Barrel Theatre Blues

Sydney Morning Herald April 29, 1976

BLUE MOVIE BRIBE CHARGE – FINE

MELBOURNE, Wednesday. - A Sydney man who offered a Melbourne Vice Squad detective money to arrange the showing of blue movie's was convicted on bribery charges in the Melbourne City Court today.

The court was told that the man, David Gandali, 32, of Ocean Street, Woollahra, had offered the detective $5,000 a month to two years to organise the “safe” showing of blue movie's at the Barrel Theatre in Melbourne. Gandali had pleaded not guilty to offering a bribe to a police officer to forgo his duties. Mr P. Clothier, SM, fined Gandali $250

Detective Senior Sergeant John Sadler, of the vice squad, told the court Gandali had approached him on March 12 and told him he had $80,000 invested in the Barrel Theatre. “He said his proposition was to show one legitimate feature film and then two or three blue movie's,” Sergeant Sadler said.

“If I give you $5,000 a month do you think you could fix it? I can keep that up for 18 months or two years”

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what happened to David Gandali?In 2002 Gandali was mentioned in a Sydney Morning Herald article as an undischarged bankrupt who had purchased, with Sam Reindler, the Imperial Hotel in Erskenville for $3.75 million. An 'undischarged bankrupt' is someone who is still going through the process of bankruptcy - which usually takes one year. Financial restrictions are placed on 'undischarged bankrupts'. Restrictions include what they can and can't spend their money on, how much money they can borrow, and which assets they are allowed to keep, or have to sell. So how the fuck he got the money to buy that place confuses the shit out of me.

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from an article about the fixing up of Curtin House (the building the Barrel was in)

"The guy we bought it off had owned it for 15 years and hadn't told his wife," says Tim Peach. "Being a good Catholic, he didn't want to tell his wife because it housed the Barrel Cinema (a sex cinema) on the ground floor. So it was massively undertenanted and just going to the dogs." 

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The Barrel's location (254 Swanston St) is now Patterns Cafe which does Hong Kong and Taiwanese style desserts. Upstairs is the trendy bar Cookie, years ago many people wanked at the Barrel, now the wankers are drinking upstairs. 

more info on the Barrel here >Technicolour Yawn: The Barrel<