State Library of South Australia

Decorations for the 'Prehistoric Cabaret' [PRG 1459/6/9] • Photograph

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Summary

This 14 foot high model of a Tyrannosaurus Rex was conceived and made by Doug Mackenzie, with the assistance of members of the Glenelg Apex Club, for the 'Prehistoric Cabaret' held in the Glenelg Town Hall on 27 March 1953. The dinosaur was brilliantly painted by Eric J. Field and photographed by Ross J. Rainsford. The sound effectes were by Bob Malin. In the background, beneath the 12 foot wing span of a hovering Pteranodon, can be seen part of the 200 feet of 5 foot high painted scenery depicting life in prehistoric times as portrayed by volunteer Adelaide artists. The scenery was illuminated by a continuous string of festoon lighting concealed beneath a cardboard pelmet. The hall above remained in darkness creating the illusion that the onlooker was actually surrounded by the pre-historic landscape. The awe-inspiring, towering image of Tyrannosaurus Rex, illuminated by an eerie green spotlight, dominated the scene. Part way through the evening, with dancing in full swing, a devastating, thunderous roar, comprised of a mixture of the roaring of lions and other jungle denizens, burst at full volume from a large speaker concealed in the throat of the monster. So shocked were a number of the dancers that they immediately fell flat on the floor and it was indeed fortunate that no one suffered a heart attack. During a following pause a desperate sounding announcer shouted "Quick, he's hungry. He won't stop roraring until you throw money into his mouth". We only dared to try this stunt once more during the evening which resulted in a considerable amount of money being ingested by the monster. Unfortunately it proved almost impossible to get it all out as most of it was caught between the wire mesh lining and the Papier-Mache skin. For a number of years following this event coins were often excreted every time the monster was disassembled. [Text by Doug Mackenzie].

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Physical description

Photograph (B&W print); 19 cm x 24.1 cm

Dates / Publication details

1953

Photographer

Rainsford, R. J

Collection

Part of Doug Mackenzie Collection

Subject

Models and modelmaking

Catalogue record

Return to catalogue

General notes

Photograph by Ross J. Rainsford, Photographer, Cedar Ave, Hamilton Park, Warradale, SA'.

Digitisation information

Date

30/07/2008

Format

image/tiff

Resolution

3,996 x 3,111 pixels (12.4 MP)

Size

37.33 MB

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