This latest featured Australian made film has an interesting past, Originally titled Strong Is The Seed it was based on the life of English-Australian William James Farrer who experimented in cross-breeding wheat to produce Federation wheat, the first specific Australian variety that was both rust and drought resistant. He is widely known as the ''father of the Australian wheat industry'. The film was planned to have been released in 1948. A special centenary stamp as seen following below was issued to coincide with the intended film's Australian theatrical release. Unfortunately the film's makers were unable to secure a film distributor willing to release it. The producer's then hired the Majestic Theatre in Adelaide in March 1949 where it screened to poorly attended audiences. The film was never screened after that under that title. After a title change to The Farrer Story and some editing and shortening Ray Films picked it up three years later. After some extensive research it certainly appears that The Farrer Story only received a very limited number of bookings in country areas, where mainly booked for one of two screenings only.
The following images courtesy of Trove/NFA.
(The Australian Women's Weekly 8 May 1948.)
(Newspaper advertisement for Majestic Theatre screening 4 March 1949)
(Smith'sly Sydney NSW 17 December 1949.)
The following information deals with The Farrer Storry version. Due to the extremely low number of film screening bookings that would have taken place one would think that Ray Films ended up dumping all of the remaining posters at a later date. Any of the few daybill posters that were actually sent to exhibitors that booked the film are extreme longshots to still exist today, one would have to believe.
( Both 1952 screenings newspaper advertisements)
(A 1957 screening Newspaper advertisement)
One other thing to add is that The Farrer Story did secure a UK release though in a very much shortened version.
Thanks to Andrew for his recent entry that show images from his rare Eureka Stockade photo album.
Comments
The film was planned to have been released in 1948. A special centenary stamp as seen following below was issued to coincide with the intended film's Australian theatrical release. Unfortunately the film's makers were unable to secure a film distributor willing to release it. The producer's then hired the Majestic Theatre in Adelaide in March 1949 where it screened to poorly attended audiences. The film was never screened after that under that title.
After a title change to The Farrer Story and some editing and shortening Ray Films picked it up three years later. After some extensive research it certainly appears that The Farrer Story only received a very limited number of bookings in country areas, where mainly booked for one of two screenings only.
The following images courtesy of Trove/NFA.
(The Australian Women's Weekly 8 May 1948.)
(Newspaper advertisement for Majestic Theatre screening 4 March 1949)
The following information deals with The Farrer Storry version. Due to the extremely low number of film screening bookings that would have taken place one would think that Ray Films ended up dumping all of the remaining posters at a later date. Any of the few daybill posters that were actually sent to exhibitors that booked the film are extreme longshots to still exist today, one would have to believe.
( Both 1952 screenings newspaper advertisements)
(A 1957 screening Newspaper advertisement)
One other thing to add is that The Farrer Story did secure a UK release though in a very much shortened version.
Thanks to Andrew for his recent entry that show images from his rare Eureka Stockade photo album.