EARLY “MOVIES”

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 July 1938, Page 6

EARLY “MOVIES”

MR. HARRY HALL’S MEMORIES. ADDRESS TO OPTIMIST CLUB. Amusing and entertaining reminiscences of the early days of moving pictures in New Zealand were given by Mr Harry Hall, of Masterton, in an address to the Masterton Y.M.C.A. Optimist Club last night. The latter part of last century, said Mr Hall, saw the introduction,, of “pictures” to this country, and such animated scenes as a train arriving at railway station, flickered on the screen, created something of a sensation.. On January 2, 1899, Mr Hall and several others embarked on their first tour with their own moving picture machine. At that time, Spanish-Ameri-can war pictures, and a little later, Boer War films, were a big draw. The majority of the films lasted for about two or three minutes, although there were one or two “extra-specials such as “Joan of Arc,” “Cinderella”, and “Little Red Riding Hood” which were of 15 minutes duration.

It was no easy task to present a picture programme in those days,, continued Mr Hall. Quite often, the machine would either fizzle and fade out or explode violently without warning. At one Carterton performance, the rain came through the roof on to the machine, which had to be sheltered under an umbrella throughout the programme. When a breakdown did occur, Mr Hall would keep the audience entertained with comic songs, while the mechanical brains wrestled with the stubborn machine. “Making the noises” was another phase of Mr Hall’s work with the show. One particularly popular film was that of a train crash. One engine made its way up a hill, the second one appeared suddenly through a tunnel on the same line and the result was a violent collision. Hidden off stage, Mr Hall accompanied this thrilling scene by rubbing sand-paper together, blowing a whistle and in a glorious climax, kicking over a nearby pile of boxes and tins. Mr Hall and his associates were also responsible for what were perhaps the first animated pictures made in New Zealand. These films were taken at each place at which the company called. i

A hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr Hall for his address.