F. W. Thring
| F. W. Thring | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Francis William Thring 2 December 1883 Wentworth, New South Wales |
| Died |
1 July 1936 (aged 52) East Melbourne, Victoria |
| Resting place | Burwood Cemetery |
| Known for | Film making |
Francis William Thring (2 December 1883 – 1 July 1936), better known as F. W. Thring, was an Australian film director, producer, and exhibitor.
Thring was born in Wentworth, New South Wales, the son of a labourer, William Frances Thring, and Angelina Thring (née McDonald). He 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 Films in 1918, which eventually merged to become Hoyts in 1926.
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.
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.
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 licence to broadcast from the then-new broadcasting station 3XY which was owned by the United Australia Party (and later the Liberal Party). 3XY originally broadcast from studios in the former ballroom at the top of the Princess Theatre, Melbourne.
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