Trivia

Some trivia.

Many local actors and actresses initially involved in the Arrow Theatre have since had successful stage and film acting careers, one most notable example being Frank Thring junior (for an extensive list of people involved see the flowing BONZA entries: The heart of Middle Park & Aiming the Arrow). In 1945, only nineteen years old, Frank made his debut appearance in Hal’s Bells, a play staged in the Melbourne Repertory Theatre, written by the famous playwright Ray Lawler. Six years later Frank was confident to take over as the artistic director of the Arrow. Frank is most famous for his later film career playing in many epic films, most notably as Pontius Pilate in Ben-Hur (1959) with Charlton Heston, Al Kadir in El Cid (1961) with Sophia Loren, Judge Barry in Ned Kelly (1970) starring Mick Jagger, superintendent Cobham in Mad Dog Morgan (1973) with Dennis Hopper, and as the Collector in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) with Mel Gibson.

(Frank Thring junior chatting with Bert Newton sometimes in the 1990s. Source: YouTube)

Some more trivia.

Frank’s father, Frank Thring senior (1882-1936) was also a prominent figure in the local film and cinema industry. Frank Thring senior began his career as a touring exhibitor and in 1918 set up a distribution company called JC Williamson Films. The company merged with Hoyts in 1926, with Thring as its managing director. In 1930 he sold his holdings in Hoyts to Fox Film Corporation and established Efftee Studios in Melbourne where he produced and directed most of its films, including Diggers (1931), the first commercially viable sound feature made in Australia. The clip below features Frank Thring senior introducing his all-Australian talking picture program and the stars who feature in the films, expressing his pride in his achievement and his hopes for the Australian film industry.

(Frank Thring senior introduces his studio’s first all-Australian talking picture program in 1931. Notice the striking physical resemblance between the father and the son. Source: Australian Screen)