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Cinesound Productions

From Alfawiki
Cinesound Productions Pty Ltd
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryFilm production
FoundedJune 1931; 95 years ago (1931-06)
FounderStuart F. Doyle, Ken G. Hall
Headquarters
Sydney
,
Australia
Area served
Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom
Key people
Stuart F. Doyle (Managing Director), Ken G. Hall (General Manager and head of production)
ProductsFeature films, newsreels
ParentGreater Union Theatres Pty Ltd

Cinesound Productions Pty Ltd was an Australian company specializing in feature film production, founded in June 1931. It originated from a network of enterprises linked to Greater Union Theatres, encompassing the areas of production, distribution, and exhibition. Inspired by the Hollywood studio model, Cinesound functioned as a subsidiary under Greater Union Theatres Pty Ltd. Its inaugural film, On Our Selection (1932), achieved significant commercial success.

Formation

The establishment of Cinesound in 1931 was driven by Stuart F. Doyle and Ken G. Hall. Doyle, serving as Managing Director of Greater Union Theatres (which evolved from Australasian Films), was committed to fostering an Australian film industry. He appointed his assistant, Ken Hall, as General Manager and head of production oversight. Hall directed all but one of the seventeen films produced by Cinesound and oversaw its operations until 1956.

By 1934, Cinesound managed three studios across Australia: the original facility at Bondi Junction, along with studios located at Rushcutters Bay (NSW) and St. Kilda, Victoria. The Bondi Junction studio, known as Studio no. 1, was converted from the Centennial Roller Skating Rink purchased by Australasian Films/Union Theatres in 1925. Revenue from skating sessions helped subsidize filmmaking activities, with skating occurring at night and filming during daytime hours.

Doyle and Hall prioritized theatricality to produce entertainment that resonated with audiences and effectively promoted their films. Their marketing efforts for The Squatter's Daughter and its lead actress Jocelyn Howarth demonstrated this approach. Additionally, they implemented a Hollywood-style star system, branding Cinesound as a "little Hollywood." This strategy contributed to strong financial outcomes: every feature except one yielded profits upon release, with all eventually recouping costs. In 1939, Hall reported typical budgets ranging between £10,000 and £20,000 and estimated that his first fourteen films generated £350,000 at the box office.

Corporate Development

In 1933, Doyle revealed intentions to produce sixteen films within eighteen months, motivated by the success of On Our Selection (1932) and The Squatter's Daughter (1933), along with anticipated mid-1930s film quotas. To accommodate Strike Me Lucky (1934), Cinesound expanded its studio facilities and planned several upcoming projects including Grandad Rudd, an adaptation of Robbery Under Arms, and films showcasing Queensland’s cattle industry, sugarcane plantations, and the Great Barrier Reef. The company aimed to produce twelve films annually under the quota system: consisting of four "super productions," four "quota specials," and four independent Cinesound releases. There were also plans to establish a Melbourne studio at St Kilda.

By 1936, Cinesound committed itself to producing six films each year, allocating one unit specifically for location shoots. However, the quota legislation did not provide sufficient support to maintain this output consistently, although production continued until 1940.

Financial Performance

Year Date Profit Remarks
1933 30 June £4,010 Financial success attributed to On Our Selection
1934 30 June £8,800 Continued earnings from On Our Selection plus successful release of The Squatter's Daughter
1935 30 June £4,220 Gains from The Silence of Dean Maitland counterbalanced by poor box office returns for Strike Me Lucky; six-month production hiatus for Ken G. Hall’s Hollywood study trip
1936 Release of Thoroughbred; Stuart Doyle projected revenue split: 60% Australia/New Zealand, 40% England
1937 Loss of £5,254 Losses recorded across Greater Union divisions; Stuart Doyle resigned in June
1937 31 December £2,788 Half-year profit supported by releases such as It Isn't Done and Tall Timbers
1938 2 July £7,647 Impacted by amendment to Cinematograph Films Act removing Australian films from British quotas; led to shift toward broader comedies and loss of assured UK market (£6,500–£7,500 per film)
1938 31 December £10,010 Successful launches including Let George Do It and Dad and Dave Come to Town
1939 £936
1940 £2,821 Final Cinesound feature: Dad Rudd, MP
1941 £1,242
1942 £5,018
1943 £4,973
1944 31 December £7,223
1945 31 December £1,392
1946 31 December £1,433
1947 31 December £6,012
1948 31 December £3,355

In February 1939, Cinesound Features Pty Ltd was registered as a subsidiary concentrating on feature film production. Its directors—Norman Rydge, Edwin Geach, and John Goulston—were the same individuals overseeing Cinesound Productions.

Talent Academy

In 1938, Cinesound launched a talent academy dedicated to nurturing young performers, overseen by George Cross and Alec Kellaway, both of whom featured in numerous Cinesound productions. This institution provided instruction in areas such as "posture, speech clarity, pantomime, microphone handling, and physical flexibility." By 1940, enrollment had surpassed 200 students, including prominent actors like Grant Taylor and Yvonne East from Dad Rudd, MP (1940), along with Valerie Scanlon, Lorna Westbrook, Natalie Raine, and Mary Sinclair.

1940s Era

During World War II, Cinesound halted its feature film output and redirected efforts toward producing the Cinesound Review newsreel, due to the financial uncertainties surrounding filmmaking at that time. After the war, British entrepreneur J. Arthur Rank gained controlling interest in Greater Union, emphasizing British film releases from the Rank Organisation and discouraging Australian productions. This shift effectively sidelined Cinesound and led to a near two-decade stagnation in Australian feature film creation.

In 1940, the Australian Government appointed Cinesound and Movietone as principal distributors for newsreels. That same year, Cinesound officially discontinued feature film production after its titles had amassed approximately £400,000 at the box office. In 1942, the company collaborated with the US Signal Corps film unit to produce newsreels aimed at American soldiers stationed in the South West Pacific.

By 1946, commercial cinema distributors agreed to screen selected productions from the Commonwealth Film Unit alongside sponsored documentaries from Movietone and Cinesound. Nonetheless, other Australian filmmakers encountered substantial obstacles in gaining commercial exhibition opportunities.

Despite the critical acclaim and box office success of Ken G Hall's final feature Smithy, which was financed partly by Columbia Pictures to repatriate frozen wartime funds, Greater Union Theatres opted against reestablishing feature film production via Cinesound in the post-war period.

Feature Film Productions

Short Film Works

Unrealized productions

Numerous Cinesound ventures that were announced never reached completion, such as:

  • a sound remake of For the Term of His Natural Life, originally produced as a silent film in 1927
  • Con of the South Seas, adapted from a novel by Beatrice Grimshaw, which had already been turned into the film The Adorable Outcast
  • remakes of earlier Australasian Films titles including The Pioneers, Tall Timber, and The Fatal Wedding
  • sequels and adaptations like Rudd's New Selection, continuing the story from On Our Selection
  • projects inspired by prominent writers, featuring Edmond Seward’s screenplay for Big Timber, Ion Idriess’ narrative for Gold Dust and Ashes, and a koala-focused natural history film planned in collaboration with Frank Hurley
  • additional unrealized ideas encompassed an Antarctic expedition feature by Hurley, the pearling industry drama Pearl of Great Price which likely evolved into Lovers and Luggers, a sports-themed drama titled Yellow Sands, as well as works called The Haunted House, a story centered on the Overland Telegraph, an adaptation of Robbery Under Arms, and a rendition of the Eureka Stockade
  • a biographical film named Life of Melba starring Marjorie Lawrence, scheduled for production in 1940 but postponed due to wartime circumstances
  • a 1960s-era adaptation of Tusitala

Producer Hall intended to feature international actors in major productions such as Overland Telegraph, Robbery Under Arms, and the Eureka Stockade.

Robbery Under Arms

Among the planned adaptations, the project for Robbery Under Arms was the most frequently revisited; Ken G. Hall referred to it as "the film I wished to make more than any other."

The rights were acquired from Raymond Longford for approximately £1,500. A screenplay was developed, and the film was initially announced in March 1933 as Cinesound’s third feature, with intentions to shoot in colour. It was subsequently postponed to become the fourth feature, with John Longden cast as Captain Starlight and a budget of £20,000 allocated for filming in Burraganong Valley. The script was penned by Edmund Barclay.

Further postponements arose due to scheduling conflicts with Cinesound Varieties and concerns about filming during winter, informed by experiences from shooting Squatter's Daughter. Additionally, censorship complications following The Silence of Dean Maitland led to caution; Hall insisted on securing censor approval before moving forward.

In 1934, production was deferred once more amid uncertainty surrounding the ban on bushranger films. Despite being announced several times between 1935 and 1937 as part of Cinesound’s lineup responding to the New South Wales Film Quota Act, the project never progressed. In 1938, Hall asserted his rights in opposition to Hollywood producer Hal Roach, who planned a similar bushranger narrative.

In 1939, William Freshman and his wife were invited to Australia to assist with Cinesound projects including Robbery Under Arms, although Hall was still designated as director. Nonetheless, World War II and Cinesound’s withdrawal from feature filmmaking in 1940 halted development.

Postwar attempts by Hall to independently produce the film were unsuccessful due to financial obstacles. As late as 1952, Cinesound nearly finalized a co-production agreement with Ealing Studios, intending to follow up Eureka Stockade with this project. However, restrictions on capital investment and the shutdown of Pagewood Studios ultimately prevented any further progress, effectively ending prospects for large-scale production of the film.

External links

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