Australasian Cinema > extant early films
See also: all films in alpha order | all films by date
The standard reference for the period 1900-1977, Pike & Cooper, uses a simple key to indicate the availability of films 1900-1945. The list below includes only those films which 'substantially' or partly survive, according to that authority. I am aware of no such data for NZ films, so none are included, tho the data may exist.
* Substantially complete
** Incomplete: has major gaps, several reels missing, or exists only in fragments
Story of the Kelly Gang, The** (Charles Tait, 1906)
world's first feature film, in that it ran for about an hour; seventeen minutes of the film have been restored and released by the National Film and Sound Archive
Eureka Stockade** (George & Arthur Cornwell, 1907)
Australian Cinematograph Co, screened Atheneum Theatre, Melbourne, 19 October, 1907
(Reade 1975: 275)
Thunderbolt** (John Gavin, 1910)
prod. H.A. Forsyth, Southern Cross Motion Pictures; wr. Ambrose Pratt, novel Three Years with Thunderbolt; dp A.J. Moulton. John Gavin (Thunderbolt), Ruby Butler, H A Forsyth; over 3000 ft.
Romantic Story Of Margaret Catchpole, The ** (Raymond Longford, 1911)
Spencer's Pictures, dp Ernest Higgins; Lottie Lyell (Margaret Catchpole), Raymond Longford, Augustus Neville; 3000 ft (?) of which about half survives
The Ticket of Leave Man** (Gaston Mervale, 1911) Australian Life Biograph Company; Louise Carbasse; 4100 ft., 46 min.
Sick Stockrider, The* (W. J. Lincoln, 1913)
Lincoln-Cass Films, from the poem by Adam Lindsay Gordon, dp Maurice Bertel; George Bryant, Godfrey Cass, Roy Redgrave, Tom Cannam - earliest film to survive complete; it's of about 1200 ft or 14 min.
1914Long Long Way to Tipperary, A ** (George Dean, 1914)
Higgins Brothers, prod. Ernest Higgins; Adele Inman
1915Hero Of The Dardanelles, The** (Alfred Rolfe, 1915) Australasian Films; wr. Phillip Gell, Loris Brown; Guy Hastings, Loma Rossmore, C. Throoby, Ruth Wainwright, Fred Francis; war; two brothers at Gallipoli; 4000 (?) ft.
Officer 666** (Fred Niblo, 1916) J.C. Williamson Ltd; wr. W. J. Lincoln from the play by Augustin McHugh, adapted by George M. Cohan, dp Maurice Bertel; Fred Niblo, Enid Bennett, Mation Marcus Clarke, Sydney Stirling, Maurice Dudley, Henry Matsumoto, Pirie Bush, Edwin Lester, George Bryant, Matee Brown, Reine Connelly; 4 reels
Joan of Arc Of Loos, The** (George Willoughby, 1916) dp Franklyn Barrett; Jane King, Jean Robertson, Clive Farnham; shot Tamarama Beach, Sydney; war story
Seven Keys To Baldpate** (Monte Luke, 1916) J.C. Williamson. wr. Alex C Butler, from the play by George M Cohan, based on the novel by Earl Derr Biggers, dp Maurice Bertel; Dorothy Brunton, J. Plumpton Wilson, Agnes Keogh, Alex C. Butler, Gerald Harcourt, Charles Villiers, James Hughes; 4 reels
Enemy Within, The* (Roland Stavely, 1918) dp Franklyn Barrett; Reg L. 'Snowy' Baker (Jack Airlie), John Faulkner (Henry Brasels), Lily Molloy; spy actioner; at 5500 ft (about an hour) this is the earliest feature film to survive complete (Pike & Cooper: 76)
Woman Suffers, The** (Raymond Longford, 1918) ... While the Man Goes Free; Lottie Lyell, Boyd Irwin, Roland Conway, Connie Martyn
The Waybacks** (Arthur W. Sterry, 1918) prod. Humbert Pugliese, Koala Films, from the play by Phillip Lytton, dp Ernest Higgins; Vincent White, Gladys Leigh, Lucy Adair, Louis Machilaton; bush comedy; 7000ft
1919Australia's Own** (J.E. Ward, 1919) prod. wr. dp, Jack Ward; Nellie Romer, Garry Gordon; romance
Sentimental Bloke, The* (Raymond Longford, 1919) probably wr. Lottie Lyell, Raymond Longford, from poem/book by C.J. Dennis, dp Arthur Higgins; Arthur Tauchert, Lottie Lyell, Gilbert Emery, C.J. Dennis >
Man From Kangaroo, The* (Wilfred Lucas, 1920) wr. Bess Meredyth, prod. E.J. Carroll, Snowy Baker, dp Robert V. Doerrer; Reg L 'Snowy' Baker (John Harland), Brownie Vernon, Charles Villiers, Walter Vincent, Wilfred Lucas, Malcolm MacKellar, David Edelsten; 6 reels; the first Carroll-Baker production
Kelly Gang, The* (Harry Southwell, 1920) Southwell Screen Plays, prod. wr. Harry Southwell, dp Charles Herschell; Godfrey Cass (Ned Kelly), V Upton Brown, Horace Crawford, Jack McGowan, Robert Inman, Thomas Sinclair, Harry Southwell, Cyril Mackay, Adele Inman, Maud Appleton, Frank Tomlin; 7500 ft.; first of Harry Southwell's 1920 productions
Breaking of the Drought, The* (Franklyn Barrett, 1920) Golden Wattle Film Syndicate, prod. Franklyn Barrett, wr. Jack North, Franklyn Barrett, from the play by Bland Holt, dp Franklyn Barrett; Trilby Clark, Dunstan Webb, Charles Beetham, Marie La Varre, John Faulkner, Rawdon Blandford, Nan Taylor, Arthur Albert, Ethel Henry; 6 reels; NFSA restoration
On Our Selection* (Raymond Longford, 1920) from stories by Steele Rudd (Arthur Hoey Davis); dp Arthur Higgins, titles Syd Nicholls; Percy Walshe, Beatrice Esmond, Tal Ordell; Percy Walshe, Beatrice Esmond, Tal Ordell, Arthur Greenaway, Evelyn Johnson, Fred Coleman, Charlotte Beaumont, Arthur Wilson, Olga Willard, Nellie Bisell, Carmen Coleman, David Edelsten, Ted Andrews; comedy; 6890 ft.
Robbery Under Arms* (Kenneth Brampton, 1920) Pacific Photo Plays, wr. Kenneth Brampton, from the novel by Rolf Boldrewood, dp Lacey Percival; Kenneth Brampton, S. A. Fitzgerald, Ronald Conway, Cliff Pyatt, Roy Redgrave; 5200 ft
Hordern Mystery, The* (Harry Southwell, 1920) aka The Golden Flame, Harry Southwell, Southwell Screen Plays, wr. Miss M.F. Garwood from the novel by Edward Finn, dp Tasman Higgins; Claude Turton, Flo Little, Floris St George, Godfrey Cass, Thomas Sinclair, Beatrice Hamilton, David Edelsten; 5600 ft.; the second of Harry Southwell's 1920 productions
1921Possum Paddock** (Charles Villiers, Kate Howarde, 1921) prod. Kate Howarde, from her play, dp Lacey Percival, 6500 ft.; John Cosgrove, James Martin, Leslie Adrien, Jack Kirby; Andrew McQuade is a burly and bearded man of the land who has fought his way through years of drought and hardship and now faces ruin because of a bank loan he cannot repay. Reluctantly he decides to sell a fifty-acre field known as 'Possum Paddock.
Silks And Saddles* (John K. Wells, 1921) aka Queen of the Turf, Commonwealth Pictures, wr. John K. Wells from story by John Cosgrove, dp Al Burne; Brownie Vernon, Robert MacKinnon, John Cosgrove, John Faulkner, Tal Ordell, Evelyn Johnson, Raymond Lawrence, Gerald Harcourt, Tommy Denman, Keeaquhair; 5500 ft. Brownie Vernon dominates all of her scenes as a graceful and good-humoured heroine, and she provides a more coquettish version than usual of the distinctively Australian heroine who can handle horses and even a two-up game with the station hands, yet emerge demure and dainty when the social occasion arises.
Girl of the Bush, A* (Franklyn Barrett, 1921) Barrett's Australian Productions - the first of three for this company; Vera James, Jack Martin, Herbert Linden; the second of the only two films directed by Franklyn Barrett that still exist, thanks to the NFSA; 6000ft. The film is firmly in the squatter's-daughter tradition: the heroine rides and works as the equal of the men, yet at other times displays a more conventional form of screen femininity, for example, bathing demurely in the nude in a bush pool.
Life Story Of John Lee, The, or The Man They Could Not Hang * (Arthur W. Sterry, 1921) Sterry and Haldane, wr. Arthur W. Sterry; dp Tasman Higgins; Rose Rooney, David Edelsten; 6 reels; remake of the 1912 film of the same name; it was remade again - with sound - by Raymond Longford in 1934
Circumstance** (Lawson Harris, 1922) prod. Lawson Harris, Austral Super Films, wr. Lawson Harris, Yvonne Pavis, dp Arthur Higgins; Yvonne Pavis, Carlton Max, Cane Arthur, Lawson Harris, David Edelsten, Gordon Collingridge; 5 reels
Sunshine Sally** (Lawson Harris, 1922) aka Winnie of Woolloomooloo; prod. Lawson Harris, Yvonne Pavis, Austral Super Films, wr. John Cosgrove, dp Arthur Higgins, 5000 ft.; Yvonne Pavis, Joy Revelle, John Cosgrove, Dinks Patterson, Mrs Hutton, J.P. O'Neill, Sheila Moore, Lionel Lunn, Mervyn Barrington, Maude Ranier.
1923When The Kellys Were Out** (Harry Southwell, 1923) aka The True Story of the Kelly Gang; prod. wr. Harry Southwell, dp Tasman Higgins; 8 reels; Godfrey Cass (Ned Kelly)
1924Digger Earl, The** (Beaumont Smith, 1924) Beaumont Smith's Productions, wr. Beaumont Smith, dp Lacey Percival; Arthur Tauchert, Gordon Collingridge, Lotus Thompson
Daughter Of The East (Roy Darling, 1924) aka The Boy Of The Dardanelles; prod. wr. Adam Tavlaridi, Blue Bird Films, dp Tasman Higgins; Dorothy Hawtree, Paul Eden, Catherine Tearle, Charles Villiers, Adam Tavlaridi; a melodrama of Anzac Cove
1925Painted Daughters** (F. Stuart-Whyte, 1925) Australasian Films, dp Lacey Percival; Zara Clinton, Nina Devitt, Billie Sim, Marie Lorraine, Loretta May, Fernande Butler, Lucille Lisle, Peggy Pryde, Belle Bates, Phyllis Du Barry, Rawdon Blandford, Martin Walker, William O'Hanlon, Compton Coutts, Billy Ryan, Herbert Walton, Grafton Williams, Roland Conway, Louis Witts, S. Hackett
Adventures of Algy, The* (Beaumont Smith, 1925) wr. prod. Beaumont Smith, Beaumont Smith's Productions, dp Lacey Percival, Frank Stewart, Syd Taylor, Charles Barton; Claude Dampier (Algernon Allison), Bathie Stuart (Kiwi McGill), Eric Harrison, Billie Carlyle, George Chalmers, Lester Brown, Eric Yates, Beaumont Smith, Hilda Attenboro, Verna Blain; 6500 ft
Those Terrible Twins** (J.E. Ward, 1925) aka Those Terrible Twins Ginger Meggs and Bluey, J.E. Ward Productions; Ray Griffen (Ginger Meggs), Billy Canstell (Bluey), Kitty Willoby
Around The Boree Log* (Phil K. Walsh, 1925) prod. wr. Phil K. Walsh from the poems by John O'Brien, dp Lacey Percival, 7100 ft; cast unknown
Jewelled Nights** (Louise Lovely, Wilton Welch, 1925) wr. Louise Lovely, Wilton Welch from novel by Marie Bjelke Petersen; prod. Louise Lovely, Wilton Welch; Louise Lovely, Gordon Collingridge, Godfrey Cass; osmiridium mining in Tasmania
1926Moth Of Moonbi, The** (Charles Chauvel, 1926) wr. Charles Chauvel, novel Mabel Forrest, The Wild Moth, dp Al Burne; Chauvel's first feature; Marsden Hassall, Doris Ashwin, Arthur Tauchert, 9000ft; Charles Chauvel's first feature was a modest romantic adventure about an innocent young country girl drawn to the bright lights of the city
The Tenth Straw* (Robert G. McAnderson, 1926) Pacific Films, dp Claud C. Carter, 6 reels; Peggy Paul, Ernest Lauri, James Cornell, Jack Fisher, Syd Everett, Robert Ball, Robert G. McAnderson convict melodrama
Jungle Woman, The* (Frank Hurley, 1926) prod. wr. dp Frank Hurley, Stoll Picture Productions, 6070 ft; Eric Bransby Williams, Grace Savieri, Jameson Thomas, Lillian Douglas, W.G. Saunders
Pioneers, The** (Raymond Longford, 1926) prod. Australasian Films: A Master Picture, wr. Lottie Lyell, from the novel by Katharine Susannah Prichard, sp Arthur Higgins; 8000 ft; Virginia Beresford, William Thornton, Augustus Neville, George Chalmers, W Dummitt, Robert Purdie, 'Big' Bill Wilson
Hound Of The Deep, The* (Frank Hurley, 1926) aka Pearl of the South Seas; prod. wr. dp Frank Hurley, Stoll Picture Productions; 4950 ft; Jameson Thomas, Eric Bransby Williams, W.G. Saunders, Lillian Douglas; see also The Jungle Woman
Greenhide** (Charles Chauvel, 1926) Elsa Chauvel (as Elsie Sylvaney), Gerald Barlow, Irma Dearden; drama; Charles and Elsa Chauvel met on this film and were married in 1927; The cast was led by Elsie Sylvaney (born Elsie Wilcox in 1898), a young actress from the Brisbane stage, who became engaged to Chauvel during production and married him in June the next year; as Elsa Chauvel, she collaborated with him in film production thereafter.
Those who Love** (P. J. Ramster, Paulette McDonagh, 1926) MCD Productions, prod. wr. Paulette McDonagh, prod. manager & art dir. Phyllis McDonagh; Marie Lorraine [Isobel McDonagh] Paulette progressively assumed responsibility for the production, and Ramster was relegated to the position of 'technical director'
Kid Stakes, The* (Tal Ordell, 1927) 'Pop' Ordell, Charles Roberts, Ray Salmon, Frank Boyd; based on the character of Fatty Finn, as created by cartoonist, Syd Nicholls (1896-1977), first film to be based on a comic strip; Fatty Finn is the only comic character in Australia to have inspired two films; story concerns goat racing
For the Term of his Natural Life* (Norman Dawn, 1927) George Fisher (Rufus Dawes), Eva Novak, Dunstan Webb, Jessica Harcourt, Arthur McLaglen, Marion Marcus Clarke; prison saga
Environment* (Gerald. Hayle, 1927) prod. Vaughan C. Marshall, Advance Films, wr. Gerald M. Hayle, dp Tasman Higgins, 6000 ft; Beth Darvall, Hal Percy, Colin Campbell, Alf Scarlett, Arthur Bruce, Jim Joyce, Dorothy May, Max Sorelle, Kitty Mostyn, Viva Vawden, Charles Brown, George Gilbert, Edward Landor, Phyllis Best
Romance Of Runnibede, The* (Scott R. Dunlap, 1928) prod. Frederick Phillips, Phillips Film Productions, intertitles Gayne Dexter, from the novel by Steele Rudd, dp Len Roos, Cliff Thomas, 6000 ft; Eva Novak, Gordon Collingridge, Claude Saunders, Roland Conway, Dunstan Webb, Marion Marcus Clarke, Virginia Ainsworth
Shattered Illusion, The* (A.G. Harbrow, 1928) wr. A.G. Harbrow, Victorian Film Productions, dp Reg Robinson; 5000 ft (?) J. Robertson Aiken, Gret Wiseman, Don Winder, Mary McDermott, Jack Hooper, A.G. Harbrow, Alec Sutherland, Norman Arthur, Clare Dight
Menace, The** (Cyril J. Sharpe, 1928) prod. Percy Juchau, Juchau Productions, wr. Louise Miller (?) dp Jack Bruce; David Edelsten (doctor); man discovers his wife is a drug addict
Spirit Of Gallipoli, The* (Keith Gategood, William Green, 1928) prod. Keith Gategood, William Green, wr. Hal Carleton, dp Jack Fletcher; 5000 ft; Keith Gategood, William Green, Samuel Harris, Gwen Sherwood, Marie Miller
Trooper O'Brien* (John Gavin, 1928) prod. Herbert Finlay, Australian Artists Company, wr. Agnes Gavin, dp Arthur Higgins, c. 5500 ft; Merle Ridgeway, Gordon Collingridge, John Gavin, Charles Stanford, Nellie Ferguson, Ernest Lauri, Sybil Atholwood, Jimmy McMahon, Reg Quartley, Betty Taylor, Cis Peachy, Martin Kelly, Will Harris, Violet Elliot, Walter Vincent, Carlton Stuart, William Thornton
Adorable Outcast, The* (Norman Dawn, 1928) aka Black Cargoes of the South Seas; Australasian Films, a Union Master World Picture; prod. wr. Norman Dawn from novel Conn of the Coral Seas, by Beatrice Grimshaw, dp Arthur Higgins, William Trerise; Edith Roberts, Edmund Burns, Walter Long, Jessica Harcourt, John Gavin, Katherine Dawn, Arthur McLaglen, Arthur Tauchert, Fred Twitcham, Compton Coutts, William O'Hanlon, Claude Turton, Charles Weatherly, Tom Dalton, Walter Hunt; action adventure; 7300 ft
Caught In The Net* (Vaughan C. Marshall, 1928) prod. Vaughan C. Marshall, Advance Films, dp Tasman Higgins, 5 reels; Zillah Bateman, John Mayer, Charles Brown, Peggy Farr, Viva Vawden, Felix St H. Jellicoe, Beverley Usher
Far Paradise, The** (Paulette McDonagh, 1928) MCD Productions, wr. Paulette McDonagh, dp Jack Fletcher, prod. manager & art dir. Phyllis McDonagh; Marie Lorraine [Isobel McDonagh], Gaston Mervale, Arthur McLaglen; romance; 7000 ft; tho Pike & Cooper show this as incomplete, the DVD copy available in the NFSA is shown in the catalog with a duration of 75 minutes, which suggests that this is the complete film
Birth of White Australia** (Phil K. Walsh, 1928) Dominion Films. wr. Phil K Walsh, dp Lacey Percival, Walter Sully, 6000 ft (?) Bert Trawley, Dot McConville, Rita Aslin, Alice Layton, Frank Hardingham, Pietro Sosso, Gamboola; investment for the film came from the country town of Young which also seems to have been its principal audience (O'Regan: 346) drama, thriller (Verhoeven)
Exploits Of The Emden, The** (Ken G. Hall, 1928) First National Pictures, prod. wr. ed. Ken G. Hall, dp Claude C. Carter, asspro Victor Bindley; dramatised history: reconstruction of the 9 November 1914 battle Sydney vs Emden which the latter lost
Devil's Playground, The* (Victor Bindley, 1928) Fineart Films Productions, from the lyrics of 'Hell's Highway' by Ashley Durham, titles, continuity: John Bedouin, dp Jack Bruce, James Grant, Jack Fletcher, 8385 ft; John R. Allen, Elza Stenning, Petrie Potter, Terry Short, John Haddock, Richard Alrich, 'Dick' Fletcher, Cyril Callaghan, Edna Crofts, Stanley Murdoch, Vera Campbell; "South Sea island genre"
Marie Lorraine, Josef Bembach in one of the sound scenes
Cheaters, The* (Paulette McDonagh, 1930) wr. Paulette McDonagh; Marie Lorraine [Isabel McDonagh], Josef Bambach, Arthur Greenaway; made as a silent, with sound effects added later, so considered to be first sound film in that sense [cf. Spur Of The Moment]
Diggers* (Frank W. Thring, Pat Hanna, 1931) comic adventures of Chic (Hanna) and Joe; followed by Diggers in Blighty and Waltzing Matilda; opened 6 November 1931
Spur Of The Moment* (A.R. Harwood, 1931) talkie, static indoors melodrama; opened 26 September 1931, together with Isle Of Intrigue
Isle Of Intrigue** (A.R. Harwood, 1931) Dorothy Stanward, James Alexander, Helene Best, Darcy Kelway; pearling schooners of a trading firm are being robbed by a mysterious pirate; opened 26 September 1931
Showgirl's Luck* (Norman Dawn, 1931) aka Talkie Mad; Susan Denis, Arthur Tauchert, Arthur Clarke; comedy musical; full-length talkie; opened November (Shirley) or December (Pike) 1931 >
Sentimental Bloke, The* (F. W. Thring, 1932) wr. C. J. Dennis; Cecil Scott, Ray Fisher, Tal Ordell; 92 min.
On Our Selection* (Ken G. Hall, 1932) aka Down on the Farm Cinesound Productions, prod. Bert Bailey, wr. Bert Bailey, Ken G. Hall from works of Steele Rudd, dp Walter Sully, sound Arthur Smith, Clive Cross, technical support Bert Cross; Bert Bailey, Fred MacDonald, Alfreda Bevan
His Royal Highness* (F. W. Thring, 1932) aka His Loyal Highness; George Wallace (feature debut)
Diggers In Blighty* (Pat Hanna, 1933) Pat Hanna Productions, ass. dir. Raymond Longford, wr. Pat Hanna, dp Arthur Higgins; 72 mins; Pat Hanna, Joe Valli, George Moon, Norman French, John D'Arcy, Prudence Irving, Thelma Scott, Edwin Brett, Nellie Mortyne, Isa Crossley, Raymond Longford, Guy Hastings, Field Fisher, George Randall, Alfred Frith, Reg Wykeham, Sylvia Sterling
Harmony Row* (F. W. Thring, 1933) Efftee Film Productions, wr. George Wallace, dp Arthur Higgins, 78 mins; George Wallace, Phyllis Baker, Marshall Crosby, John Dobbie, Willie Kerr [Bill Kerr], Bill Innes, Edwin Brett, Norman Shepherd, Norman French, Bebe Scott, Gertrude Boswell, Leonard Stephens, Dan Thomas, Nell Fleming, Nell Crane, Elza Stenning, Thelma Scott, Dorothy Weeks, Johnny Marks, Campbell Copelin; comedy
In the Wake of the Bounty* (Charles Chauvel, 1933) wr. Charles Chauvel, dp Tasman Higgins, sound Arthur Smith, Clive Cross; Arthur Greenaway (narrator), Mayne Lynton (Bligh); Errol Flynn (Fletcher Christian); dramatised history, filmed Tahiti and Pitcairn; debut of Errol Flynn (right, right), in the fictionalised part of the movie, as Fletcher Christian; he will later be a big star in HW
Squatter's Daughter, The* (Ken G. Hall, 1933) prod. Ken G. Hall, Cinesound Productions, wrs Gayne Dexter, E. V. Timms, play by 'Albert Edmunds' (Bert Bailey & Edmund Duggan), photography: Frank Hurley, George Malcolm; Owen Ainley, W. Lane Bayliff, Dorothy Dunkley, Jocelyn Howarth, George Lloyd, Grant Lyndsay, Fred Macdonald, Claude Turton, Katie Towers, Les Warton, John Warwick; 35 mm, 104 min. Romeo and Juliet story
Waltzing Matilda* (Pat Hanna, 1933) comedy with the boys from the Diggers films; Hanna's last film, Coral Browne's first and only Australian film; Pat Hanna with Norman French and hangover >
Hayseeds, The* (Beaumont Smith, 1933) Cecil Kellaway; characters from Smith's six silent films with the Hayseed family
Ticket In Tatts, A* (F.W. Thring, 1934) Efftee Film Productions, wr. George Wallace, John P. McLeod, dp Arthur Higgins; George Wallace, Frank Harvey, Campbell Copelin; 88 min.
Secret Of The Skies* (A.R. Harwood, 1934) Centenary Films, wr. Laurence Brewer, dp Stan Pentreath, 56 mins; John D'Arcy, Norman Shepherd, Ella Bromley, Fred Patey, James Dee, Paul Allsop, Guy Hastings, Ada Koradgi, Norman Banks, Eddie Balmer
Silence of Dean Maitland, The* (Ken G. Hall, 1934) Cinesound Productions, prod. Ken G. Hall, wr. Gayne Dexter, Edmund Barclay from play by Maxwell Gray, dp Frank Hurley; John Longden (Dean Maitland), Charlotte Francis (Alma Lee), Jocelyn Howarth, Bill Kerr (Cyril Maitland Jnr); clergyman murders the father of his pregnant lover and then allows his best friend to be convicted for the crime; 97 min.
Man They Could Not Hang, The* (Raymond Longford, 1934) Invicta Productions, wr. Lorrie Webb from a 'dramatisation' by Rigby C. Tearle, dp George Malcolm, George Heath; Ronald Roberts, Arthur W. Sterry, Ethel Bashford, Olive Sinclair; based on true story of John Lee; 78 min.
When the Kellys Rode* (Harry Southwell, 1934) Imperial Feature Films, wr. Harry Southwell, dp Tasman Higgins, sound Clive Cross; 79 mins; Hay Simpson (Ned Kelly), John Appleton, Norman Wait, Robert Inglis, George Randall, Regina Somerville, Kathleen Hamilton, June Middleton, Lorraine Smith, Vashti Wallace, Charles Villiers, Billie Dean, George Doran, Stan Tolhurst, George Lees, Victor Wallen, Louis Grant, Keith Clune, Hugh Raynor, Walter Vincent, Victor Morcom, Howard Carr, Bertie Wright
Clara Gibbings* (F.W. Thring, 1934) wr. Frank Harvey, dp Arthur Higgins; Efftee Film Production, wr. Frank Harvey, from the play by Aimee &Phillip Stuart, dp Arthur Higgins; 81 mins; Dorothy Brunton (Clara Gibbings), Campbell Copelin, Harvey Adams, Noel Boyd, Harold Meade, Byrl Walkley, Marshall Crosby, Russell Scott, Guy Hastings
Strike Me Lucky* (Ken G. Hall, 1934) Cinesound Productions, wr. Victor Roberts, George D. Parker, dp Frank Hurley, George Heath; Roy Rene (Mo), Yvonne Banvard, Lorraine Smith, John D'Arcy, Eric Masters, Alex McKinnon, Dan Agar, Baby Pamela Bevan, Molly Raynor, Bert Le Blanc; vehicle for Roy Rene (Harry Van der Sluice aka Henry van der Sluys) as Mo McMackie; Roy Rene's father was a Dutch Jew and and his mother Anglo-Jewish; 87 mins
Splendid Fellows* (Beaumont Smith, 1934) Frank Leighton (as Hon. Hubert Montmorency Ralston); also promoted in NZ with the subtitle The Hayseeds at the Melbourne Centenary; Beaumont Smith's last film; buddy movie; cameo by Charles Kingsford Smith
Streets Of London, The* (F.W. Thring, 1934) Efftee Film Productions, dp Arthur Higgins; 85 mins; Frank Harvey, Ethel Newman, Leonard Stephens, Phyllis Baker, Guy Hastings, Campbell Copelin, Noel Boyd, Ashton Jarry, Frank Bradley, George Blunt, Beatrice Esmonde, Darcy Kelway
1935Grandad Rudd (Ken G. Hall, 1935) aka Ruling the Roost, wr. Victor Roberts, George D. Parker from the play by Bert Bailey adapted from stories by Steele Rudd, Cinesound Productions, prod. Bert Bailey, Ken G. Hall, dp Frank Hurley, George Heath; Bert Bailey, Fred MacDonald, George Lloyd; 90 min.
Heritage* (Charles Chauvel, 1935) Expeditionary Films, wr. Charles Chauvel, dp Tasman Higgins, Arthur Higgins, asspro Ann Wynn [Elsa Chauvel], sound Alan Mill; early days of colonial Australia; 94 min.
Burgomeister, The** (Harry Southwell, 1935) aka Hypnotised, Flames of Conscience [previously made as The Bells]; Film Players Corporation, prod. Harry Southwell, wr. Denzil Batchelor from the adaptation by Leopold Lewis of the play Le Juif Polonais by Erckmann-Chatrian, dp George Heath, ed. William Shepherd, art director James Coleman, Rupert Kathner, sound Clive Cross; 56 mins (?); Harry Southwell, Muriel Meredith, Janet Johnson, Ross Vernon, Stan Tolhurst, Gabriel Toyne, Harold Meade, Bertie Wright, Leslie Victor, Lily Molloy, Judy Eccles, Paul Furness, James Toohey, June Munro, Alf Scarlett, Reginald Riddell
1936Thoroughbred* (Ken G. Hall, 1936) prod. Ken G. Hall, Cinesound Productions, wr. Edmond Seward, dp George Heath, sound Clive Cross; Helen Twelvetrees, Frank Leighton, John Longden, Nellie Barnes, Ronald Whelan; 89 min.
Flying Doctor, The* (Miles Mander, 1936) National Productions/Gaumont-British Picture Corporation, wr. J.O.C. Orton, Miles Mander 
from the novel by Robert Waldron, dp Derick Williams, camera operator Errol Hinds, Mel Nichols, John Howes, camera assistant Damien Parer; 92 mins; Charles Farrell (Sandy Nelson), Mary Maguire, James Raglan, Joe Valli, Margaret Vyner, Eric Colman, Tom Lurich, Maudie Edwards, Katie Towers, Phillip Lytton, Andrew Beresford, Jack Clarke, Phil Smith, Donald Bradman (himself), Frank Coughlan and the Trocadero Orchestra
Uncivilized* (Charles Chauvel, 1936) Expeditionary Films, wr. Charles Chauvel, E. V. Timms, dp Tasman Higgins, music Lindley Evans, assdir Frank Coffey, Ann Wynn [Elsa Chauvel]; Dennis Hoey, Margot Rhys, Ashton Jarry; adventure; woman kidnapped by Aborigines led by white man; northern Qld; 82 min.
White Death* (Edwin G. Bowen, 1936) wr. Frank Harvey; Zane Grey financed and starred; adventure about great white shark; Barrier Reef Films, prod. Edwin G. Bowen, wr. Frank Harvey, dp H.C. Anderson, Arthur Higgins; 81 mins; Zane Grey (himself), Alfred Frith, Nola Warren, John Weston, Harold Colonna, James Coleman, Peter Williams, Frank Big Belt
Orphan of the Wilderness* (Ken G. Hall, 1936) aka Wild Innocence; prod. Ken G. Hall, Cinesound Productions, wr. Edmond Seward from story by Dorothy Cottrell, 'Wilderness Orphan', dp George Heath, sound Clive Cross; Brian Abbot, Gwen Munro, Ethel Saker, Harry Abdy; family story about a boxing kangaroo; 85 min.
Rangle River* (Clarence G. Badger, 1936) aka Men With Whips; wr. Charles Chauvel, Elsa Chauvel, story Zane Grey; Victor Jory, Margaret Dare, Robert Coote; western
It Isn't Done* (Ken G. Hall, 1937) prod. Ken G. Hall, Cinesound Productions, wr. Frank Harvey, Carl Dudley, story by Cecil Callaway, dp George Heath, sound Clive Cross; Cecil Callaway, Shirley Ann Richards, John Longden, Frank Harvey; comedy about social class; 90 min.
Mystery Island* (J.A. Lipman, 1937) Commonwealth Film Laboratories, exec. prod. Jack Bruce, prod. dp George Malcolm, wr. Harry Lauder 2nd, story Captain T.D. Bairnsfather; 56 mins; Brian Abbot, Jean Laidley, W. Lane Bayliff, William Carroll, George Doran, Desmond Hay, Mollie Kerwin, Moncrieff Macallum, Douglas MacKinnon, Edward Druitt
Phantom Gold* (Rupert Kathner, 1937) Kathner-Tolhurst Australian Productions, prod. wr. dp Rupert Kathner; 64 mins; Stan Tolhurst (Harry Lasseter), Bryce Russell, Captain W.L. Pittendrigh (himself), Bob Buck (himself), Old Warts (himself), Reg King, narrator Captain A.C. Stevens
Tall Timbers* (Ken G. Hall, 1937) prod. Ken G. Hall, Cinesound Productions, wr. Frank Harvey from Frank Hurley story, dp George Heath; 89 mins., 35 mm.; Frank Leighton, Shirley Ann Richards, Aileen Britton, Campbell Copelin, Letty Craydon, Peter Dunstan, Frank Harvey, George Lloyd, Joe Valli, Ronald Whelan
Avenger, The* (A. R. Harwood, 1937) New Era Film Productions, wr. Bert Hollis, dp Arthur Higgins, Tasman Higgins; 55 mins; Douglas Stuart, John Fernside, Karen Greyson, Marcia Melville, Marshall Crosby, George Lloyd, Raymond Longford, Pat Twohill, Jim Max, Albert Callanan, Reg King, Jack Couver, Val Atkinson, Fay Revel, Winnie Edgerton, Rae Maurice, Jeanne Battye, Mardy Harwood, 'Tich' Irvine, Midge Harwood
Lovers and Luggers* (Ken G. Hall, 1937) aka Vengeance of the Deep (US title) Cinesound Productions, prod. Ken G Hall, wr. Frank Harvey, story Edmund Barclay from the novel by Gurney Slade, dp George Heath, Frank Hurley, sound Clive Cross; 99 mins; Lloyd Hughes, Shirley Ann Richards, Sidney Wheeler, James Raglan, Elaine Hamill, Frank Harvey, Ronald Whelan, Alec Kellaway, Leslie Victor, Campbell Copelin, Charlie Chan, Marcelle Marnay, Horace Cleary, Claude Turton, Bobbie Hunt, Paul Furness, Charles Zoli
Broken Melody, The* (Ken G. Hall, 1938) prod. Ken G. Hall, Cinesound Features; wr. Frank Harvey from the novel by F J Thwaites; dp George Heath, ed. William Shepherd, 89 mins; Lloyd Hughes, Diana Du Cane, Frank Harvey, Rosalind Kennerdale, Alec Kellaway, Harry Abdy, Rita Pauncefort, Harold Meade, June Munro, Ronald Whelan, Lionello Cecil, Letty Craydon, Marshall Crosby, Gough Whitlam; 89 mins
Let George Do It* (Ken G. Hall, 1938) aka In the Nick of Time; Cinesound Productions, prod. Ken G Hall, wr. George Wallace, Frank Harvey, story Hal Carleton, dp George Heath, sound Clive Cross; George Wallace, Letty Craydon, Joe Valli, Alec Kellaway, Gwen Munro, George Lloyd, Harry Abdy, Neil Carlton, Leal Douglas, Jack Settle, Millie Doris, Sid Doody, Lou Vernon, Butt and Berrigan, Charles Lawrence, Stan Tolhurst, Dud Cantrell's Vocal Trio, Pat Noonan, Frank Perrin, Dan Agar; speedboat chase on Sydney Harbour; 79 min.
Typhoon Treasure* (Noel Monkman, 1938) aka The Perils Of Pakema Reef; Commonwealth Film Laboratories, wr. John P McLeod, dp George Malcolm, Harry Malcolm, continuity Kitty Gelhor; 89 mins; Campbell Copelin, Gwen Munro, Joe Valli, Douglas Herald, Kenneth Brampton, Norman French, Utan, Marshall Crosby, Moncrieff Macallum, Ossie Wenban, Douglas Channell, Benjamin Brown
Dad and Dave Come To Town* (Ken G. Hall, 1938) aka The Rudd Family Goes to Town; stories by Steele Rudd; Cinesound Productions, prod. Ken G Hall, wr. Frank Harvey, Bert Bailey, story Ken G. Hall, dp George Heath; 97 mins; Bert Bailey, Shirley Ann Richards, Fred MacDonald, Billy Rayes, Alec Kellaway, Sidney Wheeler, Connie Martyn, Ossie Wenban, Valerie Scanlan, Muriel Ford, Leila Steppe, Marshall Crosby, Peter Finch, Cecil Perry, Billy Stewart, Marie D'Alton, Leslie Victor, George Lloyd, Jack Settle, Sid Doody and Cyril Northcote, Raymond Longford; comedy; Peter Finch's first film
Below The Surface** (Rupert Kathner, 1938) Australian Cinema Entertainments, wr. Rupert Kathner, story Stan Tolhurst, dp Tasman Higgins; c. 55 mins; Phyllis Reilly, Neil Carlton, Stan Tolhurst, Jimmy McMahon, Lawrence Taylor, Reg King; two miners compete for an important coal contract
Mr Chedworth Steps Out* (Ken G. Hall, 1939) Cinesound Productions, prod. Ken G Hall, wr. Frank Harvey, based on a novel by Francis Morton Howard, dp George Heath; 92 mins; Cecil Kellaway, James Raglan, Joan Deering, Rita Pauncefort
Gone to the Dogs* (Ken G. Hall, 1939) Cinesound Features, prod. Ken G. Hall, wr. George Wallace, Frank Harvey, Frank Coffey, dp George Heath; 83 mins; George Wallace, Lois Green, John Dobbi, John Fleeting, Ronald Whelan, Alec Kellaway, Letty Craydon, Kathleen Esler, Hughie (Aloysius, the dog)
Come Up Smiling* (William Freshman, 1939) aka Ants In His Pants; prod. Ken G. Hall, Cinesound Features, wr. William Freshman, story John Addison Chandler [Ken G. Hall], dp George Heath; Will Mahoney (Barney O'Hara), Shirley Ann Richards (Eve Cameron), Jean Hatton, Evie Hayes, Sidney Wheeler, Alec Kellaway, Guy Hastings, John Fleeting, Ronald Whelan, Harry Abdy, George Lloyd and Chips Rafferty (men in the crowd); 77 mins
Seven Little Australians* (Arthur Greville Collins, 1939) O.B. Pictures, wr. Patrick V. Ryan, from the novel by Ethel Turner, dp George Malcolm; 63 mins; Charles McCallum, Patricia McDonald, Sandra Jaques, Robert Gray, Mary McGowan, Janet Gleeson, Ronald Rousel, Nancy Gleeson, Donald Tall, Harold Meade
1940Dad Rudd, M.P.* (Ken G. Hall, 1940) prod. Ken G Hall, Cinesound Features, wr. Frank Harvey, Bert Bailey, dp George Heath; 83 mins; Bert Bailey, Connie Martyn, Yvonne East, Fred MacDonald, Ossie Wenban, Valerie Scanlan, Alec Kellaway, Frank Harvey, Grant Taylor, Jean Robertson, Barbara Weekes, Ronald Whelan, Chips Rafferty (fireman), Raymond Longford (electoral officer)
Wings Of Destiny* (Rupert Kathner, 1940) prod. Rupert Kathner, Enterprise Film Company, wr. Rupert Kathner, Alma Brooks, dp Arthur Higgins, Joe Stafford, Tasman Higgins, ed. Syd Wood, art dir. Guy Crick, sound Mervyn Murphy; 68 mins; Marshall Crosby, John Fernside, George Lloyd, Cecil Perry, Johnny Williams, Jimmy McMahon, Reginald King, 
Patricia McDonald, Raymond Longford, Stan Robinson; espionage thriller
40000 Horsemen* (Charles Chauvel, 1940) Forty Thousand Horsemen, wr. Elsa Chauvel, dp George Heath; Grant Taylor, Betty Bryant, Chips Rafferty, Pat Twohill, Michael Pate's debut film - as an extra; WW1
That Certain Something* (Clarence G. Badger, 1941) Megan Edwards, Thelma Grigg, Georgie Sterling, Lou Vernon; film director looks for a girl with 'it' [Badger also made the film called It (1927) with Clara Bow]
Power And The Glory, The* (Noel Monkman, 1941) aka The Invaders; Argosy Films, wr. Noel Monkman, Harry Lauder 2nd, story Noel Monkman, dp Arthur Higgins, aerial photography George Malcolm, Bert Nicholas, ed. Frank Coffey; 93 mins; Katrin Rosselle, Eric Bush, Lou Vernon, Eric Reiman, Peter Finch, Sidney Wheeler, Charles Kilburn, Joe Valli, John Fernside, Max Osbiston, Beatrice Wenban, Harry Abdy, Horace Cleary, Ron Dargin, Clement Kennedy, Raymond Longford, Arnold Riches, Keith Connolly
Racing Luck* (Rupert Kathner, 1941) prod. Rupert Kathner, Fanfare Films, assprod. Alma Brooks dp Tasman Higgins; 66 mins; Joe Valli (Darkie), George Lloyd (Bluey), Marshall Crosby, Olga Moore, Keith Wood, Connie Martyn, Darby Munro (himself), Raymond Longford; comic adventure; final appearance of Raymond Longford
Darby Munro aboard Peter Pan at Flemington [not from this film] >
Yank In Australia, A* (Alf Goulding, 1942) Austral-American Productions, wr. Alf Goulding, dp George Malcolm, sound Jack Bruce; 65 mins; Al Thomas, Hartney Arthur, Kitty Bluett, Jane Conolly, Graham Wicker, Alf Goulding, Joy Nichols, Frank Bradley, Marie La Varre
Rats Of Tobruk, The* (Charles Chauvel, 1944) Chamun Productions, wr. Charles & Elsa Chauvel, dp George Heath, music Lindley Evans, sound Jack Bruce, L. J. Stuart; Grant Taylor, Peter Finch, Chips Rafferty; war; 95 min.
Red Sky At Morning* (Arthur Hartney, 1944) aka Escape At Dawn in 1951 re-release; play by Dymphna Cusack; dp Rupert Kathner; historical romance set 1812; 55 min; Austral-American Productions, wr. Hartney Arthur, from the play Red Sky at Morning by Dymphna Cusack, dp Rupert Kathner, Bob Gould, ed. Alex Ezard, Ross Wood, art dir. Gwen Oatley, sound Mervyn Murphy; Peter Finch, Jean McAllister, John Alden, Dorothea Dunstan, Desmond Rolfe, Dorothy Whiteley
Harvest Gold* (Kevin Murphy, 1945) prod. Harold Gray, Supreme Sound System, sponsor Caltex, dp Arthur Higgins, ed. James Pearson; 55 mins; Joe Valli, Harry Abdy, Tal Ordell, Leal Douglas, Ethel Lang, Maurice Flannery, Clifton Penny, Bruce Beeby, Grace Lappin, Zoe Holland, Peter Dunstan, Beverley McMahon
Garry Gillard | New: 20 December, 2012 | Now: 17 June, 2022