Michael speaks with Ian Hanson, motion picture industry veteran and co-author of ‘Sorry, House Full!’, an historical record of the cinemas in the city Sydney from 1896 onwards.

At the peak, about 145 cinemas existed in greater Sydney in 1950.  Many have since been demolished – often for petrol stations – or converted into apartments, offices or retail outlets.

And while they only exist in memories and photographs now, the city’s lost cinemas are fondly remembered. “It’s part of our cultural heritage,” Mr Hanson says. “And an important part of film history.”

Today, movie venues in the city are confined to the Event multiplex [formerly Hoyts and Greater Union] and the Dendy, Opera Quays.

But there were once many, many more, from the early silent theatres to the great picture palaces to the humble open air show in The Rocks.

‘Sorry, House Full!’, tells their story.

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