The Blue Mountains Mystery

Last updated

The Blue Mountains Mystery
Blue Mountains Mystery.png
Everyone's 9 November 1921
Directed by Raymond Longford
Lottie Lyell
Written by Raymond Longford
Lottie Lyell
Based on The Mount Marunga Mystery by Harrison Owen
Produced byDan Carroll
E. J. Carroll
StarringMarjorie Osborne
John Faulkner
Cinematography Arthur Higgins
Edited by Lottie Lyell
Distributed by Southern Cross Picture Productions [1]
Release date
5 November 1921 [2]
Running time
6,000 feet [3]
CountryAustralia
Languages Silent film
English intertitles
Budget£4,000 [4]

The Blue Mountains Mystery is a lost 1921 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford and co-directed by Lottie Lyell. [5]

Contents

It is considered a lost film. [6]

Plot

The Blue Mountains Mystery involves the alleged murder of a wealthy businessman, Henry Tracey, and the eventual discovery that the victim was an underworld look-alike impersonator. The main suspects are Tracey's ward, Pauline, Mrs Tracey, and Pauline's boyfriend, Hector, and his rival, Richard Maxim.

Eventually the supposedly dead Henry Tracey reappears and announces that he had been kidnapped. The corpse was Stephen Rodder, a man with a strong resemblance to Tracey.

Cast

Production

Hotel guests including Billy Williams (left) and Majorie Osborne examine the supposedly dead Henry Tracey (John Faulkner) BlueMountainsMystery.jpg
Hotel guests including Billy Williams (left) and Majorie Osborne examine the supposedly dead Henry Tracey (John Faulkner)

The film was derived from the 1919 novel The Mount Marunga Mystery by Harrison Owen. E.J. Carroll bought the film rights in 1921. [8] According to The Bulletin "Owen wasn’t at all extravagantly rewarded otherwise for his share of the work." [9]

The movie was produced by the Carroll brothers, EJ and Dan, who had previously backed Longford's The Sentimental Bloke. It was Longford's third production for E. J. Carroll and the first in which Lyell received a formal co-direction credit. According to the book Australian Cinema: The First 80 Years by Graham Shirley and Brian Adams, the film cost almost double that of The Sentimental Bloke (1919).

Filming started in July 1921. [10]

The movie was mostly filmed in Katoomba, the Blue Mountains and Sydney Harbour, with some studio work at the Carrolls' Palmerston studio in Sydney. The Carrington Hotel and Hydro-Majestic Hotel were featured. Shooting took an unusually long time to complete, in part because of the location work involved. [4] Filming was completed by October. [11]

The female lead was played by Marjorie Osborne, the only daughter of Charles Lord (son of Francis Lord) and Bertha Lord, née Kerr, later Mrs Emanuel de Beaupuis. She was a fashion consultant to the Sydney store of Farmer's, and wife of a wealthy land-owner, Henry Hill Osborne. [12] She left her husband in December 1921 and unsuccessfully attempted a Hollywood career after making this film. [4] [13]

Release

The film was debuted at the Lyceum Theatre in Sydney on 5 November 1921. It then screened through rural New South Wales before debuting in Melbourne on 26 December 1921. [14]

Reception

Marjorie Osborne, nee Lord Marjorie Lord.png
Marjorie Osborne, née Lord

The film was popular at the box office in Australia. [4] [15] In November 1921 Everyones reported the film "is playing to very big business all along the line, the patrons being more than satisfied with a picture that makes more than an Australian appeal." [16]

Although now lost, at the time of its release The Blue Mountains Mystery fared well in the United Kingdom, South America and the United States upon its initial release. [17]

The film reportedly was "appraised for exhibition purposes" at a value of £20,000 in the USA. [18] According to The Bulletin "after a good run in this country it [the film] emigrated to U.S.A., and that land embraced it like a Little Brother. Then its promoters, the Carrolls, almost forgot about it until they got a cheque for a thousand-odd from London. John Bull says he likes it fine." [19]

Critical reception

Sunday Times called it "finely directed and well acted. Marjorie Osborne... wears some beautiful gowns, importations from Paris and New York, and proves a surprise as an actress." [20]

Everyones said:

This is an Australian production that should do a great deal towards giving our overseas relatives an idea of the scenic qualifications of this country when tne subject of picture production is brought up. The story itself is somewhat melodramatic in construction here and there, but there is nothing unduly sensational, and the mystery is sufficiently enveloped in doubt to keep the audience guessing as to whom the original culprit is... the picture must have cost a great amount of money to produce. But it appears well worth it. [21]

Triad called it an "uninteresting and disconnected a picture. Mr. Longford may be an excellent man when it comes to producing back-block studies and Woolloomooloo types; but he has not the vaguest beginning of an idea how to direct men and women in what is termed manners of society. His ideas of registering any sort of emotion are absolutely standardized." [22]

Table Talk called it "a wonderful success". [23]

The London Bioscope wrote of The Blue Mountains Mystery: " …by its restrained acting, shows the force which a story gains in the telling. As a consequence, suspense is held throughout". [24] The reviewer of the Los Angeles Times said the film "will keep you on the edge of your seat to the last fade out." [25]

Actress Marjorie Osborne was admiring of Lottie Lyell's contributions for The Blue Mountains Mystery. She said of her: "I like brains in a woman, and she has them. Her work on this picture is more on the directing side than the acting. She assists Mr. Longford, and the two of them have plenty of healthy argument when their ideas about a scene are different." [26] The November 1921 edition of the Picture Show magazine also praised Lyell as being "enthusiastic, original, possessing charm and common sense" for her writing of the screenplay.

Harrison Owen was unimpressed with the film, which he thought poorly made compared to overseas movies. [27]

Dan Carroll expressed satisfaction with the film and said he wanted to another movie with Longford, Lyell and Arthur Tauchert in the vein of The Sentimental Bloke . [28] However the Carrolls were frustrated with the financia returns they were receiving and withdrew from production after this film and concentrated on distribution and exhibition. [29] Longford and Lyell formed their own company for what became The Dinkum Bloke . [30]

Resources

Related Research Articles

<i>Uncivilised</i> (film) 1936 Australian film

Uncivilised is a 1936 Australian film directed by Charles Chauvel. It was an attempt by Chauvel to make a more obviously commercial film, and was clearly influenced by Tarzan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lottie Lyell</span> Australian actress and film director

Lottie Lyell was an Australian actress, screenwriter, editor and filmmaker. She is regarded as Australia's first film star, and also contributed to the local industry during the silent era through her collaborations with director and writer Raymond Longford.

<i>The Hayseeds</i> 1933 film

The Hayseeds is a 1933 Australian musical comedy from Beaumont Smith. It centres on the rural family, the Hayseeds, about whom Smith had previously made six silent films, starting with Our Friends, the Hayseeds (1917). He retired from directing in 1925 but decided to revive the series in the wake of the box office success of On Our Selection (1932). It was the first starring role in a movie for stage actor Cecil Kellaway.

Sheepmates was a proposed Australian film from director F. W. Thring based on a 1931 novel by William Hatfield. It commenced filming in 1933 but was abandoned.

Pommy Arrives in Australia is a 1913 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford. The director's first comedy, and the first purely comic feature made in Australia,

Ginger Mick is a 1920 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford based on The Moods of Ginger Mick by C. J. Dennis, which had sold over 70,000 copies. It is a sequel to The Sentimental Bloke (1919) and is considered a lost film.

The Dinkum Bloke is a 1923 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford. Despite the title and the presence of Arthur Tauchert and Lottie Lyell in the cast, the film is not a direct sequel to The Sentimental Bloke (1919) or Ginger Mick (1920).

<i>Fishers Ghost</i> (film) 1924 film

Fisher's Ghost is a 1924 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford based on the legend of Fisher's Ghost. It is considered a lost film.

<i>The Bushwhackers</i> (film) 1925 film

The Bushwhackers is a 1925 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford loosely based on Alfred Tennyson's 1864 poem Enoch Arden. It is considered a lost film.

<i>The Pioneers</i> (1926 film) 1926 film

The Pioneers is a 1926 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford. The script had been written by Lottie Lyell but she had died by the time filming started. It was considered a lost film but some surviving footage from it has recently emerged.

<i>Sunrise</i> (1926 film) 1926 film

Sunrise is a 1927 Australian silent film co-directed by Raymond Longford, who took over during filming.

The Man They Could Not Hang is a 1934 Australian film directed by Raymond Longford about the life of John Babbacombe Lee, whose story had been filmed previously in 1912 and 1921.

<i>The Jackeroo of Coolabong</i> 1920 film

The Jackeroo of Coolabong is a 1920 Australian silent film starring renowned Australian sportsman Snowy Baker. It was the last of three films he made with the husband and wife team of director Wilfred Lucas and writer Bess Meredyth, both of whom had been imported from Hollywood.

<i>A Rough Passage</i> 1922 film

A Rough Passage is a 1922 Australian silent film directed by Franklyn Barrett based on the novel by Arthur Wright. It was Barrett's final feature and is considered a lost film.

<i>The Sealed Room</i> (1926 film) 1926 film

The Sealed Room is a 1926 Australian silent film directed by and starring Arthur Shirley. It is considered a lost film.

<i>Dope</i> (1924 film) 1924 film

Dope is a 1924 Australian silent film about a respected citizen who is blackmailed by someone from his past. It is considered a lost film.

<i>The Life Story of John Lee, or The Man They Could Not Hang</i> (1912 film) 1912 Australian film

The Life Story of John Lee, or the Man They Could Not Hang is a 1912 Australian silent film based on a stage play about the true life story of John Babbacombe Lee.

<i>The Life Story of John Lee, or The Man They Could Not Hang</i> (1921 film) 1921 film

The Life Story of John Lee, or the Man They Could Not Hang is a 1921 Australian silent film based on the true life story of John Babbacombe Lee. It is a remake of a 1912 film with some extra scenes of Lee's childhood.

<i>The Haunted Barn</i> 1931 film

The Haunted Barn is a short 1931 Australian comedy film produced by F.W. Thring directed by Gregan McMahon. It was one of the first productions by Thring's Efftee Studios. The film was produced to support of the feature Diggers (1931) and shown on the same bill.

<i>The Beckoning Shore</i> Book by E.V. Timms

The Beckoning Shore is a 1950 novel by E. V. Timms. It was the third in his Great South Land Saga of Australian historical novels, and shifts the action to New South Wales.

References

  1. ↑ "SOUTHERN CROSS (FEATURE FILM COMPANY, LIMITED)". The Register . Adelaide. 23 December 1921. p. 5. Retrieved 28 July 2012– via National Library of Australia.
  2. ↑ "THE LYCEUM". The Sydney Morning Herald . 5 November 1921. p. 14. Retrieved 28 July 2012– via National Library of Australia.
  3. ↑ "Raymond Longford", Cinema Papers, January 1974 p. 51
  4. 1 2 3 4 Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 110.
  5. ↑ Everyones, Everyones Ltd, 1920, retrieved 4 June 2018
  6. ↑ "The Blue Mountains Mystery". silentera.com. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  7. ↑ "An Old-Timer Dies. Her Australian Appearances.", Everyones., Sydney: Everyones Ltd, 27 July 1932, nla.obj-584399616, retrieved 24 April 2024– via Trove
  8. ↑ "POVERTY POINT Thoet & Chandon DRY IMPERIAL CHAMPAGNE Exquisite", The Bulletin., Sydney, N.S.W: John Haynes and J.F. Archibald, 30 June 1921, nla.obj-673491454, retrieved 24 April 2024– via Trove
  9. ↑ "Thait & thandon DRY IMPERIAL CHAMPAGNE Exquisite POVERTY POINT", The Bulletin., Sydney, N.S.W: John Haynes and J.F. Archibald, 5 January 1922, nla.obj-632593616, retrieved 24 April 2024– via Trove
  10. ↑ "OUR NEIGHBORS". South Coast Times and Wollongong Argus . Vol. XXI, no. 32. New South Wales, Australia. 12 August 1921. p. 24. Retrieved 24 April 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  11. ↑ "Right Off the Reel". The Sun. No. 970. New South Wales, Australia. 30 October 1921. p. 20. Retrieved 24 April 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  12. ↑ "Society Goes into Pictures", The Home : An Australian Quarterly., Sydney: Art in Australia, 1 December 1921, nla.obj-377365730, retrieved 24 April 2024– via Trove
  13. ↑ "AUSTRALIAN PICTURE ACTRESSSUED FOR RESTITUTION", Everyones., Sydney: Everyones Ltd, 28 December 1921, nla.obj-557076728, retrieved 24 April 2024– via Trove
  14. ↑ "Carroll Plans", Everyones., Sydney: Everyones Ltd, 14 December 1921, nla.obj-557068083, retrieved 24 April 2024– via Trove
  15. ↑ The bulletin, John Haynes and J. F. Archibald, 1880, retrieved 4 June 2018
  16. ↑ "Australian Film Going Big", Everyones., Sydney: Everyones Ltd, 30 November 1921, nla.obj-557058322, retrieved 24 April 2024– via Trove
  17. ↑ "Australian Pictures in America". The Register . Adelaide. 3 March 1922. p. 6. Retrieved 1 September 2013– via National Library of Australia.
  18. ↑ "The WILD CAT COLUMN", The Bulletin., Sydney, N.S.W: John Haynes and J.F. Archibald, 1 June 1922, nla.obj-632704908, retrieved 24 April 2024– via Trove
  19. ↑ "Poverty Point", The Bulletin., Sydney, N.S.W: John Haynes and J.F. Archibald, 11 August 1927, nla.obj-614278427, retrieved 24 April 2024– via Trove
  20. ↑ "THE BLUE MOUNTAINS MYSTERY". Sunday Times . No. 1867. New South Wales, Australia. 6 November 1921. p. 19. Retrieved 24 April 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  21. ↑ "Recent Film Releases", Everyones., Sydney: Everyones Ltd, 9 November 1921, nla.obj-557038605, retrieved 24 April 2024– via Trove
  22. ↑ "The Shadow Show", The Triad : A Journal Devoted to Literacy, Pictorial, Musical and Dramatic Art., Sydney, 10 December 1921, nla.obj-1207959007, retrieved 24 April 2024– via Trove
  23. ↑ ""THE BLUE MOUNTAINS MYSTERY."". Table Talk . No. 1900. Victoria, Australia. 29 December 1921. p. 30. Retrieved 24 April 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  24. ↑ Bioscope, quoted by Everyones, 4 November 1924
  25. ↑ THREE NEW PLAYS OPEN THIS WEEK Los Angeles Times 24 June 1923: III27.
  26. ↑ Ibid., 1 November 1921
  27. ↑ "London Life". The West Australian . Perth. 15 May 1922. p. 10. Retrieved 28 July 2012– via National Library of Australia.
  28. ↑ "The Future of Australian Picture Production.", Everyones., Sydney: Everyones Ltd, 2 November 1921, nla.obj-557042325, retrieved 24 April 2024– via Trove
  29. ↑ "ANOTHER GRANDIOSE FILM SCHEME". Smith's Weekly . Vol. VI, no. 29. New South Wales, Australia. 6 September 1924. p. 9. Retrieved 24 April 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  30. ↑ "Advertising". Smith's Weekly . Vol. IV, no. 22. New South Wales, Australia. 22 July 1922. p. 23. Retrieved 24 April 2024– via National Library of Australia.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.