Now of course this East Brunswick venue (as The Liberty) had been screening films since 1934, but from 1966-1973 the venue specialised in Italian, then Greek films, catering to the local audience which at the time was still a demographic heavily weighted towards the Mediterranean. For now, Technicolour Yawn will only be covering the films screened (and advertised to) the mainstream Melbourne market, which is generally signified by the films being in English (including those dubbed) or subtitled as such and with advertising in the city’s daily newspapers (this policy may change over time). For now one may check out the brilliant CAARP database for a listing of this venue’s cosmopolitan titles.
Thus we begin this venue’s history as its refashioning as The Galaxy Cinema. Opening as such on August 30th, 1973, its lineup was one of karate, sex and bizarre Euro-thrillers. In short, in terms of product, this was Melbourne’s scuzziest venue. The adult venues of the city at least seemed to revel in the joy of sex – at the Galaxy the films were darker and often with a nasty edge. These were mysterious affairs with little given away about their pedigree in the admats and, due to the vagaries of distribution (the cinema’s owner was Cosmopolitan Films who specialised in European genre imports) these films were rarely, if at all, seen elsewhere. That the Galaxy was a rather shabby and rundown house and located in a (then) rather shabby and rundown part of town, added to its mystique.
>
The films of the 1973-74 period are hard to judge as so few are able to be readily seen today. But it is obvious that films featuring karate or schoolgirls were always able to get the punters in and anything that riffed on the Canterbury Tales was still a viable number.
Notably, as far as I am aware The Galaxy was the only venue in Melbourne ever to re-release a film within 14 months. The sex comedy “Homo Eroticus” (a story of a man with 3 testicles) only lasted a fortnight first time around (no doubt the word ‘Homo’ put a red line through the expected crowd) and then in late 1974 it turned up again as “The Erotic Man” …for two weeks again.
| WEEK BEGINNING | FEATURE | SUPPORT | SPECIAL | ADMAT | NOTE |
| 30/8/73 | The King Boxer | FO | None |  | Independent |
| 7/9/73 | The King Boxer | Adios Sabata | None | Independent |
| 14/9/73 | The King Boxer | Adios Sabata | None | Independent |
| 21/9/73 | The King Boxer | Adios Sabata | None | Independent |
| 28/9/73 | The King Boxer | Adios Sabata | None | Independent |
| 5/10/73 | The Decameron | What Do You Say To A Naked Lady? | None |  | Independent |
| 12/10/73 | Homo Eroticus | FO | None |  | Independent |
| 19/10/73 | Homo Eroticus | FO | None | Independent |
| 26/10/73 | The Prodigal Boxer | Light At The Edge Of The World | None |  | Independent |
| 1/11/73 | The Prodigal Boxer | Light At The Edge Of The World | None | Independent |
| 8/11/73 | The Prodigal Boxer | Light At The Edge Of The World | None | Independent |
| 15/11/73 | The Prodigal Boxer | Light At The Edge Of The World | None | Independent |
| 22/11/73 | The Prodigal Boxer | Light At The Edge Of The World | None | Independent |
| 29/11/73 | The Prodigal Boxer | Light At The Edge Of The World | None | Independent |
| 6/12/73 | The Prodigal Boxer | Light At The Edge Of The World | None | Independent |
| 13/12/73 | Masquerade | FO | None |  | Independent |
| 20/12/73 | Masquerade | FO | None | Independent |
| 27/12/73 | Summer Love | Isabella The Gypsy Duchess | None |  | Independent |
| 3/1/74 | Summer Love | Isabella The Gypsy Duchess | None | Independent |
| 10/1/74 | Summer Love | Isabella The Gypsy Duchess | None | Independent |
| 17/1/74 | Summer Love | Isabella The Gypsy Duchess | None | Independent |
| 24/1/74 | Love On A Horse | The Great Sinner | None |  | Independent |
| 31/1/74 | Love On A Horse | The Great Sinner | None | Independent |
| 7/2/74 | Love On A Horse | The Great Sinner | None | Independent |
| 14/2/74 | Fists Of Vengeance | The Innocent Girl | None |  | Independent |
| 21/2/74 | Fists Of Vengeance | The Innocent Girl | None | Independent |
| 28/2/74 | Fists Of Vengeance | The Innocent Girl | None | Independent |
| 7/3/74 | The Other Canterbury Tales | FO | None |  | Independent |
| 14/3/74 | The Other Canterbury Tales | FO | None | Independent |
| 21/3/74 | The Other Canterbury Tales | FO | None | Independent |
| 28/3/74 | The Other Canterbury Tales | FO | None | Independent |
| 4/4/74 | Guess Who's Coming To Sleep WIth Us Tonight? | FO | None |  | Independent |
| 11/4/74 | Guess Who's Coming To Sleep WIth Us Tonight? | FO | None | Independent |
| 18/4/74 | Guess Who's Coming To Sleep WIth Us Tonight? | FO | None | Independent |
| 25/4/74 | That Man From Singapore | Lusty Flesh | None |  | Independent |
| 2/5/74 | That Man From Singapore | Lusty Flesh | None | Independent |
| 9/5/74 | That Man From Singapore | Lusty Flesh | None | Independent |
| 16/5/74 | That Man From Singapore | Lusty Flesh | None | Independent |
| 23/5/74 | Strange Girl In Love | FO | None |  | Independent |
| 30/5/74 | Strange Girl In Love | FO | None | Independent |
| 6/6/74 | Strange Girl In Love | FO | None | Independent |
| 13/6/74 | Strange Girl In Love | FO | None | Independent |
| 20/6/74 | Strange Girl In Love | FO | None | Independent |
| 27/6/74 | Slaves Of Sex | FO | None |  | Independent |
| 4/7/74 | Slaves Of Sex | FO | None | Independent |
| 11/7/74 | Slaves Of Sex | FO | None | Independent |
| 18/7/74 | Devils Of Violence And Sex | FO | None |  | Independent |
| 25/7/74 | Devils Of Violence And Sex | FO | None | Independent |
| 1/8/74 | Devils Of Violence And Sex | FO | None | Independent |
| 8/8/74 | The Wild, Damned Nature | FO | None |  | Independent |
| 15/8/74 | The Wild, Damned Nature | FO | None | Independent |
| 22/8/74 | The Black Dragon | 2 Girls In My Bed | None |  | Independent |
| 29/8/74 | The Black Dragon | 2 Girls In My Bed | None | Independent |
| 5/9/74 | The Black Dragon | 2 Girls In My Bed | None | Independent |
| 12/9/74 | Anatomy Of A Virgin | Lust For A Vampire | None |  | Independent |
| 19/9/74 | Anatomy Of A Virgin | Lust For A Vampire | None | Independent |
| 26/9/74 | Anatomy Of A Virgin | Lust For A Vampire | None | Independent |
| 3/10/74 | Anatomy Of A Virgin | Lust For A Vampire | None | Independent |
| 10/10/74 | Schoolgirls Growing Up | FO | None |  | Independent |
| 17/10/74 | Schoolgirls Growing Up | FO | None | Independent |
| 24/10/74 | Schoolgirls Growing Up | FO | None | Independent |
| 31/10/74 | Schoolgirls Growing Up | FO | None | Independent |
| 7/11/74 | Schoolgirls Growing Up | FO | None | Independent |
| 14/11/74 | Schoolgirls Growing Up | FO | None | Independent |
| 21/11/74 | The Boss | Her Private Life | None |  | Independent |
| 28/11/74 | The Boss | Her Private Life | None | Independent |
| 5/12/74 | The Erotic Man | High Society Girls | None |  | Independent |
| 12/12/74 | The Erotic Man | High Society Girls | None | Independent |
| 19/12/74 | Nurses Report | FO | None |  | Independent |
| 26/12/74 | Nurses Report | FO | None | Independent |