Is at the beginning. In 1894 Australians got their first glimpse of a future that they would never have dreamed of. At 148 Pitt Street in Sydney James McMahon opened a Kinetoscope Parlour. There were 5 machines each running a different title and for a Shilling each the public could make their way to each machine. Approx 20,00o people parted with their shillings and visited the parlour in the first 4 weeks alone, new films were advertised each week. In 1895 the other cities of Australia got their chance to see this new sensation when the 5 machines toured Australia. But the real beginnings of cinema in Australia were at the Vaudleville and Music halls where films would be used as Chasers, just as they were being used in other countries such as America, and like America the Chasers turned out to be just as popular as the acts themselves and they did not serve their actual role; people stayed to watch them rather than leave to allow a new audience to enter the halls. In 1895 Talkies came ...
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