THE BOER WAR ON THE FILMS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 181, 2 August 1941, Page 17

THE BOER WAR ON THE FILMS

i ____ , Auckland's Film History — No. 11.

£)URING the year 1899 the picture showmen were gradually finding their feet, and, although there were a few "fake" shows in the suburban and country halls still, the pioneers and new arrivals in the business perfected their projecting plants, as well as they were able, and sent overseas for machines and film.

What a great coterie of good fellows had been attracted towards the business by that time, when the "movies" were in transition stage. Some of them have passed away, but their keenness and showmanship were the key and corner stones to the industry, as we at present see it. Here are a few names of some of the early ones who travelled along the track:—Mat Northcote, Frank . Stewart, Bill Franklyn, Tom Shaw Valentine, Bud Atkinson, Myrtle Wynyard, Mrs. Geo. Tarr. Arthur Blanchard, Joe Dunn, Jim Matheson. K. J. Burke, Geo. Blair, Geo. Sheffield. Don Horton, Don and George Alexander, Ted Travcrs. Chas. Reeves. Jack Val, Chas. Parnell, Walter Monk, Geo. Tarr, Bill Cody, Oscar Fair, Dick Thomas, Ted Bagstrom, Fred Elton. Bill Perry, Charles Eager. Mr. Buckingham, and Jack McDonald. My list, I know, Is far from complete, but in the passing of years time has dimmed the names of many of those who helped to swing the show along in ways most suitable to them. "Playing the Pictures" Nowadays, the great orchestras of the world are as part of the picture, and the incidental music is thought out by specialists, but in the times I am writing of, the pianist "played the pictures," and he, or she, spent hours in cold orchestra wells and in draughty halls, doing their job of work, with their eyes fixed on the sheet. January, 1905, saw a big event in New Zealand picture chronicles for T. C. Williamson and Company's Bio Tableau Russo-Jap. War films were here, and for the first time, in real earnest, incidental effects were introduced. When we saw this show we began to think that we were heading towards big things. But greater and still greater events were to he written on our motion picture,, scrolls, for, in September, 100.3, the apex, as some of us thought, was reached when West's Pictures and the Brescians, under the direction of T. J. West and Henry Hayward, came to our city and showed us "real" pictures. What a great combination of musical and pictorial talent! In spite of the hundreds of "star" pictures, some of us have viewed throughout recenl years, I think a great number of older generation folk date their lasting memories of good pictures back to the banquet of gems served up on the original West-Bresciar programmes, headed by that fantastic (dm, "A Trip to the Sun." Henry Hayward has been a cltizer among us for many years, and his picture organisations are Dominior wide. Many men who are controlling and managing theatres to-day startec under his banner, and remcmhei some piece of kindly cxper advice that at some time he gavi them. (Tn tin rnn tinned 1

By Dave McWilliams

On July 22, 1599, the Hinemoa Syndicate opened a season in Auckland with the "Bioscope," the king of motion picture machines, and the Itontgen X-rays. They shewed "The Astronomer, or the Man in the Moon," through a triuneal machine, manipulated by C. TO. Mackio. January 15, 1900, saw the first of the Boer War pictures, and a varied programme in which sound was produced "louder than original with natural sweetness and melody." These were shown by Charles Cooper. The Thcatrephone came to the Opera House on February 5 of that year and appeared with a scries of pictures, some lasting 12 minutes. Included on the programme was the . star picture. "The International Boat Race." W. H. Bartlett, photographer, was associated with A. H. Whitehouse, who was the exhibitor. Patriotic Pictures Meanwhile, those two stalwarts of the motion picture industry in New Zealand (Chas. Cooper and W. J. MacDermott) were establishing themselves firmly as a travelling show, and were in the South Island in May, 1900, showing a Boer War pro- , gramme entitled "Our Boys in South Africa," with four miles of film. H. A. Neilson and Sons were showing ■ "With the Flag to Pretoria," and the Zealandia Living Picture Company , was also screening South African scenes. A newspaper reference to that show tells of the unbounded patriotr ism that was shown during the programme, as his Excellency unfurled j the flag, and of the groans and hisses as Kruger left the Volkraast. So the motion picture business in ' Auckland progressed. Suburban and country towns were visited, at in- ; tervals, and the way was fast being paved, towards the big industry we know to-day. But I doubt that if even the alert MacMahon Bros, dreamed of how it would flourish. j March, 1901, saw the British ' Biograph in Auckland with "The Relief of Ladysmith" film. Montgomery's travelling entertainers . arrived shortly after, when we ■ viewed the "Queen's Funeral" picj tures, and many others. Another step forward was the season of West's , pictures, at the Opera House, with "Our Navy," under the direction of Chas. MacMahon, in June' i Industry Flourishes [' The industrv. as I have said pre- " viously, flourished, and it made '< another step forward in its progress. when A. H. Whitehouse. one of the 1. "old originals." introduced, on October h 2,1901, a 5000 C.P. Arc Light, worked from a portable electric outfit, supc plied by W. Ryan and Co. "The - Coronation of King Edward" picture? - were shown together with a varied 0 programme. The operator was C. C. 2 Whitehouse. and the electrician, Chas. Manners.