Welcome to the first of two bonus standalone posts from the post-show series for both editions of Content Survey Live in 2024, A Flood of Memories.
The success of this post-show snapshot of life after the '74 flood, led us to bring more from the microfiche, and into the light: hence this is going to be a two part series: the first being focused on the post-flood recovery, the second giving you a wider look at food and other goods which we only touched on briefly on Feburary 22, and 29.
And, finally some breaking news in the last twenty four hours: thank you to 10, to finally listening to the viewers that are still there watching their product, and taking on the significant criticism of the hybrid Sydney/Brisbane product we have laid out on this site since centralization of Brisbane's news to Sydney just under four years ago.
Brisbane's news on 10... is coming home in September.
So, we begin the first bonus post: by queuing for a ticket to see a film. We are going to be talking about the cinema trade in Brisbane and how two events within a month of each other (leading into '74 flood) would set the tone for the consolidation of Brisbane's main CBD cinema district (running from Her Majesty's Theatre, past the Wintergarden, Odeon, Hoyts Regent on Queen St, and the three titans of the Elizabeth St/Albert St intersection: The Metro, Hoyts Paris and Brisbane's last CBD single screen to be built: the Forum) in the late seventies.
The first of these events, was the opening in December 1973 of a split Metro Theatre, as the Brisbane CBD's first attempt at a multiplex: Greater Union's Albert Cinemas, later to be known (once the Forum was twinned and being co-branded as the Albert's 4-5) as Albert 1-2-3, with a striking modern facade, with two twin cinemas, and a third in the basement.
The second was the sudden closure of Hoyts's other inner Brisbane first run theatre: the Town on Wickham St in Fortitude Valley after a fire in the wider building it sat in (the Rex Arcade) caused significant water damage to the theatre early in the morning of January 17, 1974.
The last big film to show at the Town, was none other than Alvin Purple, that was still having a successful run when the fire occured.
(The hilarious part of the second last image: Jesus Christ Superstar playing at the George... which today is Hillsong's main Brisbane venue)
The Alvin Purple run resumed at the Regent: just before the Australia Day flood itself wreaked havoc on the Regent (lost their substation and backup power), Albert multiplex (the basement cinema suffering the same fate as some basement businesses in the CBD, with 4.5m of water within the cinema itself, while backup power was available to the upstairs theatres) and the Forum (shut as a precaution as water lapped at their doors).
But, it wasn't just cinemas affected: it was also their film supply. At least 4 distributors (Fox, MGM, BEF (Greater Union's distribution arm) and Columbia) had their main film vaults for Queensland in Manning Street in South Brisbane (a legacy due to it's location close to interstate rail freight access in South Brisbane, and were swamped before they got a chance to rescue film stock. CIC (on Ann St, in a historic Paramount-owned property, leveled in 2013 for the Spire apartments) and United Artists on Queen St escaped the fate of Manning St and got their films out of harms way.
(Article early Feb '74 on the cinema impact)
The long-term impact of the closure of the Town in Fortitude Valley resulted in cinema consolidation in Brisbane's CBD for Hoyts: which began with the Regent following the Albert's lead, becoming a multiplex in 1980 (not before the first Save The Regent fight ran it's race to try and retain the Regent as a single screen), resulting in the Odeon (which became Hoyts's temporary CBD flagship while the Regent multiplex works happened) and the Albert St Paris, across the road from the Albert 1,2,3 multiplex (soon to be part of the property bank that ultimately became Uptown) closing, with both ultimately falling to the same eighties wrecking ball that cost Queen St the Wintergarden (closed as a consequence of the Albert 1-2-3 opening) and Her Majesty's (closed as a consequence of becoming part of Kern's Wintergarden retail landbank), while the site of the Town itself has been a hole in the ground since the eighties, with more redevelopment concepts than hot dinners.
And, for those who followed our April Fools joke (of Alvin Purple/Fritz The Cat double bills): it was steeped in a actual post-flood double bill for a long-gone Brisbane suburban cinema in Windsor, the Crystal (alongside East Brisbane's Triumph (at 963 Stanley Street), which survived and although, no longer operates as a cinema, the building is heritage listed, and is the only surviving example of a inter-war suburban picture theatre in Brisbane) of a Fritz The Cat/C.C. & Company double.
I somehow think right now we should hear "that" Brian Cadd classic, for old times sake.
But, would we have really wanted to go to a CBD cinema for a night out, when the cleanup from the biggest disaster Brisbane faced in the 20th century was still in full swing in the suburbs?
Let alone the CBD itself.
Some of the most famous photographs we have of 1974 were actually delivered by staff photographers at both QLD Newspapers at Bowen Hills, and the Sunday Sun at Fortitude Valley: who were the lifeline to the 1974 story, in a era where the afternoon newspaper still had the advantage over television (that is, no live cross by Don or Mike from the Albert/Elizabeth corner in the 6pm news (a expensive effort then, case in point (as this is being posted on QTQ's sixty-fifth birthday, mind you) QTQ's effort at the Tower Mill in 1971), and quite often delivered images of despair, and some of odd hope.
After all: the most famous television images outside the Eric Gaehler films, of 1974: is Don Seccombe in a Jindalee home (in footage shot for the QTQ flood telethon and ultimately aired to the southern states and repeated on many occasions in the last fifty years), with a bookcase built into a wall that had significantly warped while being underwater, to the point as Don said eloquently fifty years ago:
"I don't know if you're like me, and you like books, but I like books. And this house has a library I'd be very proud of. Currently, you cannot get the books out of the library. That's the sort of things people have lost in this flood."
(QTQ flood telethon announcement, and advertisement)
(Telegraph front pages 24 January-Feburary 1 1974, alongside assorted pictures from Telegraph post-flood)
Our favorite one though, is of interstate journo, David Brunton (of The Herald in Melbourne), somehow staying as a guest... at the Parkroyal (now the Royal on The Park), which had seen it's ground floor swamped.
And, then there was the radio, who could outright paint a excellent picture in many minds of devastation. Two stations stood out coverage wise.
4KQ: who had their own newscrews out and about concerning Brisbane's big story, and weren't afraid to show it.
(4KQ advertisement, Telegraph, January 1974)
And of course, you had 4IP: Brisbane's most listened to station, a station that had evolved from being a defacto 5th Brisbane commercial station (based in Ipswich) to becoming a powerhouse, to the point it relocated into Brisbane's CBD (with the station soon to abandon it's color radio image (with roots going back as far as their Good Guy era of the early seventies), for Rocktober and a strong sound: in the fashion 3XY and 2SM would deliver, alongside a new transmitter: on St Helena Island).
At the same time, the majority of Brisbane's and for that matter: SEQ's commercial radio stations were heavily bunched between 1000-1400 on the AM dial (only commercial away from that spot: 4KQ at 690AM, but historically promoted as 700AM) 4IP on 1010AM, 4BC on 1120AM, Gold Coast AM station 4GG at 1200, 4BK at 1300AM and 4BH at 1390AM (moved to 880 in 1976). 4IP played it's position well, and sought to connect itself with the cleanup post-flood. Hence the Operation Cleanup campaign was born at 4IP: led by five credible people: two district governors for the various Lions service clubs, the head of Jaycees Brisbane (today, JCI Brisbane), and the local governors for both Apex and the Scouting movement.
(4IP Operation Cleanup ad, 1/2/74)
4IP's strategy was simple: it converted three phone lines (two in Brisbane: one used by victims to report a need for assistance (e.g. a house and backyard in Yeronga that needed to be cleaned up after having water up to the celling), and one for volunteers to call to be linked to potential opportunities, and a combined victim/volunteer line in Ipswich.) and used radio as the vital link (including one critical line reiterated: don't drive to the cleanup zone itself (instead, utilizing satellite locations, and then transporting them to suburbs, a idea reutilized by Brisbane City Council in 2011 and 2022): to deliver information and news at a pace not even the afternoon paper could match.
And, when the serious cleanup process was finally over: come mid-Feburary, 4IP commended the many that came together so quickly, to solve a problem that only a once in a century disaster would cause.
(4IP Operation Cleanup thank you advert 8/2/1974)
But, as we finish part 1: through the research for this special event, we can now solve for you, a question many people have quite often asked, concerning Brisbane's Festival Hall (flooded out, at the peak). What was actually on there during the Australia Day long weekend?
We can now answer that for you.
In the days prior to inundation... this song may well have been heard at Festival Hall.
(Sweet Georgia Brown).
That, was the theme for none other than the Harlem Globetrotters.
The Globetrotters did a three show loop at Festival Hall in the days leading to the flood: the last show (26/1) likely ended and was being bumped out as the waters began to rise in the Brisbane CBD on Sunday morning, January 27 past the 1931 flood level.
(Globetrotters Brisbane loop advert, January 1974)
The best seats went for a fiver in 1974: That's $52.85 in today's money: blame inflation, rather than the Washington Generals for that one.
The Globetrotters got out just in time: The Faces with Rod Stewart... who were to perform at Milton on January 30 however did not.
(Advert for Faces Milton Tennis Centre concert... that was ultimately a flood victim in itself)
Also a fiver for a seat outside at Frew Park: and also $52.85 in today's money: although, you could have passed over where your seat could have been on the floor for free at the flood's peak.
4KQ: who had their own newscrews out and about concerning Brisbane's big story, and weren't afraid to show it.
And of course, you had 4IP: Brisbane's most listened to station, a station that had evolved from being a defacto 5th Brisbane commercial station (based in Ipswich) to becoming a powerhouse, to the point it relocated into Brisbane's CBD (with the station soon to abandon it's color radio image (with roots going back as far as their Good Guy era of the early seventies), for Rocktober and a strong sound: in the fashion 3XY and 2SM would deliver, alongside a new transmitter: on St Helena Island).
At the same time, the majority of Brisbane's and for that matter: SEQ's commercial radio stations were heavily bunched between 1000-1400 on the AM dial (only commercial away from that spot: 4KQ at 690AM, but historically promoted as 700AM) 4IP on 1010AM, 4BC on 1120AM, Gold Coast AM station 4GG at 1200, 4BK at 1300AM and 4BH at 1390AM (moved to 880 in 1976). 4IP played it's position well, and sought to connect itself with the cleanup post-flood. Hence the Operation Cleanup campaign was born at 4IP: led by five credible people: two district governors for the various Lions service clubs, the head of Jaycees Brisbane (today, JCI Brisbane), and the local governors for both Apex and the Scouting movement.
4IP's strategy was simple: it converted three phone lines (two in Brisbane: one used by victims to report a need for assistance (e.g. a house and backyard in Yeronga that needed to be cleaned up after having water up to the celling), and one for volunteers to call to be linked to potential opportunities, and a combined victim/volunteer line in Ipswich.) and used radio as the vital link (including one critical line reiterated: don't drive to the cleanup zone itself (instead, utilizing satellite locations, and then transporting them to suburbs, a idea reutilized by Brisbane City Council in 2011 and 2022): to deliver information and news at a pace not even the afternoon paper could match.
And, when the serious cleanup process was finally over: come mid-Feburary, 4IP commended the many that came together so quickly, to solve a problem that only a once in a century disaster would cause.
But, as we finish part 1: through the research for this special event, we can now solve for you, a question many people have quite often asked, concerning Brisbane's Festival Hall (flooded out, at the peak). What was actually on there during the Australia Day long weekend?
We can now answer that for you.
In the days prior to inundation... this song may well have been heard at Festival Hall.
(Sweet Georgia Brown).
That, was the theme for none other than the Harlem Globetrotters.
The Globetrotters did a three show loop at Festival Hall in the days leading to the flood: the last show (26/1) likely ended and was being bumped out as the waters began to rise in the Brisbane CBD on Sunday morning, January 27 past the 1931 flood level.
The best seats went for a fiver in 1974: That's $52.85 in today's money: blame inflation, rather than the Washington Generals for that one.
The Globetrotters got out just in time: The Faces with Rod Stewart... who were to perform at Milton on January 30 however did not.
Also a fiver for a seat outside at Frew Park: and also $52.85 in today's money: although, you could have passed over where your seat could have been on the floor for free at the flood's peak.
And of course, the triumphant return: Elton John, and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
Next time: we'll be diving into the food we bought, and more of the announcements many firms had to make in the days leading out of the January 1974 flood disaster. See you again, on August 31: for the final night of this journey.
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