Richard Weatherly is an entertaining storyteller. He’s certainly one of a kind. One of life’s unforgettable characters. Former director of the New Zealand International Film Festival and, more recently, proprietor of the Swamp Palace cinema in the Oruru Community Hall, he speaks with reverence for his past and the past of picture theatres in New Zealand. This Voices from the North interview is as much about Twentieth Century New Zealand history as it is about Richard. When I say proprietor of the Swamp Palace I mean all of the following: cinema director, manager, projectionist, ticket-seller, sweets dispenser and ‘sit on the balcony railing tell you about the film’ Richard Weatherly.put up fierce competition to cinemas. Of course this was followed by television and, more recently multiplexes sprang up, signalling the end for many of the traditional picture theatres.
Richard points out that in the mid 50s New Zealand was listed in the Guinness Book of Records. There were more cinema seats here per head of population than in any other country in the world. The average New Zealander went out to the movies two-and-a-half times a week.
The Swamp Palace
This is a warmly nostalgic and informative interview, harkening back to a bygone era that existed not so very long ago when projectionists roamed the land, bringing films and sometimes projection equipment to small motion picture theatres all over the country, including the Oruru Hall and the Mangonui Hall right here in our little part of New Zealand.
Richard gives a detailed overview of censorship, from its beginning in the Great War in 1916 to the huge range of ratings Richard grew up with in the 50s and 60s: G, Y, A, R13, R16, R18, R21 and S. An S (special) certificate could be awarded by the national censor to a film with unusual qualities. The Sound of Music was released in New Zealand with an S rating: Especially suitable for family entertainment. The famous early 60s documentary Sky Above Mud Below, 
filming the exploits of a French couple amongst the forgotten nude to semi-nude tribes of Papua New Guinea received an S rating which stated: Nudity and native customs may prove embarrassing to young women. As Richard points out, the film was hugely successful with young women. They sat stoically throughout the filming until a young tribes-woman was shown nursing a child on one breast and a pig on the other!
The interview was enormously educational for me, as I grew up in the 60s and 70s in Canada, a different time and place altogether. Richard speaks of the dress codes that existed in cinemas and of the days of permanent reserves of seats in Auckland—in which the patron paid for a specific seat whether they showed up or not. And these were the days of the pubs closing at 6.00 pm so evening pictures had little competition.
This began to change in the 50s when radio—the likes of Selwyn Toogood with his It’s in the Bagprogramme—put up fierce competition to cinemas. Of course this was followed by television and, more recently multiplexes sprang up, signalling the end for many of the traditional picture theatres.
I encourage you to listen to the complete interview below. Richard tells of the safety on the Auckland buses for children (without their parents), the joy of the Sunday drive, visa versa parties and much more. All and all, this is a highly entertaining and informative interview with selections of music from Janice Joplin and Grace Slicks.
Link to 2002 article about Richard’s exploits with Lord of the Rings
And a link to an article of when Richard left the area.
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Radio host, inspirational speaker and health educator John Haines is the author of In Search of Simplicity: A True Story that Changes Lives and the recently released Beyond the Search, books to lift the spirit and touch the heart. See http://www.JohnHainesBooks.com
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In Search of Simplicity 
May 20, 2012 at 3:38 pm
I remember this film well, It was R 16 rated (i think) and my friend Linda & myself went to see it. We were 11 yrs at the time. I had brothers so the nudity wasn’t a great shock, But babe at the breast with either a piglet or a pup was amusing rather than horrifying.
Never did tell the olds what film we saw, if I remember we fudged that detail.
OK OK we lied our behinds off.
Forbidden films were not seen after that till of legal age for them. I’m now 61
May 21, 2012 at 7:38 pm
Thanks Averil for confirming this bit of nostalgia.
Cheers,
John
August 15, 2012 at 2:37 pm
Have just caught up with Richard Weatherley’s interview … nostalgic for me;
I worked as a cashier (selling tickets, taking bookings and ballancing the takings after each session) in the mid 1960’s and 70’s.
Two cineam chains dominated in Auckland, Kerridge-Odeon and Michael Moodaby’s chain, I forget it’s name.
Dress code for staff was very strict, the manager always wore a dinner jacket and bow tie for evening sessions. Female staff always had to have their hair “up”, off the collar.
Usherettes were the glamour girls, almost as highly regarded as the airline “stewardesses” of that era. The usherettes were managed by the head usherette, invariably an older matron with many years experience and who kept a tight rein on any unruly elements in the audience.
Projectionists, who came and went through a side door, tended to be rather eccentric in both appearance and personality.
Seats were numbered and allocated for the busy sessions – the usherettes always escorted patrons to their designated seat and took a torch to light the way after lights were dimmed.
The national anthem “God Save The Queen”, was played before every session and everyone was expected to stand for the entire anthem … dirty looks were delivered and sometimes disparaging comments made to those who defied this convention!
Saturday was the big night out, popular films were almost always sold out in advance.
People dressed for the occasion. The Dress Circle was the most expensive and desirable seating, Back Stalls next and then either Front stalls or the “Gods” (top of the cinema, looking down).
Most of the big cinemas had wonderful marble foyers and sweeping staircases so women could make an entrance, so it was worth dressing up for.
The really big events were the opening nights of the most prestigeous films, where important personages, men in evening dress, women in long gowns, attended, and funds were raised for some charitable cause or other.
My most stressful day? The day decimal currency was introduced and I had over 2000 patrons all wanting to be seated before “lights out” at 8.00pm.
They handed over pounds, shillings and pence and I had to accurately give change in the new decimal coinage, and explain to each and everyone what it represented!
Gillian.
August 19, 2012 at 3:43 pm
Hi Gillian,
Thanks so much for adding more depth and feel for the golden ‘olden’ days of cinema. It is just a little different today!
John