Australian Photo-Play Company

The Australian Photo-Play Company was a short-lived but highly productive Australian film production company which operated from 1911 to 1912.

Stanley Crick, who was Pathe Freres manager in Australia, and Herbert Finlay had enjoyed success producing a series of Australian films directed by John Gavin. They decided to establish the Australian Photo-Play Company in June 1911 under the management of Crick with capital of ₤20,000. (Gavin later claimed it was his idea to form the company.) It was stated in the initial prospectus the aim of the company was to purchase Crick and Finlay's film manufacturing business.

The initial directors of the company Philip Lytton, Stanley Crick, Dr Sherlock Mason, Arthur Upjohn, and Douglas Selkirk. The company decided to erect two studios for film production – "one capable of producing large spectacular productions, and another smaller interior productions." A studio was built in Summer Hill in Sydney. The company secured the services of A .J. Moulton, A. O. Segerberg, Herbert Finlay and Alfred Rolfe. It was also announced a "second company is at present being formed for the production of well known plays." The company said it "intends to make a specialty of Australian-made good, intending to use only Australian-made articles for the production of Australian films, the camera, printing machines, and developing plant being all locally manufactured."

There were to be two production units, one under Gavin and the other under Alfred Rolfe. Gavin wound up only making one movie for the company but Rolfe was extremely prolific. And the company distributed several that Gavin had made earlier, The Assigned Servant and Ben Hall.

By June 1911 the company had distribution outlets in Australian and New Zealand. They produced an advertisement which claimed they were:

The only real live Independent Australian Manufacturers, we make a specialty of the Australian made pictures, we do not run Shows and BOOM OUR OWN PRODUCTION'S whether they be WORTHY OR NOT; but we rely on the trade independently to say whether our goods are good or bad. The popular verdict can only be gauged by the quantity of shows running; our films all over the Commonwealth.

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