Titles from the 1930s
133 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2 3
R (continued)
Revolution by Referendum: Political advertisement by Mr Costello advertisement – c1932
One of many activists or political aspirants who have proposed socialist visions for the country’s future over its recent history.
Rinso Soap Powder: Then Came Happiness advertisement – 1931
Helen, worn out by the drudge of washing day, is introduced to Rinso by a girlfriend during a bridge night.
Rinso Washing Powder: Fairy Story Comes True advertisement – c1935
A young girl helps grant her mother’s wish to have a washing day that does not require long hours of scrubbing.
Rodeo documentary – c1934
This silent documentary is about a rodeo held in northern Queensland in approximately 1934. It features 500 participants parading through the streets of Townsville.
S
Safety First sponsored film – c1936
This early road safety film uses drama, artwork and song to show children the correct way to behave when on the road.
Sellex Crockery: Red Riding Hood advertisement – c1930
This appeals to the ‘pester power’ of children by using an animated cartoon to promote Sellex products.
Siege of the South documentary – 1931
Frank Hurley documents Australia’s rich history of scientific exploration of the Australian Antarctic Territory.
The Silence of Dean Maitland feature film – 1934
Renowned filmmaker Ken G Hall was concerned that this film would incite religious anger, but it was a smash hit instead.
Silver City sponsored film – 1936
This film is narrated with Frank Hurley’s typical flamboyance and presents mining as instrumental to maintaining the livelihood of over 100,000 Australians.
Spirit of Progress: Australia’s Wonder Train documentary – 1937
As the only new passenger train to be constructed in Australia during the 1930s, the Spirit of Progress was a symbol of technological achievement.
Splendid Fellows feature film – 1934
Famous Australian aviator, Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, and his famous plane, have cameo roles in this comedy adventure.
The Squatter’s Daughter feature film – 1933
Flammable nitrate film fed the fires in the spectacular bushfire finale to Ken G Hall’s The Squatter’s Daughter. The fires rapidly got out of control during filming but no one was hurt.
Stan Ray and George Moon Jnr: Specialty Dancers historical – 1931
Entertainers Stan Ray and George Moon Jnr perform a tap dancing routine on one of the stages inside His Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne.
Strike Me Lucky feature film – 1934
The Holocaust made vaudeville star Roy Rene’s Jewish caricatures unacceptable in later years, but this wasn’t the case in 1934.
T
Take Notice documentary – 1939
Take Notice uses innovative and sophisticated filmmaking techniques to describe the need for a solution to rising rents and substandard living conditions in Sydney.
Tall Timbers feature film – 1937
The finale, in which a whole hillside of trees are felled, was shot as a miniature in the studio after repeated attempts on location.
Tasmanian countryside, Hobart and Tasmanian Tiger historical – c1932
A Tasmanian Tiger, Hobart City and the Tasmanian countryside are all showcased in this black-and-white actuality footage from the early 1930s.
Tasmanian Tiger Footage historical – 1932
In 1932, zoologist and naturalist David Fleay filmed some of the last known moving images of a living (now extinct) Tasmanian tiger.
Tatler News No 2, Dr Maloney MLA newsreel – c1934
Dr Maloney expresses concerns about social injustice and poverty, addresses women’s voting rights and approves removing the word 'illegitimate’ from the birth registry.
Tatler Social Newsreel: Social Party in South Yarra newsreel – c1934
Only a few Efftee newsreels have survived and this one is a vivid record of Melbourne society at play in the 1930s, complete with a society party in South Yarra.
Thar She Blows documentary – c1931
A short documentary about a whale hunt, including the dissection of the carcass and the conversion of blubber to oil.
That’s Cricket documentary – c1931
A featurette directed by Ken G Hall promoting cricket as the game that 'helps unite the Empire’ and is important to Australian identity.
Thoroughbred feature film – 1936
The ending of this film led to allegations of plagiarism, because it was almost identical to the 1934 film, Broadway Bill.
A Ticket in Tatts feature film – 1934
George Wallace helps a champion horse to avoid crooks and win a big race.
Toora Vale Ice Company, Berri: The Ice Man Was Never Like This advertisement – c1934
Animated slogans in this advertisement effectively promote the use of ice in refrigeration.
Toora Vale Ice Company, Berri: Welcome Mr Ice Man advertisement – c1934
The advertisement comes from a time when electrical goods were being heavily promoted for the home.
The Trail of the ‘Roo documentary – 1931
The Trail of the 'Roo is one of a handful of documentary featurettes made by the McDonagh sisters, pioneers of Australia’s early motion picture industry.
Treasures of Katoomba sponsored film – 1936
Frank Hurley’s sense of adventure and eye for landscape composition is evident in this charming travelogue promoting tourism in the Blue Mountains.
U
Uncivilised feature film – 1936
Uncivilised is basically an Australian Tarzan, but with an English singer, Dennis Hoey, playing the king of the jungle.
V
Victorian Police Radio Patrol sponsored film – c1931
This short dramatised scenario from 1931 demonstrates how wireless technology and morse radio clearly improve the ability of Victorian police to do their jobs.
W
Welcome to the English Cricket Team newsreel – 1932
At the start of what would become the infamous Bodyline series, there is no hint of hostility as Australian cricket captain Bill Woodfull welcomes the English squad to Australia.
White, AR: Tin Mining in Malaya home movie – c1930
Australians have engaged with the Asia-Pacific region through travel and enterprise for many decades, but moving image records like this one from the first half of the 20th century are not common.
Wrap Me Up With My Stockwhip and Blanket music – 1936
New Zealand-born Tex Morton created an awareness that country and western music could be an Australian form as much as it was an American form.
