Memories of old theatres invoked by Wayne Shaw's series in the Chronicle about the cinema have been coming in to the newspaper.
Gay Manning of Wanganui says the Manning family had "quite an association with the beautiful Regent Theatre" - six of its members having worked there at one time or another during the 1950s, as either tray boys or Nibble Nook staff.
A Manning by marriage, Gay says she worked there in the early 1960s as a second job to pay for her wedding in 1963.
Her husband-to-be Bill started there as a "tray boy" around 1950 aged 10.
"Saturday nights were quite 'grand' occasions when the theatre would be a full house - most of the patrons filing out at halftime for a pre-rolled ice cream, an orange drink and sweets.