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A Brief History

The Majestic Theatre is one of the oldest continually operating country picture theatres in Australia. It is an icon of national cinema heritage and Far North Queensland settler history and architecture.

In 1928, the township of Malanda thrived thanks to gold finds at nearby Boonjie. This, and the subsequent opening of the Gillies highway to the coast, prompted Patrick "Paddy" English, to take advantage of the tremendous potential promised by the latest sensation in public entertainment-the “Cinematographe”. Paddy was the son of dairy pioneer, farmer and entrepreneur James English, who built the Malanda Hotel, renowned today as the biggest all-timber building in the Southern Hemisphere. In December 1928 construction of the Tableland's first and finest “moving picture Emporium”, the Majestic Theatre, was completed.

The theatre—a timber-framed structure clad in weatherboards with a gabled roof—was designed by architect Bob Hassell and constructed by builder Albie Halfpapp. The front of the building has a large timber-clad parapet. It is built entirely out of rainforest hardwoods specially selected to Paddy's specifications from the Atherton Tableland's virgin stands of forest giants. Trees with girths wider than the bullock teams' two-a-breast "snig tracks" were hauled to Prince's Malanda sawmill after being felled by mankind's toughest breed of worker, the North Queensland timber getter. Stories of Paddy personally scouring the forest and blazing "the right trees" to mill may not necessarily be exaggerated.

Opening Night

People from all over the North flocked to the Majestic’s opening night screening in December 1928 spilling into the surrounding paddocks when all the seats and aisle spaces were filled.

The latest feature, “The Moth of Moombi”, accompanied by melodramatic flourishes on the in-house piano, brought loud cries of approval from the awestruck patrons whose wonderment was matched only by the disbelief expressed by the region’s original inhabitants, the Ngadgonji, who insisted on peering behind the screen throughout the showing.

Paddy always made sure there were enough seats to accommodate the local Boonjie, Millaa Millaa and Yungaburra aborigines, many of whom had assisted Paddy’s other erstwhile tourist enterprise by performing corroborees and displaying their unique rainforest culture in a special ampitheatre-like clearing in Malanda's surrounding forest 70 years prior to Kuranda's world-famous Tjapukai Dance Group.

Paddy had hit upon a sure-fire means of relieving the timber cutters and gold miners of a small percentage of their hard earned fortunes. After three years of silent films came the advent of “talkies” and Paddy, quick to embrace the new technology, paraded his brand-new Raycophone voice machine (currently on display in the theatre) down Malanda’s main street, with a brass band accompaniment.

Patrons flocked to experience this marvel and the Majestic Theatre’s seating capacity was again stretched to the limit. There is little doubt that disappointment was experienced only by the recently made superfluous pianist.

The 1940’s was definitely the Majestic Theatre’s most dynamic decade. Thousands of war-time U.S. servicemen based on the Atherton Tableland were treated to non-stop sessions of Hollywood’s latest movies, flown dutifully into hastily bulldozed, clandestine runways, from where the prints were rushed to the Majestic projection room for the pampered troops’ cinematic R & R. Arnie and Sylvester may reign supreme at today’s box-office however, back then, most astute theatre operators made their fortunes screening Bing Crosby and Bob Hope road movies.

With a prevailing mood of post-war national confidence, coupled with the 40 hr, 5 day week, the 1950’s saw Australian families flocking to the “flicks” in droves. They delighted in discovering an ideal and inexpensive form of wholesome entertainment that crossed the generational divide. Be it a Saturday matinée or a night time double feature, Mum, Dad and a cartload of kids arrived laden with pillows, blankets and even picnic baskets to claim their favourite seats and settle down to the Movietone newsreel, after an upstanding rendition of “God Save The Queen”, of course.

The newsreel provided information-starved country audiences with their first close-up view of a newly elected national leader or Australia's latest sporting hero. A cartoon often followed as a curtain-raiser to the supporting feature that was probably a G rated comedy. For many the most anticipated part of the programme was intermission—popcorn, peanuts, lemonade and the chance to catch up on gossip with friends and neighbours unsighted since last Sunday’s church picnic.

While the technological miracle of mid-50's, television, kept many patrons at home and away from city cinemas in droves, especially during the winter months, it was another decade before the adverse effects of the "box" became manifest in country theatres. Larger towns with two cinemas and, perhaps, a drive-in, were soon left with only one screen operating, it too, struggling to survive. The advent of affordable video players coupled with the convenience of cassette hire delivered a swift coup de grace to most of the remaining stalwart country (and some city) movie operators. A generation of Australian’s, sadly, have witnessed the demise of the traditional country picture theatre, in most townships. Malanda remains one of the few exceptions.

Thankfully, (many would say miraculously), through a fortunate series of events, the Majestic Theatre remains a viable, independently operated enterprise. It continues to screen the latest release double features every Friday and Saturday night with quality non-mainstream films presented by the film-loving Cinema Club every third Sunday in the month. Visitors in this new millenium are invariably amazed that so little has changed in custom, format, presentation and, yes ... even prices.

The Majestic is famous for its original style oak-framed canvas bleachers that come in single, double and quad format to ensure that everyone, from courting couples to the dairy bred (and fed!) Broadacre family, is comfortably catered to...with ten year old ‘Freddy the Fidget’ isolated end-of-row on a firm moulded plastic seat!

A living anachronism, the ongoing functioning of the Majestic Theatre is due to the forward thinking of the Eacham Shire Council members who lobbied successfully for its purchase in the 70’s and who have since been responsible for maintaining the building in its present condition. A lease/share license arrangement between the film exhibitor and the Malanda Little Theatre group sees live amateur stage productions presented on the three or four weekends annually when films are not screened.

Paddy English's son Tom, the ebullient publican of the Malanda Hotel, will explain —without too much prompting, over a cool brown ale— just how he personally managed the task of punching down the 200,000-odd nails in the Majestic Theatre floorboards. As he strokes a time-healed left thumbnail you’ll also share his relief at his being too young to wield a hammer when his grandfather, Paddy's dad, James English, built the pub.

Today the Majestic remains an important centre of cultural activity on the Atherton Tablelands.