Australian
Screen

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Australia Today – Lucky Strike at Larkinville, WA and other segments (1938)

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clip The fatal hour education content clip 1, 2, 3

This clip chosen to be G

Clip description

This clip shows a foreman and his worker ending work early for the day. They rush down to the pub ‘as fast as a radio announcer after English humour magazines on mail day’ to get in before the doors shut at 6pm. Once inside, clientele are allowed 20 minute’s grace to finish their drinks before stumbling out onto the street and home, presumably to their wives.

The newsreel closes by asking the audience what their view is on extended drinking hours.

Curator’s notes

by Poppy De Souza

The last minute rush to the local drinking hole after work was commonly referred to as the ‘6 o’clock swill’ because men would consume heavy amounts of alcohol between the time they knocked off work and the time pubs closed at 6pm. Introduced as a temporary measure during the First World War, the 6 pm closing time for pubs was done in the interests of public morals, and in empathy with those fighting on the frontline. The 6 o’clock closing time, however, was made permanent in many states beyond the war and lasted for a number of decades, despite drinkers calling for extended opening hours.

The lasting effects of the 6 o’clock swill can possibly be seen in the enduring tradition of binge drinking and excess consumption, especially in the context of youth and mateship.

Again, Kathner uses humour and comedy as an element in his newsreel. The two workers who rush to the pub are presented as a comic duo with which the audience are positioned to identify.

Teacher’s notes

provided by The Le@rning FederationEducation Services Australia

This black-and-white newsreel clip shows a comic depiction of two men working on a building site. One checks his watch and they rush to a pub before the doors are closed at 6 pm. The men are permitted to enter the pub and are given 20 minutes’ drinking time before being asked to leave. The men drink quickly and then leave the pub in an inebriated state, while the narrator voices the view that the licensing laws force people to drink too fast. The soundtrack includes the tunes 'Little brown jug’ and 'There’s a tavern in the town’.

Educational value points

  • During the First World War (1914–18) Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia introduced laws that resulted in pubs closing at 6 pm. One of the main reasons for this closing time was that while Australian men were away fighting it was seen as morally corrupt for those at home to spend their evenings in public houses. In addition, there were concerns that extended hotel opening hours kept men from their families and caused them to waste the household money. Churches and temperance organisations also wanted to keep the consumption of alcohol to a minimum.
  • Nonconformist churchmen and -women had been pressing for the prohibition of alcohol or, failing that, the curtailment of drinking hours, for many years prior to the outbreak of war. In every state and territory the Women’s Christian Temperance Union was a formidable propagandist body that applied pressure to politicians from all parties. The War greatly strengthened the temperance campaign.
  • Instead of encouraging moderate drinking habits, the early closing time led to what became known as the 'six o’clock swill’ (drinking large amounts quickly). Men rushed to the pubs and often drank quickly in order to consume their post-work drinks before closing time. The pubs generally became frantic during the final hour before last drinks were served, and petty criminals catered for further drinking in 'sly-grog shops’ after hotel closing hours.
  • Women were not allowed to drink in the public bars in hotels. Instead they drank (generally shandy and wine) in a separate room called the 'ladies’ saloon’.
  • In 1937, Tasmania was the first state to change the 6 pm closing time to 10 pm, followed by NSW in 1955, Victoria in 1966 and SA in 1967.
  • During the clip the narrator not only describes the events on screen but also seems to be personally involved in the action in real time, with comments such as 'Let’s watch; what are they going to do?’ and 'This looks convivial’. This style of commentary provides a sense of immediacy and engagement with the action, as well as offering context.
  • The clip is taken from a newsreel made in 1938, when newsreels were a major source of information for Australians. Before the introduction of television in Australia in 1956, newsreels were the only audiovisual medium available to report major events such as sport, entertainment, disasters and discoveries. They were usually shown in cinemas before feature films, but some small cinemas ran newsreels exclusively.
  • The newsreel was produced and directed by Rupert Kathner, who made short films, newsreels and feature films throughout the 1930s, 40s and early 50s often in collaboration with his filmmaking partner Alma Brooks (c1910–88). The most famous of the feature films was The Glenrowan Affair (1951). Kathner died in 1954, aged 50, and his life and adventures are the subject of the 2006 movie Hunt Angels.