* A well known Inglewood identity, Vin Scanlon was involved in the motion picture industry for forty years in different parts of New Zealand. From 1961 - 1977 he managed Inglewood's Civic Theatre which screened films from Wednesday through to Saturday each week.

Prior to 1961 Vin and his wife spent eighteen years travelling to local country settlements with their "Realtone Talkies". Districts visited included Tikorangi, Urenui, Awakino, Midhirst, Toko, Strathmore and Whangamomona. Wherever there was a suitable hall "Realtone Talkies" were shown. Travelling in a three ton truck with built in screening equipment and generator, the Scanlans would park by a specially constructed window in the back wall of the hall, switch on the generator, and screen the movie.

Interestingly, the Inglewood Theatre was the first in Taranaki to screen Cinemascope (widescreen) pictures in 1955. The latest equipment costing many thousands of dollars was installed, including a huge 31 x 15 foot miracle mirror screen imported from Australia, special adjustable cinemascope lenses and the latest in a four track magnetic sound system. To celebrate the occasion, New Zealand representatives of the 20th Century Fox Films America attended the first screening.