All titles sourced from NFSA
1416 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 ... 28 29 next
1950s (continued)
November Victory documentary – 1955
November Victory was reported by ASIO officials as being a 'scandalously untrue and distorted film version of the 1954 waterfront strike’.
Smoky Dawson and the Singing Bullet radio – 1955
Smoky Dawson rescues his young friend Billy from two villains in this classic episode of the Smoky Dawson radio show.
Antarctic Voyage documentary – 1956
In 1955, the Danish ship Kista Dan takes a team of Australian scientists south for a year at Mawson, Australia’s new Antarctic research station.
The Argentine Ant documentary – 1956
This short CSIRO documentary explains how to identify and eradicate the Argentine ant, a domestic and agricultural pest.
Banners Held High documentary – 1956
The narrator, former wharfie Jock Levy, is one of the founders of the Waterside Workers’ Federation Film Unit.
The Bones of Building sponsored film – 1956
This Waterside Workers’ Federation Film Unit production is a safety film for building workers, commissioned by the Building Workers’ Industrial Union.
General Motors Holden – FE Holden: The Average Man advertisement – 1956
This is one of GMH’s early ventures into television advertising.
General Motors Holden – Holden Ute advertisement – c1956
The utility was Holden’s first foray into model diversification after its standard sedan.
General Motors Holden – Proved Dependability advertisement – c1956
This ad introduces written testimonials from 'satisfied owners’ of Holden cars, 'taxi drivers, men in the outback, commercial travellers, family men’.
General Motors Holden – To Suit All Family Needs advertisement – c1956
In this mid-1950s Holden car ad, the cloud background makes the family look like they’re floating through the sky rather than driving on the ground.
Holden Car Cinema Advertisement: A New Star, the New Holden FE advertisement – 1956
Many of the FE’s aesthetic modifications reflected the fashions of the 1950s.
Let’s Go sponsored film – c1956
This film promotes the Shell Touring Service and Shell’s nationwide network of road-related services. Shell maps were produced from the 1920s until the late 1970s. Shell has deposited a significant amount of film with the National Film and Sound Archive for preservation, with a range of excerpts on this site.
Northern Safari documentary – 1956
This six-month journey in a 1948 Buick later inspired the Leyland Brothers and Albert Mangles.
Smiley feature film – 1956
A mischievous boy in a small town tries to reform himself, in order to earn a bicycle.
Syme, Ken: Melbourne Olympic Games home movie – 1956
This silent, colour home movie, shot by Ken Syme, provides a snapshot of both the 1956 Olympic Games, and the city that hosted it.
Walk Into Paradise feature film – 1956
For the third time with director Lee Robinson, Chips Rafferty played his version of an Australian hero – rugged, self-reliant, resourceful, an unpolished rough diamond.
A World to Conquer short film – 1956
In this amateur science-fiction short, an alien surveillance camera lands in a man’s backyard, but his wife does not believe him.
The City of Geelong sponsored film – 1957
The Shell Film Unit made this promotional travelogue of Geelong; three years earlier, a large Shell oil refinery was built on the city’s outskirts.
The Forerunner documentary – 1957
The Forerunner positions the the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme’s as the country’s 'first major step towards the final solution of Australia’s water problem’.
Four’s a Crowd documentary – 1957
Four’s a Crowd comically portrays four types of workers in the waterfront industry – Glass-arm Harry, Tiddly Pete, Nick-away Ned and Ron the Roaster.
General Motors Holden – Australia’s Ideal Family Car advertisement – c1957
This goes to great lengths to reiterate the key features on which Holden built its reputation – economy, dependability, performance, styling and comfort.
Hewers of Coal sponsored film – 1957
This union-sponsored documentary dramatises the history of mining in Australia since the early 1900s, including the friction between miners and mine owners.
Not Only the Need sponsored film – 1957
This sponsored film made for the Australian Council of Trade Unions argues for the provision of affordable housing to replace inner-city slums.
A Pub With No Beer music – 1957
Slim Dusty’s original recording from 1957 of one of his most famous songs.
Sanitation and the City documentary – c1957
This documentary outlines the management of water supply and sanitation by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works.
Service in the Sun sponsored film – 1957
In 1956, members of the American and Hawaiian surf lifesaving teams demonstrate the latest surfing techniques on Bondi Beach.
The Shiralee feature film – 1957
Arguably there are two major themes in Australian cinema – the problem of the landscape, and the related problem of masculinity – and both are the subject of The Shiralee.
The Eyes Have It advertisement – 1958
This Australian Road Safety Council advertisement is built around the wide appeal of all-round cricketer Keith Miller, and draws analogies between cricket and driving.
General Motors Holden – Resale Value advertisement – c1958
Resale value became an important factor for motorists to consider when purchasing their new Holden.
Minter, R: South-East Asia, India and Rome home movie – 1958
This home movie from Robert Minter follows his travels to Hong Kong, Thailand, Burma, India, Turkey, Greece and Italy.
My Country spoken word – 1958
Dorothea Mackellar, aged about 73, reads her most famous poem, 'My Country’.
Think Twice sponsored film – 1958
This occupational safety film for metalworkers highlights three main sources of injury – heat, rays and fumes – and illustrates safe and unsafe ways to operate in the workplace.
Aeroplane Jelly Advertisement: Spaceship advertisement – 1959
The iconic Aeroplane Jelly jingle was recorded in 1938 by seven-year-old Joy King, who won a state-wide talent quest to record the official version of the song.
Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate – ‘Give Her Roses’ advertisement – 1959
This charming 1950s ad for Cadbury’s chocolates relies on the audience’s familiarity with the style of love song made famous by 1930s French romantic singer Maurice Chevalier.
Cadbury’s Crunchie – ‘Exciting Biting’ advertisement – 1959
From the start, Crunchie has attracted a younger market than Cadbury’s boxed chocolate line, so Crunchie ads like this target youth and appeal to a sense of fun.
Happy Little Vegemites advertisement – 1959
A radio jingle set to a marching tune promoting Vegemite, an Australian yeast spread.
Reg Grundy’s Wheel of Fortune television program – 1959
Reg Grundy’s television debut in 1959 was also his first game show.
Two Men of Fiji documentary – 1959
Issues of representation, colonialism and portrayals of culture all bubble under the surface in this story of two young men who leave their village for Suva.
What Makes a Champion documentary – 1959
This Shell Film Unit documentary includes demonstrations by a number of Australian Olympic athletes to analyse championship performance and answer the question ‘What makes a champion?’.
1960s
Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate – ‘Happiness for Two’ advertisement – c1960
These three advertisements all use the same jingle and slogan, but take slightly different approaches to promoting Cadbury Milk Tray chocolates.
Dangerous Immigrant documentary – 1960
This CSIRO documentary alerts the general public to the dangers of the European house borer.
Dimpel, Konrad: Jennings Germans home movie – c1960
Some of the first houses built by the ‘Jennings Germans’ are still standing in O’Connor, Ainslie and Yarralumla.
General Motors Holden – Range of Products advertisement – c1960
This advertisement positions the GMH brand within the Australian landscape, broadening out from Holden cars.
McKenzie, Roger and Kent, Bernie: Silent Car Trip Australia home movie – c1960
This travelogue is from a trip around Australia made by Bernard Kent and Roger McKenzie, enthusiastic film collectors and amateur filmmakers.
The Piano Tuner short film – 1960
Amateur filmmakers the Straford Brothers started making this comedy short to test their newly purchased 16mm Bolex camera.
Shell Animated Commercial: Poster Man advertisement – 1960
This advertisement was made to screen only in cinemas prior to a feature film program despite being made after the introduction of television.
The Sundowners feature film – 1960
The Sundowners is remarkable for the number of Australian actors it showcases. Chips Rafferty plays Quinlan, the contractor at an outback shearing station.
