All historical
67 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2
1930s
Athol Tier as Napoleon c1931
Athol Tier’s performance as Napoleon was one of the many routines filmed for the Efftee Entertainers series of variety shorts.
Efftee Studio Opening in Melbourne: Speech by Frank Forde 1931
This short film from 1931 records the opening of Frank Thring Senior’s Efftee Film Studios and the screening of the first ‘all-Australian talkie program’. Forde expresses optimism about the future of Australian film making, with a positive impact on local jobs and the presentation of ‘typical Australian characters’ onscreen.
George Wallace: Australia’s Premier Comedian 1931
This screen test by seasoned vaudeville comic George Wallace led to roles in several feature films.
Jack O’Hagan: Vocalist Composer 1931
Multi-talented artist Jack O’Hagan performs five songs for Frank Thring’s series of variety shorts, Efftee Entertainers, including 'The Road to Gundagai’.
Melbourne Chinese Orchestra Selections 1931
Melbourne’s Chinese Orchestra perform at His Majesty’s Theatre as part of Frank Thring’s Efftee Entertainers.
Miss Minnie Love in Impressions: Maurice Chevalier c1931
Australian performer Minnie Love mimics the popular French comedian and singer Maurice Chevalier for Frank Thring’s Efftee Entertainers series.
Stan Ray and George Moon Jnr: Specialty Dancers 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.
Tasmanian countryside, Hobart and Tasmanian Tiger 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 1932
In 1932, zoologist and naturalist David Fleay filmed some of the last known moving images of a living (now extinct) Tasmanian tiger.
Cinesound Varieties 1934
This variety show originally ran for about an hour, but only a few segments survive.
The Maryborough Railway Employees’ Picnic 1938
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, thousands of children and their families would attend the Maryborough Railway’s annual employees’ picnic.
Cockatoo Island: Newsreel Film of Dockyard Activities c1939
The largest island in Sydney Harbour became the major shipbuilding and dockyard facility for the Pacific during the Second World War, following the fall of Singapore.
1970s
Footscray 1971 1971
Shot by prominent film lover and collector Harry Davidson, this footage features numerous attractions of Footscray, Melbourne, in 1971.
Whitlam – Visit to Bendigo and Eaglehawk 1973
Gough Whitlam, the first Labor Prime Minister in 23 years, visits Bendigo and Eaglehaw in Victoria to lend support to the party’s campaign for the May 1973 state elections.
Whitlam – Visit to the Philippines 1974
In 1974, prime minister Gough Whitlam visited Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Burma, Singapore and the Philippines with the aim of strengthening cooperation in aid, trade, investment and culture.
Kerr’s Cur 1975
On 11 November 1975, on the steps of Parliament House, the dismissed Prime Minister Gough Whitlam delivers his now-famous verdict on the day’s events.
1980s
Cockatoo Island: HMAS Success Launching 1984
The HMAS Success was ultimately the last ship to be built on Cockatoo Island before the dockyard closed in 1992.
