clifford Theatre Circuit), and in January 1931, sound equipment was installed to cater for

talkies A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...

, in order to compete with the Semaphore

Ozone Theatre Ozone Theatres Ltd, formerly Ozone Picture Company and then Ozone Amusements Ltd, was a cinema chain based in Adelaide, South Australia, from 1911 until 1951, when it sold its theatres to Hoyts. It was founded by Hugh Waterman and friends, and ...

. ''

No, No Nanette ''No, No, Nanette'' is a musical with a book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel based on Mandel's 1919 Broadway play ''My Lady Friends''; lyrics by Irving Caesar and Harbach; and music by Vincent Youmans. The farcical story centers on three couples ...

'' was screened as the inaugural talkie at the cinema. After a takeover by

Greater Union Cinemas Greater Union Organisation Pty Ltd, trading as Event Cinemas, Greater Union, Moonlight Cinema and Birch Carroll & Coyle (BCC Cinemas), is the largest movie exhibitor in Australia and New Zealand, with over 140 cinema complexes currently operati ...

in 1946 it was extensively refurbished or rebuilt, and was reopened as the Odeon Star on 12 June 1952. It was still owned by Clifford Theatres at this point. With the beginning of the TV era in 1959, attendances declined, and the cinema eventually closed on 13 November 1976, and the building converted into a

furniture Furniture refers to objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., Stool (seat), stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (table (furniture), tables), storing items, working, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Furnitur ...

shop. After a few changes of hands and function, it was renovated and restored to its original purpose, and has continued to operate as the

Odeon Star The Odeon Star Semaphore Cinemas, usually referred to as the Odeon Star, is an independent multiplex cinema in the beachside Adelaide suburb of Semaphore, South Australia. It is the oldest purpose-built cinema in Adelaide, opened on 22 May 1920 a ...

since December 1991. It was reopened as the Odeon Star on 19 December 1991, initially with only circle seating, accommodating 320 patrons, while the stalls area continued as "Hoff's Secondhand Emporium" until 1997. It was once again refurbished in 1997, becoming a three-screen cinema and (seating 300, 150 and 140). It was part of the

Wallis Cinemas Wallis Cinemas, formerly Wallis Theatres, is a family-owned South Australian company that operates cinema complexes in greater Adelaide and regional South Australia. Wallis Theatres works in conjunction with Big Screen Advertising, a company whi ...

chain for some time, but by 2009 was being run by independent operators, then Terry, Jacky and Joe Proud. The Prouds put it up for sale in November 2018. The Odeon Star celebrated its 100th anniversary on 22 May 2020.

Today

the Odeon Star shows new release mainstream and arthouse films, charging for any session, any day. It is also one of several venues for the

Adelaide Film Festival The Adelaide Film Festival (AFF, formerly ADLFF) is a film festival usually held for two weeks in mid-October in movie theater, cinemas in Adelaide, South Australia. Originally presented wikt:Special:Search/biennial, biennially in March from 2 ...

in October each year.

Footnotes

References

External links

* {{coord, -34.83862, 138.48476, format=dms, type:landmark_region:AU-SA, display=title Cinemas in Adelaide 1920 establishments in Australia