Titles tagged with ‘1950s’
92 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2 next
1930s
King Billy’s First Car advertisement – 1939
This 1930s animated advertisement contains a disturbing subtext about Indigenous Australians.
1940s
The Dance of the Eyes documentary – c1940
Skylogues’ like this one from Bali, were shown in cinemas prior to a feature film; few Australians travelled abroad then.
Holmes, Mr WGA: Locals Cool Off at the Weir, Theodore home movie – c1940
Many of the segments in this home movie compilation concern various farming or agricultural activities, including cotton harvesting and beekeeping.
Take the Tempo from the Teeth sponsored film – 1948
An early promotional film advocating milk as a key part of a balanced diet, with teeth acting as the barometer for good health.
1950s
Corroboree music – 1950
Incorporating Indigenous themes, this Australian orchestral work achieved international recognition.
Eyes Right sponsored film – c1950
A short public awareness film about the importance of eye health. It explains how our eyes function and how to protect them.
Maranoa Lullaby music – 1950
Harold Blair was the first Aboriginal Australian to achieve recognition as a classical singer.
McIlwraith, Peter: Brisbane Show and Moonbi Park home movie – c1950
The experience of the Brisbane Exhibition (now officially called the Royal Queensland Show) is captured beautifully in this amateur footage.
A Place to Live sponsored film – 1950
This Realist Film Unit documentary illustrates that the builders of homes belonging to the wealthy themselves live across the river in poor conditions.
Schools for Farmers sponsored film – c1950
This short film promotes schools for farmers during vacation time at Hawkesbury Agricultural College.
White River of Life sponsored film – c1950
A short government film made in the early 1950s to promote the health qualities of milk and milk-based foods.
Commonwealth Bank – The School Bank sponsored film – 1951
The bank commissioned this film to replace personal school visits by Bank Liaison Officers, recently cancelled because of postwar labour shortages.
The Felt Hat short film – 1951
Arguably the first real attempt at film drama made in South Australia, The Felt Hat draws on 1940s crime fiction and Hollywood film noir to good effect.
Fighting Blood documentary – 1951
This Cinesound documentary highlights the talents of Australian fighters, including Aboriginal boxers Alfie Clay, Elley Bennett and Dave Sands.
The Workman’s Nightmare short film – 1951
In the first short film from amateur filmmakers the Straford Brothers, a young man falls asleep on his work break and dreams that his ladder attacks him.
Antarctic Vigil documentary – 1952
One of the first colour films about Australian bases in the sub-Antarctic islands.
They Chose Peace documentary – 1952
The Realist Film Unit covered the Youth Carnival for Peace and Friendship in Sydney, which took place in the highly political climate of 1952.
Il Contratto feature film – 1953
In 1950s Melbourne, four recent Italian migrants eager for work to pay off their debts finally find employment on a rural farm near the city.
Jack Luscombe music – 1953
An oral history containing the first recorded collection of Australian folk song.
Pensions for Veterans documentary – 1953
A first glimpse of the Waterside Workers’ Federation Film Unit’s agenda – to depict labour history from the point of view of the workers.
The Phantom Stockman feature film – 1953
A bushman known as ‘the Sundowner’ helps cattle station heiress Kim Marsden investigate the death of her father.
Tribal Music of Australia music – 1953
These are the first commercially available recordings of Australian Aboriginal music.
Australia Post – Royal Tour sponsored film – 1954
As this program amply illustrates, an excited Australian public turned out in droves to see the Queen in 1954. For the PMG, her visit represented a coming of age.
Blue Ice documentary – 1954
The story of the 1954 Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition to set up the first Australian base on the Antarctic continent.
Gerakiteys: Greek Wedding Reception: Canberra Scenes home movie – c1954
This is a rare example of home movie footage of migrant communities living in Australia in the 1950s.
King of the Coral Sea feature film – 1954
A pearler in the Torres Strait uncovers an illegal people smuggling operation.
A Matter of Taste advertisement – c1954
This 1950s ad for Schweppes focuses on the drinks in the context of entertaining, socialising and recreation, rather than the science behind the 'Schweppervescent’ bubbles.
Overland Adventure: The Story of the 1954 Redex Reliability Trial documentary – 1954
Jack Murray earned the nickname ‘Gelignite Jack’ through his habit of blowing up outback toilets, livening up his entrance to towns along the route.
The Queen in Australia documentary – 1954
The first colour feature made in Australia, documenting the first visit of a reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1954.
Roamin’ Holiday home movie – 1954
This amateur travelogue made by John and Frank Straford records their trip to north-east Victoria in the 1950s.
The War Against the Rabbit documentary – 1954
This sponsored documentary made by the CSIRO is about a farmer’s campaign to eradicate a wild rabbit infestation.
Western Wonderland home movie – 1954
This 1954 travelogue of the Grampians National Park in Victoria features a poetically nostalgic voice-over recorded 50 years later.
Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate – ‘A Milk Tray Day Today’ advertisement – c1955
These ads persuasively argue that Milk Tray chocolates can transform the everyday into a special occasion, satisfy desires and mend rocky relationships.
Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate – ‘Remember ... Cadbury’s Milk Tray’ advertisement – c1955
Cadbury’s Milk Tray brand aligns itself with relationships. These two advertisements are about building romance between fledgling couples.
Gerakiteys: Greek Scenes home movie – c1955
The Gerakiteys home movies represent a detailed example of multicultural life in Australia during the 1950s.
Holden Car Cinema Advertisement: On a Tour of Australia’s Banana Plantations advertisement – c1955
This travelogue-style Holden advertisement was one of a series of 'on a tour’ films made for cinema audiences between 1953 and 1956.
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.
Australia Post – Olympic Post Script sponsored film – 1956
This film focuses on the telecommunications services set up especially for the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. It also has footage of the sporting events that is unlikely to have survived in any other form.
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.
Smiley feature film – 1956
A mischievous boy in a small town tries to reform himself, in order to earn a bicycle.
