Ozone Theatres

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Ozone Theatres Ltd, formerly Ozone Amusements, 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 was jointly run by him and seven sons, including Clyde Waterman and Sir Ewen McIntyre Waterman.

Contents

History

Hugh Waterman, a newsagent, founded Ozone Amusements in the seaside suburb (formerly a separate town) of Semaphore in 1911, along with four other residents. They screened films in Semaphore Town Hall on two nights a week, and later four nights a week at Port Adelaide Town Hall. Apart their first purpose-built indoor cinema in Port Adelaide in 1913, called the Ozone, until 1923 they showed films in existing available halls. [1]

In 1924 Ozone built its second picture theatre in Fussell Place [2] in Alberton, next to Alberton Railway Station [3] and right next door to Waterman's own residence. [1] In 1927, the cinemas were showing matinee performances as well as in the evenings. [4]

There were a few competitors at that time, but as the era of silent films came to an end around 1929, Ozone and Dan Clifford's Star were the two surviving and dominating owners of cinemas in the suburbs of Adelaide. dominated picture house ownership in the Adelaide suburbs. [1]

By 1928, Ozone Theatres Ltd had bought National Picture's theatres in the Adelaide suburbs of Prospect and Marryatville, and at the seaside town of Victor Harbor. They also acquired leases of cinemas at North Adelaide and Norwood. [5]

Hugh Waterman's eldest son Ewen joined the family business in 1928, succeeding his father as managing director in 1934, and he and his six brothers developed it for the following 20 years. Brother Clyde became joint managing director in 1938. The company became the major promoter of British films in Australia. In 1948 Ewen resigned his roles with Waterman Brothers Ltd and its associated companies in 1948. [5]

In November 1937, the Ozone Sport and Social Club first annual picnic was held in Belair National Park. [6]

The chain expanded interstate, and by 1949, Ozone Theatres ran 34 cinemas in SA, Victoria and New South Wales. Adelaide suburban cinemas included Port Adelaide, Semaphore, Thebarton, Glenelg, and the Windsor Theatres at Brighton, Lockleys, Hilton, and St Morris. [1]

Ozone Glenelg, opened on 25 November 1937, [7] was considered the chain's flagship. [1] In the same year, they acquired the Lyric Picture Palace in Murray Bridge, renaming it Ozone Theatre. [8]

In 1951 the Waterman family sold most of their Ozone theatres to Hoyts, [1] with the new company known as Hoyts-Ozone Theatres Ltd. [7]

Semaphore Cinema, originally in the town hall, was expanded and extensively refurbished in 1929 in Art Deco style, eventually closing in May 1960. [9] Ozone Alberton was closed in 1961. [3]

The Hoyts Ozone Theatre in Murray Bridge closed in 1969. [8]

Ozone Glenelg became Glenelg Cinema Centre when it was expanded and operated by Wallis Cinemas, finally closing in 2009. [7]

The Ozone Marryatville has been fully restored and is now the Regal Theatre, within the suburb now named Kensington Park.

Ewan Waterman

Sir Ewen McIntyre Waterman was secretary of the South Australian Theatrical Proprietors' Association in 1937; president of the South Australian Motion Picture Exhibitors' Association in 1944; and vice-president of the Federal Cinema Exhibitors' Council of Australia in 1947. After resigning from the companies associated with his brothers, he moved on to internationally-based posts relating to the Australian wool industry, and was knighted for his services to the pastoral industry in 1963. [5]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Hugh Waterman and sons extend the Ozone cinema chain from Adelaide's Semaphore in 1911 to eastern states". AdelaideAZ. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  2. ↑ "Ozone, Alberton". CAARP: Cinema and Audience Research Project. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Ozone Alberton in Adelaide, AU". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  4. ↑ "Ozone Theatres: Port and Semaphore". The Advertiser (Adelaide) . South Australia. 9 July 1927. p. 7. Retrieved 17 December 2022– via National Library of Australia.
  5. 1 2 3 André, Roger (11 December 2012). "Waterman, Sir Ewen McIntyre (1901–1982)". Australian Dictionary of Biography . ANU . Retrieved 17 December 2022. This article was published in hardcopy in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 18, (Melbourne University Press), 2012
  6. ↑ "Ozone Theatres annual picnic [B 68542]" (photo + text). State Library of South Australia . 14 November 1937. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 "Glenelg Cinema Centre in Adelaide, AU". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  8. 1 2 "Rise and fall of the late Ozone Theatre". The Murray Valley Standard. 1 July 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2022. Extracts from Cinema Record – Cinema and Theatre Historical Society Inc. Issue 55 Edition 2-2007 pages 11-13
  9. ↑ "Semaphore Cinema in Adelaide, AU". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
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