| Description Summary | Doreen Tucker grew up in Avondale in the 1930's. She describes regularly going to the pictures and social events at the Avondale Town Hall (later called the Hollywood Theatre) with her parents. Doreen describes her experience of being in the theatre with her parents during an evening show when it caught on fire (1939), in which she was burned. Doreen talks about some of the stars in the films she saw, and the impact they had on her. She had a strong interest in music, dancing and musical films. She saw many war films, but preferred “happy-ever-after” films. Doreen went regularly to Auckland City theatres with her mother. She talks about going there on special occasions and describes some of her experiences at the theatre.
Doreen recalls going to the Delta Theatre when she was first married, and going to the Kosy Theatre at Blockhouse Bay. She talks about her memory of the Delta Theatre, and recalls most of the films were “cowboys and Indians.”
Doreen worked in central Auckland for Curtain Craft and then for Nobby Clark, doing sewing. She sewed curtains for the picture theatres, eventually for “Mike” Moodabe and “Kerridge”. Doreen was given tickets to the openings of films. She talks about going to openings at the Civic.
She describes the kind of clothes people wore to the pictures. She recalls that the owner of the Avondale Theatre, Mr Hayward, made a film “Rewi’s Last Stand”. |
