F. W. Thring

Francis William Thring III (2 December 1882 – 1 July 1936), better known as F. W. Thring, was an Australian film director, producer, and exhibitor. He has been credited with the invention of the clapperboard.

For the bushman and explorer, see John McDouall Stuart § Associates.

F. W. Thring
Born
William Francis Thring

2 December 1882
Wentworth, New South Wales, Australia
Died1 July 1936 (1936-08) (aged 53)
East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Resting placeBurwood Cemetery
Other namesFrancis William III
Occupations
  • Film producer
  • director
  • exhibiter
  • studio founder
Years activec. 1915–1935

Early life

Francis William Thring[1] (or William Francis Thring[2]) was born on 2 December 1882 in Wentworth, New South Wales, the son of a labourer, William Frances Thring(?), and Angelina Thring (née McDonald).

Although sometimes known as Frank Thring Sr, on account of well-known son Frank Thring Jr., the subject of this article is actually Francis William III. His forebears were Francis William Thring (1812–1887) and Francis William Thring(?), known as William Thring (1858–1920). F. W. Thring (1812–1887) had two sons, both of whom were given their father's name. The first of these was illegitimate, but the second one was born after his marriage, and the Thring line continued through the legitimate son.[2]

Career

Thring worked as a conjurer in the outback and as a bootmaker in Gawler, South Australia, as well as starting Biograph Pictures in Tasmania. In 1911, he became a projectionist at Kreitmayer's Waxworks in Melbourne, Victoria. He thrived in the cinema trade and opened the Paramount Theatre in 1915 and became managing director of J. C. Williamson's Films in 1918, which eventually merged to become Hoyts in 1926.

In 1928, Thring personally supervised the building of a new Hoyts picture theatre in Adelaide, the Regent Theatre.[3]

Efftee film studio

In 1930, Thring sold his interests in Hoyts to Fox Film Corporation and went into film production, establishing Efftee Studios (based on his initials). Over the next five years, Efftee produced nine features, over 80 shorts and several stage productions, including the Australian musicals Collits' Inn and The Cedar Tree.

Notable collaborators include C. J. Dennis, George Wallace and Frank Harvey.[4]

Thring visited Britain in 1932–33, where he sold Efftee's entire output: seven features, nine shorts and a series about the Great Barrier Reef made with Noel Monkman.[5]

In 1932 Thring became the leader of a campaign for a quota for Australian films. In 1934, he suspended Efftee's operations, announcing that resumption would depend upon the introduction of an effective quota system in Victoria.

In 1935, Efftee obtained a licence to broadcast from the then-new broadcasting station 3XY in Melbourne, which was owned by the United Australia Party (and later the Liberal Party).[6]

After New South Wales passed its Cinematograph Films (Australian Quota) Act 1935 in September 1935, Thring resumed production in February 1936, in Sydney, becoming chairman of directors of Mastercraft Film Corporation Ltd while remaining managing director of Efftee Film Productions. In March he sailed for Hollywood in search of scriptwriters and actors.[5][7][8]

Olive Thring (Philip Alexius de Laszlo, 1933)

It was estimated Thring lost over £75,000 of his own money on his filmmaking and theatrical ventures.[9]

Other achievements

He is usually credited with the invention of the clapperboard.[10][11][12]

Death and family

Thring died of cancer on 1 July 1936, aged 53, in East Melbourne, and was buried in Burwood Cemetery. He was survived by a daughter from his first marriage to Grace Wight (Viola, known as Lola; 1911–71), his second wife, Olive, née Kreitmayer whom he had married on 25 April 1921,[13] and their then 10-year-old son, the future actor Frank Thring.[5]

Lola dated the future Prime Minister Harold Holt but she ultimately rejected him only to marry his divorced father, her father's business partner. Harold Holt thus acquired a step-mother who was three years his junior.[14] Harold Holt's father, Tom Holt, was in control of Efftee Studios at this time.[2]

Selected filmography

Unmade films
  • adaptation of Redheap by Norman Lindsay
  • Pick and Duffers – meant to follow His Royal Highness[15]
  • adaptation of Collitt's Inn[16]
  • Ginger Murdoch from the novel by William Hatfield with George Wallace[17]
  • The Black Sheep – meant to star George Wallaca[18]
  • A Sweepin' in the Deep with George Wallace

Selected theatre credits
  • Clara Gibbins (August 1933) – Garrick Theatre, Melbourne
  • Rope (1933)
  • Collits' Inn (1933)
  • The Streets of London (1933)
  • Children in Uniform (1933–34) – Garrick Theatre, Melbourne with Coral Browne
  • Mother of Pearl (1934)
  • The Beloved Vagabond (1934)
  • Jolly Roger (1934)
  • The Cedar Tree (1934)
  • Her Past (September 1934)
  • Peter Pan (December 1934, December 1935)
  • Crazy Nights Revue (1935) – with George Wallace
  • S.S. Sunshine (1935)
  • The Oojah Bird (1935)

See also

References
  1. "Advertising". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 28, 449. Victoria, Australia. 26 October 1937. p. 15. Retrieved 31 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. Peter Fitzpatrick, The Two Frank Thrings, Monash University Publishing, Melbourne, 2012
  3. ""1066 and All That"". The Mail (Adelaide). Vol. 25, no. 1, 285. South Australia. 9 January 1937. p. 4 (Special Film Section). Retrieved 27 December 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. "No. 1. Our Chances for World Markets". Table Talk. Melbourne. 17 August 1933. p. 7. Retrieved 16 March 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. Holroyd, J. P., 'Thring, Francis William (Frank) (1882–1936)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University accessed 22 January 2012.
  6. Walker, R.R., The Magic Spark: 50 Years of Radio in Australia, 1973, The Hawthorn Press, Melbourne
  7. "Films to be made from australian stories". The Barrier Miner. Broken Hill, NSW. 2 March 1936. p. 4. Retrieved 22 January 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. "Australia threatens raid on Hollywood talent: Anzacs Plan Twenty Films in Next Year F. W. Thring, Producer, Here to Sign Players; Sydney-Melbourne Actor Colony Offers Nucleus; Climate Like Ours" Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times 10 May 1936: C1.
  9. Graham Shirley and Brian Adams, Australian Cinema:The First Eighty Years, Currency Press, p125
  10. Fitzpatrick, P. (2012). The Two Frank Thrings. Biography. Monash University Publishing. p. 452. ISBN 978-1-921867-24-8. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  11. Sfetcu, N. (2014). The Art of Movies. Nicolae Sfetcu. p. 853. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  12. "Frankly Thring". Theatregold. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  13. "F. W. Thring Married". Call (Peerth). No. 364. Western Australia. 6 May 1921. p. 2. Retrieved 13 May 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. Treasury Publications Archived 2014-02-12 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 February 2014
  15. "AUSTRALIAN FILMS". The Daily News (HOME (FINAL) ed.). Perth. 24 March 1932. p. 9. Retrieved 8 August 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. "Notes on the Screen". The Argus. Melbourne. 10 January 1934. p. 5. Retrieved 10 August 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. "AUSTRALIAN FILMS". The Sydney Morning Herald. 31 January 1934. p. 8. Retrieved 9 August 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. "AUSTRALIAN PRODUCTIONS". The West Australian. Perth. 14 July 1933. p. 2. Retrieved 9 August 2012 – via National Library of Australia.

Further reading
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